Florida Historical Society meeting to be hosted in St. Augustine

In recognition of the 450th anniversary, the Florida Historical Society will host its annual meeting and symposium in St. Augustine at the Renaissance World Golf Village.

This year's conference is from Friday through Sunday, and the theme is "Subjects, Citizens and Civil Rights: 450 Years of Florida History."

Ben Brotemarkle, Executive Director for the Florida Historical Society, said the decision to hold the meeting in St. Augustine was easy considering the significance of its upcoming anniversary celebration.

"This is such an important time for St. Augustine, of course - and Florida as a whole. It's amazing to think that St. Augustine is the oldest continuously occupied European settlement in what is now the United States, and that needs to be recognized," Brotemarkle said.

During the three-day conference, visitors can choose from more than 25 sessions.

Presenters from St. Augustine include City Archaeologist Carl Halbirt, Flagler College professor Thomas Graham and a number of St. Johns County middle and high school students.

New at this year's meeting, students will present during the two-part session, "Young Scholars Showcase: Highlighting National History Day Projects."

Five of the 25 students who will make presentations during the session are St. Johns County students. The students were chosen from a county history fair the county history fair before advancing to the state level.

Travis Brown, program specialist for St. Johns County School District's advanced programs and social studies, said this is the third year St. Johns County has hosted its own history fair and Brown said it's growing.

"It's really taken historical research in our county to the next level for the students," Brown said. "They're not just going to the Web and reading it on Wikipedia. They're actually tracking down these sources."

Landrum Middle School students, Elizabeth Fox and Harrison Snowden, won a special award at the state competition and will present "Axe Handle Saturday" during Saturday's session.

Other St. Johns County students presenting include Switzerland Point Middle School's Aidan Mather, Nease High School's Nick Lopez, Ponte Vedra High School's Victor Manley and Fruit Cove Middle School's Natasha Najmi and Samantha Sberna.

The Florida Historical Society holds its conference in a different location every year.

In St. Augustine this year, it'll focus on the town's important role in getting national civil rights legislation passed and St. Augustine's history as the oldest continuously occupied European settlement.

Conference attendees will visit various historic sites by trolley, boat and walking tours each afternoon in St. Augustine.

The conference is open to the general public.

"We really hope everybody will come," Brotemarkle said. "Even if you're only mildly interested in history, we're going to have something there for everyone."

To register, go to myfloridahistory.com.

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Conference sessions about St. Augustine

10:30 a.m. to noon, Friday - The Oldest City Presents

10:30 a.m. to noon, Friday - Subjects, Quasi-citizens and Civil Rights

9 to 10:30 a.m., Saturday - Native American Challenge

9 to 10:30 a.m., Saturday - Preserving Florida's Civil Rights History

10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday - World Wars and Florida

10:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Saturday - Activism and Exodus

9 to 10:45 a.m., Sunday - St. Augustine and the Sea, Part One and T. Thomas Fortune's "After War Times"

11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Sunday - St. Augustine and the Sea, Part Two and The Other "Sainted" City

For a complete schedule, go to myfloridahistory.org.