I may have been a little bit precocious at the age of 15 or 16. But I didn't let that stop me!
While Northwest Florida might have been mistaken, back then, for Lower Alabama, there is no doubt that part of this region has since become, a favorite place for vacationers and the "Snowbirds", retirees, and others. The number of folks in South Okaloosa who "farm" for a living, is tiny, if existing at all. The pecan "grove" planted by Silas Gibson out in Wright, still stands and I'm pretty sure that was 40-50 years, or more, now, in 2023, ago. In fact it crosses the highway at the location of the Barbecue Place and thereabouts.
I was born at Eglin Field (known now as Eglin Air Force Base). My mother was born in Crestview as was her mother, Alice Settles Givens. When Mother married Wiley Benjamin Hill, Jr., we lived first in the community of Valparaiso, Florida. The East Gate of Eglin was within spitting distance. My dad had purchased some property, there, NOT on the side of the bayou, but across from that. He conjured up different "schemes" in order to support the needs of his growing family. He put all of his savings into two or three primary projects. My brother and sister might be a better source for this information, but I do know that Ben Hill, my dad, "built" a trailer court; he also bought a HOG, named after his brother, Rudolph. I was too young to understand that the hog, Rudy, was purchased as an investment and would become at some point, someone's dinner!
Dad also had procured an interest in some apartments in Val-P and with the growth of Eglin Field
In 1955, my Dad, began to look for a more rural community; he settled on the Community of Wright. I recently found some notes that came from the family of Mel and Ann Tennis... folks who had settled in Wright and folks who had become active in Fort Walton Beach doings, as well as the Wright area. I had visited their home with my Dad, Ben Hill and felt right at home because of the bookcases filled to the "rim" with all kinds of titles!
I attended, at some point in my history, Choctawhatchee High School in Shalimar, Florida. I either had an assignment to interview a "famous" person or maybe I just decided to interview a member of the Tennis family. I would have been age 16. What follows is my very humble record of the interview. Mel Tennis had passed away in 1961, I believe. So the interview was with Bill Tennis, his son, who was living, I believe, with his mother in Wright. I believe that Bill Tennis was working at local newspaper, The Daily News at this time or perhaps just previous to this 'interview'.
Interview with Bill Tennis, by Margaret M. Hill Harris at the age of 16 (1961-1962)
1. Q: We live in a, geographically, large county (Okaloosa, Florida). What are some of the challenges challenges for that condition? A: The separation is both physical and traditional. First of all, the south end of the county was created from Santa Rosa county and the north end from Walton County [circa 1915]. There is also something about the five fingers of land with a body of water at each juncture (?) Each community grew into a fiercely independent unit. Perhaps it was because of its Scots-Irish heritage?!
2. Q: What project is your brother, Mel Tennis, Jr. working on at this point in time? A.: Mel, Jr. is working on gathering our mother's family history.
3. Q: Who else is assisting in this "family history" project and the history of this land in Wright that your father purchased? A. Walt Humphrey is a good appraiser.
4. Q. What did your father learn about the contributions of others in developing this area? A. Silas Gibson came here to sell land fro the railroad. He was an ice skating champion in the north and had to convert to roller skating in this warm climate. He could skate backwards on one foot. His competitive spirit and talent were tested when he went to DeFuniak Springs to skate and someone stole his skates!
5. Q. What have you learned about the old Wright School House? A. The roof leaking problem got so bad it couldn't be fixed. [The Tennis family resided in that "house" during their time in the Wright Community "after the time that it was being used as a school"].
6. Q: To BE Continued.
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