May Vinzant Perkins House - Lake City, FL
N 30° 11.308 W 082° 38.173
17R E 342479 N 3340800
A blue plaque recognizing May Vinzant Perkins is located at the Columbia County Historical Museum, which is housed in the former Vinzant House, in Lake City, Florida, USA.
Waymark Code: WM31G1
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 01/25/2008
Views: 38
The Columbia County Historical Museum is housed in the Vinzant House, which was built in the late 1800s. It was purchased by John Vinzant, Jr., for $450 in 1880 and was used by the family for over 90 years.
The blue plaque for May Vinzant Perkins was created as part of The Great Floridians 2000 Program. According to the Florida Department of State website about this program
(visit link): "The Great Floridians 2000 program was designed to recognize individuals who distinguished themselves through their philanthropy, public service or personal or professional service, and who have enhanced the lives of Florida's citizens. In 1998, the Florida Department of State and the Florida League of Cities, to help celebrate the approaching turn of the century, initiated the program to dedicate a special series of commemorative plaques in cities throughout the state. These plaques recognized "Great Floridians 2000" by honoring men and women who made significant contributions to the history and culture of our state."
"Anyone could nominate an individual to be designated a Great Floridian 2000 by submitting a Great Floridians 2000 application. These applications were periodically reviewed by the appointed Great Floridians 2000 Committee, a group of seven distinguished historians from throughout Florida. The applications included the listing of an historical property where the plaque was affixed that was associated with the Great Floridian. Once the decisions were made, nominators were notified and advised on how and where to purchase the commemorative plaque."
The following is a biography of May Vinzant Perkins posted on the The Great Floridians 2000 Program website
(visit link): "May Vinzant Perkins was born in 1879 and lived her adult life in Lake City. She was a member of the Lake City Garden Club and the Lake City Woman’s Club, and was society editor of the Lake City Reporter. She wrote an account of Aunt Aggie’s Bone Yard, a historic Lake City garden. Her verse was frequently published in the Florida Times Union. One of her works, The Immutable Bond, won the 1943 award as the best Florida Women’s Club Poem of the Year. Another poem, Renaissance, was published in The Raven, a quarterly publication of the Avalon National Poetry Shrine. May Vinzant Perkins died in 1981. Her Great Floridian plaque is located at the Columbia County Historical Museum, 105 South Hernando Street, Lake City."