Last week at our weekly photography club meeting, one of our members talked about local history.  How many of you actually read the historical markers that are marking so many of the historic places across our country?  I'm willing to bet, if you read them - it's not the ones here at home, but those that you come across when you're on vacation or any place except Home!  I'm in that category too.  So, I decided that perhaps I should pay a little more attention to those green signs that are posted here in my own neighborhood.  Yes, just within the boundary of the small town of Temple Terrace we have a few of these.  Where are they?  Do you know?  I might not have all of them here, but these are the ones that I found and have taken photographs of recently.

Woodmont clubhouse - while the building itself has historic significance there is a sign out 'front' on the north side of the clubhouse that is honoring Bertha Honore Palmer.  This particular sign has lots of information about Mrs. Palmer and the original little building that was built in 1914 (yes, the original part of the structure is now over 100 years old).  The sign was dedicated on October 29, 2012 so it's fairly new to our city.

North side of Woodmont Clubhouse with historical marker.

The next historical sign, just a short walking distance from Woodmont Clubhouse is located at Sutton Hall on Florida College's campus.  This was erected earlier this year and sits on the north side of the building.

The other side of this sign (the sign is the same color on both sides, but I didn't read the sign until I got home, and it said "continued on other side") so I had to go back and take a photo of the other side, and as you can see - differences in time of day and lighting make the sign look different in color).

Sutton Hall has a long history having been built back in the 1920's when many of the oldest homes within Temple Terrace were built. 

The inside of Sutton Hall lies empty as if waiting for a special occasion.

This is a closeup of the black and white photo that is included on the front side of this sign (facing North Riverhills Drive) which shows Sutton Hall back in the early days.

Sutton Hall from the front (facing North Riverhills Drive) in December 2016 below.

In the late afternoon, the sun lights up the top portion of Sutton Hall's main entrance area on the circular drive.  Just across the street is the Temple Terrace Golf Course.

The next marker, a short walk from Sutton Hall down the hill to the river front is for Reverend Billy Graham.  Many do not know the early history of Billy Graham but he worked at the Temple Terrace Country Club many, many years ago.  In memory of Billy Graham, a memorial park along the river front just beyond Florida College was created in 2000 and the historical marker was erected in 2011.

It's a beautiful place to stop and relax along North Riverhills Drive with a view of the Hillsborough River.  There is a single parking place available to park should you want to stop for a few minutes and enjoy the scenery. Facing towards the river where the turtles and alligators are frequently sunning themselves.

A park bench welcomes those willing to stop and enjoy the view.

The last historical marker I found in Temple Terrace resides at the city's most popular park, Riverhills Park, behind the elementary school and nestled along the Hillsborough River.  This park includes a boat ramp, playground, boardwalk, gazebo, tennis courts and the Temple Terrace Community Garden.  It's a busy park during the weekends with limited parking available for those arriving by vehicle.  It's also part of the 'Great Florida Birding Trail' and during those quiet times you will see a variety of different birds including herons, egrets, ibis, pelicans, woodpeckers, hawks and if you're lucky an owl.

During my quest to perform this walking tour of Temple Terrace Historical markers, I visited the Temple Terrace Preservation Society facebook page and website.  Guess what?  We have another historical marker coming to Temple Terrace!  The Temple Terrace Preservation Society is having a Historic Marker Dedication Ceremony on Saturday, January 21, 2017 at 1pm at Greco Middle School.  This historical marker will mark "The Largest Orange Grove in the World".

I also found another website, the "Historical Marker Project" (http://www.historicalmarkerproject.com/) and is a group (free membership) that are collecting information and photographs for the various historical markers across the United States.  I joined, perhaps you have an interest in helping to add the markers in your area?

Until next time....