Florida Memory is administered by the Florida Department of State, Division of Library and Information Services, Bureau of Archives and Records Management. The digitized records on Florida Memory come from the collections of the State Archives of Florida and the special collections of the State Library of Florida.

State Archives of Florida

ArchivesFlorida.com
State Archives Online Catalog
ArchivesFlorida.com
ArchivesFlorida.com

State Library of Florida

Related Sites

Listen: The Bluegrass & Old-Time Program

24 items found

Interview with Maggie Melton

Date: 1978-05-09
Description: Two audio cassettes. C78-55: Margaret (Maggie) Melton discusses snake and alligator hunting, cooking, and skinning; making birdhouses from gourds; working with hides and bones; foods unique to the Plant City area; cooking hog organs and gophers; making turtle soup; cane grinding and syrup making; candy pulls; fishing nets made from burlap sacks; and teas used for home remedies. C78-56: Melton discusses making things from nature; fishing for and cooking scallops; gardening during a full moon; making jewelry from bones; preparing snake hides; and making belts.
Collection

Interview with Maggie Melton

Interview with Alligator wrestler Richard Bowers

Date: 1983-05-04
Description: Two audio cassettes. Bowers, an alligator wrestler at Native Village near Hollywood Reservation, was born in Fort Lauderdale in 1955. In the interview, he discusses growing up in a rural family and learning to alligator wrestle after a 4-H agent suggested he try it. He learned the practice from Johnny Buck, an old alligator wrestler. He explains how he received his first job from Chairman Billie and says never had any serious injuries. In addition, he discusses the relationship that grew between the Seminoles and alligators; how the Seminoles view alligator wrestling; how the capture the alligators; codes and regulations; the biggest alligator he wrestled (one that was 10 feet long); alligators' differing personalities and their aggressiveness; praying to thank the alligator after a wrestling match; wrestling techniques and other issues.
Collection

Interview with Alligator wrestler Richard Bowers

Glen Simmons interview at the 1993 Florida Folk Festival Folklife Area

Date: 1993-05-29
Description: Simmons discusses boatbuilding (including materials and methods) and alligator hunting. The interview represents the first portion of tape C93-8.
Collection

Glen Simmons interview at the 1993 Florida Folk Festival Folklife Area

Bill Crowder interview

Date: 1983-02-18
Description: One audio cassette. Interview with alligator hunter Crowder, who was licensed with the state to capture and kill nuisance alligators, including within the Suwannee River. Interview conducted at the Stephen Foster Center.
Collection

Bill Crowder interview

Saturday performances at the 1999 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Narrative Stage) (Tape 9)

Date: 1999-05-29
Description: One audio cassette tape. Rufus Stratton, alligator hunter from St. Augustine, FL discusses his career as an alligator trapper (he traps nuisance alligators). According to his own record he has caught over 3,000 alligators since 1978.
Collection

Saturday performances at the 1999 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Narrative Stage) (Tape 9)

Saturday performances at the 1999 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Narrative Stage) (Tape 10)

Date: 1999-05-29
Description: One audio cassette tape. Rufus Stratton continues from C99-84 answering audience questions. Michael Berg discusses decoys and decoy carving. He discusses how he began making decoys and the materials he uses to make them such as basswood and custom carving knives. He also discusses duck-hunting and the use of decoys.
Collection

Saturday performances at the 1999 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Narrative Stage) (Tape 10)

Interview with Linda and Paul Bowers

Date: 1981-10-24
Description: Two reel to reels. (Copied onto audio cassettes C81-89 and C81-90.) The Bowers discuss sewing machines; patchwork; how they learned to sew traditional Seminole patterns; designs; clothing; life in Big Cypress Seminole Indian reservation; sofke; fry bread; native languages; chickees; the Green Corn Dance; male initiation rites; and cooking/eating alligators. The recordings were created for the Florida Folklife Program's Seminole Slide and Tape Project, a program sponsored by the American Express Company in 1982-1983 to create two educational slide/tape programs for use by schools, community groups, and other educational outlets. One program dealt with sweetgrass basket making; the other on traditional Seminole patchwork. Recordings of the finished program tapes can be found in S 1576, Box 10. Teacher guides, program scripts, and documentation of the project can be found in S 1595, Box 1.
Collection

