Or, more accurately, in a necklace.
I (Jane) have found a creative outlet by making necklaces that represent in some way the various places we've been. (Previous projects include Door County shipwrecks, Acadia National Park, and Plimouth Plantation—the revisionist version and the Doctrine of Discovery version. Plus a few I haven't written about yet.)
Here's my Cedar Key history necklace. If you've read Steve's posts on "old Florida" and clams and oysters, you already know some of the story.
You
can “read” this necklace from left to right to tell the history of Cedar Key. Click on the links for more information if you're interested.
Clam
and oyster shell on left chain: The earliest residents of the area now
known as Cedar Key used oysters
and clams and food and discarded the shells, creating a large mound. ShellMound Archaeological Site contains
a shell mound that was built up over a 1,000-year period.
Cedar wood: Cedar Key was named for the
abundance of red cedar (actually not a true cedar—it’s a juniper in the cypress
family), which is sometimes also called “pencil cedar.”
Train charm: It was Florida’s first railroad,
completed in 1861, that really put Cedar Key on the map. Running from Fernandina Beach on the east coast to Cedar Key on the west, it enabled shipment of goods from
the gulf to the Atlantic (and from there to Europe) without the long trip by
sea around the bottom of the state.
Oyster shell: Oysters were a major export from
Cedar Key until they were over-harvested and the oyster population dropped.
Pencil: From 1858 to 1896, two large pencil factories operated in Cedar Key, making pencils of the red cedar and shipping
them worldwide. A hurricane in 1896 destroyed the factories.
Whisk broom: In 1910, the Standard
Manufacturing Company developed a process, established a mill, and produced
brush fibers and Donax® whisk brushes from young sabal palms. Palm fibers were
shipped nationwide and as far as Canada, Germany, and Australia. The FiberFactory, as it was called locally, operated until the 1950s until it was—you guessed
it—destroyed by a hurricane. It was not rebuilt, because cheaper synthetic
fibers took over the market.
Anchor charm: This really could go anywhere (or everywhere) on the necklace, because throughout the history of Cedar
Key, shipping has been important, and boating is big now.
Clam shell: Cedar Key now produces more farm-raised clams
than any other area in Florida. This shell is a “Sunray Venus,” a species
recently introduced into Cedar Key aquaculture.
Fishing tackle: Look closely, and you’ll see
that some of the pendants are hanging from brass barrel fishing tackle as an
homage to the importance of fishing, both as an industry and as a hobby, in
Cedar Key.
Bright green and purple beads: These
funky-colored accents bring to mind the vibrant artist community that Cedar Key
has become.
Oyster and clam shell on the right chain:
Echoing the history of the earliest cultures, oysters and clams continue to be major
exports of Cedar Key.
I am happy to report that this unique piece of jewelry is now for sale, along with some of my other work, at Island Thyme, an antique store "with a splash of coastal gifts" in Cedar Key.
