FLASHBACK Okaloosa

The second of eight children, McTear, born in 1957, grew up in a tiny house near the railroad tracks in Milligan. Wearing Chuck Taylor tennis shoes and cut-off jeans, he used to race the train that ran by his house each day. It was by these railroad track, which still exist, that Bert Moore took our canoe group of the river briefly for a history lesson or should I say lessons. One of which was about Houston McTear.

This episode was written and produced by me. Our theme music was written by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Special thanks to Charles McTear. Ann Spann at the Baker Block Museum and Bert Moore

Have you looked at maps of Okaloosa County from the 1900s? Some of the towns and cities like Crestview, Mary Esther, Destin are on there but what about the towns that we never see on current maps, like Fisher, Deerland, Otahite, Newell, Oak Grove, Pineway and even a town called Brick.

Today's episode is about one town near Laurel Hill. It's spelled SVEA. We will get into the founding of this town and of course how to pronounce the name of this town.

Rumors, stories, and speculation have existed for decades about whether the notorious criminal Alphonse Capone ever visited or did business in Okaloosa County, Florida. Listen as FLASHBACK explores this question.

Whether you’re an angler, people watcher, beachgoer, seagull or great blue heron,  and yes of course, a fish, the pier has something for everyone. The pier invites gathering. It invites exploration and wonder. It welcomes curiosity and camaraderie.

We don’t know the future and if she can live another 26 years without serious injury, but we do know we will always love our pier and cherish the memories made.

Listen to those who remember when Crab Island was an actual island and how it has evolved over the years.

Thanksgiving in the 1900s in North Florida, Camp Walton, Okaloosa

As you listen, this episode was recorded in the spooky month of October, but this episode is timeless in that it tells of a local ghost story that I have heard many times and in many different versions – The Legend of the Lady’s Walk.

Those of you who live on the Santa Rosa Sound in Mary Esther or in Fort Walton Beach are probably very familiar with this story and may have even been frightened as a child by the prospects of its truth.

I will give you three versions. Each version was told in a 1983 article from the Playground Daily News, written by Brian Massey. He quotes each version verbatim.

Today on Flashback, I want to you to imagine this town, our County with only two or three hotels or inns. Dirt roads abound. A commercial airport has not yet been created. The railroad in the County is still relatively new and the only way to get to Okaloosa County by land is by rail. No bridges have been built and places like Destin are minor blips on a map, let alone the consciousness of would-be vacationers. In fact, vacationing in Okaloosa County isn’t even a thing.   Mail was delivered by boat and yes people would come by boat if not by rail.

This is a story about the early days of tourism in our County centered around a vacation rental dating back to the 1920s that is no longer with us today. The Valparaiso Inn

The early settlers of Mary Esther were cattlemen, preachers and hard-working folks who created this quiet bedroom community in Northwest Florida's Panhandle between Pensacola and Destin-Fort Walton Beach. We explore the early history of the City of Mary Esther and a short story of how Charles Lindbergh came to visit Mary Esther, Florida.

Okaloosa Beach Safety and other area lifeguard programs were created out of the tragedies on June 8, 2003, also known as Black Sunday. Listen to how Okaloosa County and Destin evolved into having a robust, professional lifeguarding program that continues to save lives every year through water safety education, contacts and rescues.