Gregory Leonard – The History of Palatka – September 30

Bio

Greg Leonard was born in St. Petersburg, Florida, and grew up in St. Augustine and Palatka. His family has deep roots in Florida agriculture, with his father and grandfather managing farms for Wetumpka Fruit Company, and his great-grandfather establishing operations in the state in the 1880s.

Influenced by his grandparents and his childhood on their Hastings farm, Leonard developed a lifelong passion for Florida history. He has served on St. Johns County’s Historic Resources Committee, created visual histories of several local communities, and worked with the State of Florida to place historical markers in Palm Valley and Hastings.

He is the author of Hastings – Florida’s Potato Capital (2021) and Palatka (2026), both highlighting the region’s rich history.

Talk Description

Palatka’s location has been important for thousands of years, with Native Americans living there as early as 4,000 years ago—possibly earlier than anywhere else in Florida. By the 1700s, explorers noted an Indian village at the site. Its position on the St. Johns River made it strategically valuable, especially during the Seminole and Civil Wars, when it served as a supply hub.

After 1865, Palatka grew into a prosperous river town during the steamship era, attracting tourists and becoming a major port—the furthest point upriver for ocean-going vessels. It also developed into a key railroad center in East Florida.

Despite challenges in the late 1800s, Palatka remains one of Florida’s most historically rich cities, known as “Florida’s Original River Town.”

To join via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81526735966

Killian Wolf: - Your Life as a Historical Artifact: Preserving Personal Stories in St. Augustine – October 8th

Bio
Killian Wolf is the founder of Legacy Collection Press, a boutique ghostwriting and editing agency that helps individuals preserve their life stories for future generations. She is a multi-genre author and developmental editor with a background in archaeology and historic preservation. Through her work, she helps people identify the defining moments of their lives and turn them into written legacies that can be passed down for generations.

Talk Description:
We preserve landmarks, documents, and artifacts, but often lose the lives behind them.

With a background in archaeology and historic preservation, Killian Wolf approaches personal history as something just as fragile and valuable as any physical artifact. In this talk, she explores how everyday lives shape the historical record, why so many personal stories disappear within a generation or two, and how oral histories can be responsibly documented and preserved.

Drawing connections between community history and individual experience, she invites attendees to consider their own role in preserving the narratives that define families, communities, and places like St. Augustine. Blending historical perspective with practical guidance, this talk offers a meaningful starting point for those who want to ensure their experiences and histories are not lost.

Terran McGinnis - History of Marineland – October 26^th

Bio

Terran McGinnis serves as the historian for Marineland Dolphin Adventure where she's worked for 21 years. A life-long educator and story teller, Terran finds that the best stories are those that are true, and yet read like the wildest and most fascinating fiction. Terran proudly partners with the St. Augustine Historical Society as she strives to keep the history of the World's First Oceanarium alive.

Talk

Marineland opened in 1938 as the World's First Oceanarium and Underwater Film Studio. Over the years it has hosted cutting-edge research efforts and education programs while leading the zoo and aquarium community in marine mammal care and training. Celebrities from Lloyd Bridges to Clint Eastwood to Ernest Hemingway spent time at this oceanfront aquarium. Firsts in tourism, filmmaking, architecture, and conservation all took place here. Marineland has both guided and been guided by the community's relationship with the oceans. This partnership was never as important as in the past year when Marineland's future was in question. Now, on the other side of a bankruptcy, sale at auction, and 11th hour miracle, Marineland's story is one worth hearing.

Join us and learn about Marineland's past, present, and future.

Magen Altice – Creating Community - The St. Augustine Surf Culture Museum – November 11th

Bio

Magen B. Altice is a public historian and Executive Director of the St. Augustine Historical Society, a role she has held since 2016. In this capacity, she leads one of Florida’s oldest historical organizations, overseeing museum operations, historic preservation, collections, publications, and community engagement. Her work bridges scholarship and public history through exhibitions, lectures, and collaborative projects that highlight diverse community stories. Altice holds both a B.A. and an M.A. in History from the University of North Florida. She is also an adjunct instructor at Flagler College.

Talk Description

The St. Augustine Surf Culture Museum explores more than a century of surfing history in St. Augustine, highlighting the people, places, and stories that shaped one of the region’s most vibrant coastal subcultures. Located within the historic Oldest House Museum Complex, the museum brings together oral histories, photographs, artifacts, and personal narratives to document how surfing evolved in St. Augustine, from its early beginnings to its role in the community today.

Developed through extensive collaboration with the local surfing community, the museum emphasizes storytelling and shared memory as central interpretive tools. Interviews with surfers, community-driven contributions, and interactive elements create an engaging experience that celebrates both the sport and its cultural impact. By preserving these stories and making them accessible to the public, the St. Augustine Surf Culture Museum not only honors a unique aspect of regional history but also fosters a sense of pride and continuity within the community.