Interview with Linda and Paul Bowers

Interview with Myakka City resident Larry Albritton

Date: 1984-02-05
Description: One reel to reel. Albritton talks about growing up in Myakka, including hunting (alligators, frogs, and rabbits), ranching, going to school, moonshining, and fishing. The Myakka Community Profile Project was conducted between October 1983 and March 1984 through a partnership with the Crowley Museum and Nature Center, and the Florida Folklife Program, funded by the Florida Endowment for the Humanities. The fieldwork and resultant booklet/slideshow, created by museum employee Robert Cottrell and folklorist Pat Waterman, was to profile the lifestyles and values of the Myakka community, located in Southwest Florida in Manatee County. See S 1682 for more information on the project.
Collection

Interview with Myakka City resident Larry Albritton

Interview with boat builder Glen Simmons

Date: 1985-09-05
Description: Two reel to reels (copied onto audio cassette: C86-48 and C86-158.) Interview with Everglades native, hunter, and boat builder Simmons. He discusses hunting alligators; trapping otters and other animals; trading with Seminole Indians; life during the Depression; Everglades drainage; building skiffs; dug out canoes; and camping in the Everglades. The Metro-Dade Folk Arts Survey was conducted in 1986 by folklorists Tina Bucuvalas, Nancy Nusz and Laurie Sommers in order to identify folk arts and folk artists for the special folklife area at the 34th Annual Florida Folk Festival. The traditions are mainly Haitian, Jamaican, Mexican, Bahamian, Cuban and Jewish and cover a wide range of skills and art forms.
Collection

Interview with boat builder Glen Simmons

Ernie Williams and the Djangos performing at the festival at the 1988 Florida Folk Festival (Main Stage)

Date: 1988-05-27
Description: One reel to reel recording. Boltin served as emcee. Boltin told a story about alligators after the Djangos performed.
Collection

Ernie Williams and the Djangos performing at the festival at the 1988 Florida Folk Festival (Main Stage)

	Identifier	Title	Type	Subject
a_s1576_02_c78-055	Interview with Maggie Melton	Sound	Artisans Interviews Fieldwork Snakes Belts (Clothing) Animals Alligators Leather goods Life histories Hunting Fauna Food preparation Jewelry making Turtles Domestic arts	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/catalog_audio.jpg
a_s1576_10_c83-109	Interview with Alligator wrestler Richard Bowers	Sound	Wrestlers Performers Fieldwork Interviews Local history Oral histories Life histories Personal experience narratives Seminole Indians Indian reservations Alligators Animals Performing arts Occupational groups Occupational training Tourism	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/catalog_audio.jpg
a_s1576_30_c93-008a	Glen Simmons interview at the 1993 Florida Folk Festival Folklife Area	sound	Folk festivals Florida Folk Festival Oral narratives Boatbuilding Alligators	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/audio.jpg
a_s1576_39_tape32	Bill Crowder interview	Sound	Hunters Fieldwork Interviews Occupational groups Occupational training Alligator hunting Alligators Hunting Hunting Equipment and supplies Hunting stories	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/audio.jpg
a_s1576_75_c99-084	Saturday performances at the 1999 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Narrative Stage) (Tape 9)	Sound	Folk festivals Folklore revival festivals Festivals Special events Performing arts Oral performance Personal experience narratives Occupational folklore Occupational groups Alligator hunting Alligators American alligator Hunting Folklore Hunting stories Hunters	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/catalog_audio.jpg
a_s1576_75_c99-085	Saturday performances at the 1999 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Narrative Stage) (Tape 10)	Sound	Carvers (Decorative artists) Folk festivals Folklore revival festivals Festivals Special events Performing arts Oral performance Personal experience narratives Occupational folklore Occupational groups Alligator hunting Alligators American alligator Hunting Folklore Hunting stories Decoys (Hunting) Wildlife wood-carving Wood carving Hunters Wood carvers	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/catalog_audio.jpg
a_s1576_t81-118	Interview with Linda and Paul Bowers	Sound	Needleworkers Fieldwork Ethnicity, Seminole Seminole Indians Native Americans Interviews Oral histories Patchwork Festivals Sewing Indian reservations Food habits Mikasuki language Chickee Alligators Food preparation	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/audio.jpg
a_s1576_t85-218	Interview with Myakka City resident Larry Albritton	Sound	Farmers Beekeepers Fieldwork Interviews Personal experience narratives Oral histories Family history Alligators Distilling, Illicit Ranching Hunting Hunting Anecdotes Cookery (Alligator) Fences Education Local history	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/catalog_audio.jpg
a_s1576_t86-002	Interview with boat builder Glen Simmons	Sound	Boatbuilders Fieldwork Sound recordings Life histories Oral histories Oral narratives Boatbuilding Boats and boating Wetland animals Swamp animals Wetlands Swamps Nature Seminole Indians Native Americans Alligators Skiffs Canoes Hunting Animal traps Trapping	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/audio.jpg
a_s1576_t88-006	Ernie Williams and the Djangos performing at the festival at the 1988 Florida Folk Festival (Main Stage)	Sound	Singers Bands (Music) Bluegrass musicians Festivals Folk festivals Folklore revival festivals Special events Music performance Musicians Singing Bluegrass music Old time music String bands Stringband music Storytelling Alligators Tales	/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/catalog_audio.jpg

