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1 Svea, FL North Okaloosa Historical Association Canoe Community, Church, ca 1920 Crestview, FL.Band, 1958 Bakerblockmuseum.org Corner Rt 189 & SR 4 Winter (850) Spring bakermuseum@aol.com Summer Website Statistics # requests Pyron Chapel Community, 1915 Fall Contents: # page requests December ,884 9,459 January ,876 9,366 February ,391 9,562 The Civil War Across Florida s Panhandle Laurel Hill, Florida Remembering: Mabel Jean Morrison, PhD Photo Update; Saw Crew, 1926 Okaloosa: Family Heritage Wall of Honor Dr. Mabel Jean Morrison & Susan Sexton Dr. Morrison is greeted by Laurel Hill School Principal Susan Sexton during the dedication of a rose garden in Morrison's honor in May 2009.

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3 Laurel Hill, Florida at one time it was Okaloosa County s largest town. Can you make an educated guess as to the time frame of these news reports? LAUREL HILL. named by a Doctor Bush many years ago. A large laurel tree stood there atop a hill. Hence the name. The tree grew to colossal proportions but was later killed by fire. The Laurel Hill depot now stands on the spot. S.G. French lives in Laurel Hill. He built the bridges across Shoal and Yellow Rivers at a cost of $175,000 each. Also built Escambia Bay bridge costing $1,225,000. An Okaloosa pioneer, he built the first railroad from Crestview to Florala. Today he is an engineer with the State Road Department. Joe Barlow, 62, has dug 402 graves. He is a permanent fixture in Laurel Hill. Practicing snuff dippin while drilling more than 500 water wells in Okaloosa County the habit with him has become an art. He can take a dip and hit a red bug twenty feet distant. Uncle Buddy Richbourg has been postmaster at Laurel Hill for 24 years. He is still active and can put up the mail with one eye and read Sears-Roebuck catalogues with the other. Duggan Lumber Co. with five to fourteen lumber mills in operations in Laurel Hill vicinity, ships many carloads of lumber weekly from that point. Thousands of feet of timber have been converted into first class lumber by this concern. Mallie Martin at one time operated a newspaper at Laurel Hill. The Southland Call. He now operates papers at Crestview, Chipley and Panama City. Laurel Hill boasts of a real Scotchman for a citizen. He is D.T. Finlayson. Came from Scotland 30 years ago. Is a merchant. Goes to Presbyterian church every Sunday. Never misses. J.T. Carpenter, county superintendent of Public Instruction, is the only county official with offices in the courthouse that does not live in Crestview. He has a home in Laurel Hill and makes trips daily to his office. Laurel Hill is the hometown of Dr. J.Q. Folmar, now Superintendent of the Florida State Hospital. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. George Folmar still reside here. Photo: Removed from letterhead and corrections made as follows: Date is actually: August 1926 Britton Lumber Co. Saw Crew in Horace Hart s pasture out of Laurel Hill. X = J.J. Griner X = Jeff Griner Can you identify anyone else in the photo? bakermuseum@aol.com

4 Mabel Jean Morrison is pictured with her grandmother, Margaret Summerlin, at Laurel Hill in Dr. Mabel Jean Morrison is pictured at the dedication of a rose garden named in her honor at the Laurel Hill School in May Mabel Jean Morrison (left) with Laurel Hill friends, Catherine and Bertie Ann Campbell in Tallahassee, circa, 1945.

5 Dr. Mabel Jean Morrison ( ) Born in Laurel Hill, Fla., on Jan. 14, Descended from area pioneers, she became one, herself. She left Laurel Hill to attend Florida State University. While there she received her degree in Elementary Education, an MA in Elementary Education, Child Growth and Development, and Administration/Supervision, an Education Specialist Degree, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership. She was the recipient of the FSU College of Education's Distinguished Graduate Award. She remained involved with the FSU Alumni Association and Emeritus Society and was recognized by the FSU College of Education as an Outstanding Alumna. After graduating from FSU she began her education career in Tallahassee and was Leon County's Teacher of the Year in From the classroom she rose to become the Director of Elementary Education, where she developed the Head Start Program. Returning to Okaloosa County and Laurel Hill (and her family's pioneer homestead) in 1973, she served as Assistant Superintendent for Curriculum and Instruction, Pre-K through 12, from 1974 until her retirement in She was inducted into the Okaloosa County Women's Hall of Fame in 1999, where she was recognized for pioneering many educational programs and leading the way for women in the community. In 2007, Dr. Morrison was chosen as the Laurel Hill Citizen of the Year, and it was noted that she "is representative of what is good and right in Laurel Hill." Her professional experience was extensive, and she served in various positions with Florida Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Florida Association for Childhood Education, Targeted Selection, Title IV, Okaloosa Youth Services Task Force, Project CHILD, and Alpha Delta Kappa, just to name a few. Also, by serving as consultant, chairman, vice-chairman, member, coach, trainer, and facilitator for school visiting committees with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS), she became renowned for her work in school improvement. She became one of the first women to serve in school administration when she was appointed assistant superintendent of instruction for the Okaloosa County School District. She spent 29 of her 45 years in education in Okaloosa County. Our museum has benefited from Dr. Morrison s largesse. She donated several historic farm buildings in our Heritage Park. they were from her family s Laurel Hill farm.

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