Everglades City
by Thomas Lockyear | Museum of the Everglades
Every year Museum of the Everglades collaborates with our local school to create an exhibit that celebrates a specific aspect of this unique community. In recent years, students have submitted drawings, paintings, photos, videos, stories, and more to help us share a part of the character and history of the area with visitors from around the world.
This year we have challenged the students to celebrate military veterans from the greater Everglades City area. Submissions ranged from artistic responses honoring all veterans to personal presentations of family members and ancestors who served in our nation’s armed conflicts.
Top prize of “Historian In Training” went to 5th grader Thomas Ace Mitchell who shared images and information he collected about a number of relatives from Everglades founding families who had served dating back to the Civil War – among them legendary gladesman Totch Brown and his older brother Peg.
6th grader Turner Shealy won the “Most Artifacts Shared” award for providing a plethora of scrapbooks, official documents and even a uniform from his cousin Scott Greenwell’s service overseas.
9th and 10th graders Essa Harris and Josey Ryder won prizes for “Most Creative” and “Most Patriotic” with original paintings that demonstrated the level of artistic talent of EVG students that continues to be nurtured under longtime art teacher Mr. Tribble.
3rd grader Piper Foss won the “Tales of Two Locals” award for sharing the stories of veterans Gary McMillan and Eric Weldon while Aria Mitchell won “Greatest Graphic” for her artistic response to the insignia worn by ancestor Ira Dennis Hancock.
6th grader Nikki Stalter won the “Heartfelt Award” for her tribute to a family member in the service.
As always, the student contributions to the exhibit add not only another layer of images and information that might otherwise have been left out, but also a warm and genuine hometown feel that makes a profound impression on visitors from around the world. It’s a small town with a big history that continues to speak to everyone who takes a moment to stop by and experience it.
