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Project Aims To Capture Florida History

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By STEPHEN HAMMILL, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 13, 2007

KEYSTONE - David Seidel said the idea came from public television. War veterans were sharing stories for the camera. Why couldn't the same be done with local residents?

Today, an ambitious oral-history project, called Recollections Shared, begins. Dozens of older residents will meet at the Brooker Creek Environmental Education Center, 3940 Keystone Road, to be interviewed.

The education center, the Friends of Brooker Creek Preserve and the environmental land division of Pinellas County are hosting the event, aimed at showcasing and recording individual memories of life in the area.

Seidel said it's a chance to get old acquaintances together for some story swapping.

'We're trying to gather together people who represent the old families in or around the Brooker Creek Watershed area,' he said. Organizers will use audio and video equipment to record residents' memories, offering a glimpse into forgotten moments in time - lost pieces of local history.

The event begins with an invitation-only breakfast at 9 a.m. At 10:30 the invitees will answer questions from the public. Coffee and refreshments will be served.

As many as 50 invitees, including representatives from many of the old families from the northwest part of Hillsborough County, are expected to attend the breakfast. They will share stories and photographs.

Seidel stressed things will be informal.

'This is not an orchestrated event, but a swapping of memories,' he said. 'Our long-term intention is to develop an oral history, to get people's takes on the changes that have taken place in the area.'

The staff members of the education center will take charge of recording the stories.

'We'll have folks who remember when buggies on their way to downtown Tampa used to stop here,' Seidel said. 'It was a two-day trip back then.'

Seidel has been on the board of the Friends of the Brooker Creek Preserve for 15 years and is organizing today's event. He moved to Florida in 1959.

'Never in my wildest imagination did I expect to spend my life in Florida,' he said.

The idea to record the stories started as a word-of-mouth operation. The more people heard about it, the more it grew in scope. Seidel wants newer residents to know about old Florida, before the housing explosions and theme parks.

'I always enjoyed talking to the old folks who have seen the changes over the years,' he said. 'They bring a real perspective.'

'Personally, I just hope to learn something from everybody else,' said Harry Gurr, who will be speaking at the event. Gurr has owned Harry's Fix-It Shop on Gunn Highway for 39 years. He recalls growing up in rural Florida when all around him were dairy farms.

'Van Dyke Road wasn't there; it was just grass,' he said. 'I would drive across it to get to Chamberlain High School.'

Gurr will bring photos for the preserve's archives.

'They can use what they get in future exhibits and this way new folks can see what this place used to be like,' he said.

The process of capturing memories will last months, if not years. This weekend's event is just the beginning. 'We're losing a lot of these people,' Seidel said. 'It's about time we started doing this.'

For information on the project, call (727) 453-6800.

Reporter Stephen Hammill can be reached at (813) 865-1523 or shammill@tampatrib.com.

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