FLASHBACK Okaloosa

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): The Community of Dorcas, the mystery of the belled buzzard and more

Take a drive around Okaloosa County and you are sure to come across the names of small towns or should I say communities that don’t have much prominence on a map and without some simple signage you probably wouldn’t know they even existed.

This episode is about one of these communities, Dorcas

Just outside of the city limits of Crestview heading east on U.S. Highway 90 past the Shoal River and past the Emerald Coast Zoo, you’ll hit the intersection of County Road 393 in another not so well-known community of Deerland. Turn north and you are well on your way to the Community of Dorcas. You’ll pass the Shoal River once again and you’ll see a white sandy beach area on one of the banks, an area I’m told that locals use to or may still, gather for relaxation and socializing.

The Dorcas Baptist Church has the most signage and there’s a reason the community kind of centers around the church area. The name itself, Dorcas, has origins in the Bible mentioned in both the New Testament books of Acts and Peter as a woman known for her good works and acts of mercy.

To learn more about this community I went to a Dorcas local, who just so happens to be the Executive Director of the Baker Block museum.

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): You talk funny!

On this episode of FLASHBACK we explore how people in Okaloosa County used to talk and write and express themselves through the years.

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): Racetrack Road (Redux) - Ft. Walton Jets, Racing, and more as told by James Ward

This is an addition to our very first episode of FLASHBACK which explored the history of the Racetrack, once located off of Racetrack Road. James Ward reached out to FLASHBACK and we were able to talk with him about his memories of this track from the 1950s. We were also able to explore a notable figure in Okaloosa County history, Silas Gibson. Thanks for listening and we'll see around town.

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): We’re No. 1! - Purple Heart, Special Olympics and FADs

Okaloosa County has the distinction of being the first County in the state to accomplish certain "Firsts". Listen to the stories of becoming a Purple Heart County, the first Special Olympics County and how Fish Aggregating Devices are a game changer for anglers in the Gulf of Mexico.

Need more Okaloosa County government information? - Go to MyOkaloosa.com

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): Brooks Bridge - Then, Now and the Future

We will take through the history of the Brooks Bridge and give you an update on the replacement project currently underway.

More info on the replacement project by FDOT can be found at https://nwflroads.com/projects/415474-2

In the 1930s the state saw the need to connect northwest Florida to south Florida on a highway system that would require a fair amount of bridges. The Gulf Coast Highway system, aka the Florida Loop would go from Pensacola to Tampa. According to news articles, in 1931 funds began being allocated to build bridges to make this idea come true.

Yes folks we are talking about the Brooks Bridge. We’ve had two Brooks Bridges since the 1930s and were about to see a third. You can already see buildings and signs being removed to make way for the new one. The construction of the new one as you may know, is being overseen by the Florida Department of Transportation.

 

 

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): Building an Indy 500-style speedway in Destin, Florida

The Florida International Motor Speedway Destin was going to be a 2.5 triangular track with a 60,000 person seating capacity. The announcement for the track was made in newspapers Jan. 1, 1971. Listen to how this track almost became part of the Emerald Coast landscape.

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): Stories from Okaloosa County drive-in theaters

There were drive-ins as early as the 1910s, but the first patented drive-in was opened I 1933 by Richard Hollingshead in New Jersey. He created it as a solution for people unable to comfortably fit into smaller movie theater seats after creating a mini drive-in for his mother. Hollingshead advertised his drive-in as a place where “The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are.”

Drive ins began to take off around the country in the 50s and 60s and their popularity was evident  in Okaloosa County, too.

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): Updated 07.06.22- Shalimar, Florida - nightlife, a dye plant at Black Point and German U-boats

We’ll get into whether German U-boats actually infiltrated the shores of the Choctaw Bay, and what would have happened if it turned into the largest seaport in the world as some early developers wanted And of course we will discuss the role of the nightlife in the early years of Shalimar. We will also get into a story about a not so widely know area of Shalimar, Black Point.

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa)- From Timber to Tourism - Water Boggan origin story

We explore the origin story of who built Water Boggan on Okaloosa Island in the late 1970s. Thanks to Harvey Fleming for this look into Okaloosa history.

FLASHBACK (Okaloosa): Milligan’s fame as the County seat

We don't think much about County seats or what they mean. When Okaloosa County was formed in 1915 by the state legislature, a temporary County seat had to be named and Milligan was chosen. Listen to how they got the seat and how they lost it.