As we dive into the 2nd lesson of our unit, Communities Across Time, we want to take some time to not only learn about the communities talked about in our Imagine It book, but to also look at our own community.
We talked a lot last week about things we thought may have been in place of some of the houses and businesses we have here today (the students said trees, Native American camps, or even the old wooden houses we have seen pictures of in movies and books.) We also discussed changes in our community in the last few years: road construction by Lake Jackson, houses being built, even houses being sold in our neighborhoods! We talked about the changes in the Tallahassee Mall the past few years and how that has affected our community as well.
So, back to my original statement about FSU. I promised the class I would do some research and find some pictures of "old time" Tallahassee. I figured a great place to start would be with Florida State, as the university has a ton of history just waiting to be explored. Here are some things I have found:
FSU's origins began as "The West Florida Seminary" back in the 1880s. This building was located where the modern day Wescott building stands.
The Wescott Building in the past.
I'm not sure the date of this picture, but if you look closely, you can see a car parked in the right hand corner. You cannot drive up to the Wescott Building anymore. You have to park in a designated area, and there are bricks all around the fountain, honoring graduates (Mrs. Owen actually has one there representing her graduating class. It was a gift from one of her professors!)
Modern day Wescott.
You can see what I was talking about earlier. All brick, and there is now a large marble plaque in front of the fountain.
Chemistry students in the early 1900s at FSU
Engineering students learning about surveying in the early 1900s.
Do students still dress like this when they go to class?
Florida State Football then (circa 1902. Also, they were called Florida State College)
Florida State Football now... what a difference a 100 years makes!
And here is a MAJOR change in our community we were all a part of!
The retirement of Bobby Bowden!
Here is Bobby with FSU's new head coach Jimbo Fisher. We witnessed history, folks!