Florida Memory is a digital outreach program providing free online access to select archival records from collections housed in the State Library and Archives of Florida. Florida Memory digitizes materials that illuminate the state's history and culture.

Additional Links

Florida Memory is funded under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act from the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Florida's LSTA program is administered by the Department of State's Division of Library and Information Services.

For FY2022-23, the percentage of total costs for the Florida Memory program financed with federal money is 66%; the federal dollar amount to be spent on the program is $646,422. This program does not receive any non-governmental funding.

State Archives of Florida

State Library of Florida

Related Sites

Change Background Color

Change Font-Size

Change Font

Cursor

Highlight Links

Interview with Maggie Melton

Interview with Maggie Melton

Interview with Alligator wrestler Richard Bowers

Interview with Alligator wrestler Richard Bowers

Glen Simmons interview at the 1993 Florida Folk Festival Folklife Area

Glen Simmons interview at the 1993 Florida Folk Festival Folklife Area

Bill Crowder interview

Bill Crowder interview

Saturday performances at the 1999 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Narrative Stage) (Tape 9)

Saturday performances at the 1999 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Narrative Stage) (Tape 9)

Saturday performances at the 1999 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Narrative Stage) (Tape 10)

Saturday performances at the 1999 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Narrative Stage) (Tape 10)

Interview with Linda and Paul Bowers

Interview with Linda and Paul Bowers

Interview with Myakka City resident Larry Albritton

Interview with Myakka City resident Larry Albritton

Interview with boat builder Glen Simmons

Interview with boat builder Glen Simmons

Ernie Williams and the Djangos performing at the festival at the 1988 Florida Folk Festival (Main Stage)

Ernie Williams and the Djangos performing at the festival at the 1988 Florida Folk Festival (Main Stage)

State Archives of Florida

State Library of Florida

Related Sites

Reconstruction era voting records

Florida's first automobile registrations

Milestones in Florida's political framework

Letters, ephemera and other historical records

Documenting Florida's chief executive officers

Interview with Maggie Melton

Interview with Maggie Melton

Interview with Alligator wrestler Richard Bowers

Interview with Alligator wrestler Richard Bowers

Glen Simmons interview at the 1993 Florida Folk Festival Folklife Area

Glen Simmons interview at the 1993 Florida Folk Festival Folklife Area

Bill Crowder interview

Bill Crowder interview

Saturday performances at the 1999 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Narrative Stage) (Tape 9)

Saturday performances at the 1999 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Narrative Stage) (Tape 9)

Saturday performances at the 1999 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Narrative Stage) (Tape 10)

Saturday performances at the 1999 Florida Folk Festival (Folklife Narrative Stage) (Tape 10)

Interview with Linda and Paul Bowers

Interview with Linda and Paul Bowers

Interview with Myakka City resident Larry Albritton

Interview with Myakka City resident Larry Albritton

Interview with boat builder Glen Simmons

Interview with boat builder Glen Simmons

Ernie Williams and the Djangos performing at the festival at the 1988 Florida Folk Festival (Main Stage)

Ernie Williams and the Djangos performing at the festival at the 1988 Florida Folk Festival (Main Stage)