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SARAH CAVACINI/Palatka Daily News. Meri-lin Piantanida (center) stands in 2022 on the porch of Florahome's Palmetto Hall with husband and wife Betty (left) and Ronnie Carnes (right). The historic clubhouse turned 100 years old this year.
Florahome Parks & Heritage Association members worked for five years to restore the town’s old clubhouse, and Saturday marks a day to celebrate its completion.
Saturday will be a day of joy as the Florahome Parks & Heritage Association members celebrate completing five years of restoration of the town's old clubhouse, also known as Palmetto Hall.
The seventh annual Florahome Fall Heritage Festival will begin with a 10 a.m. ribbon-cutting for the clubhouse at Palmetto Park, located at the corner of State Road 100 and Magnolia Avenue, to celebrate the building’s 100th anniversary. Organizers have music, food and vendors lined up for the festivities, which are scheduled to end at 4 p.m.
Ronnie Carnes, a Florahome resident for more than 80 years and a member of the heritage association, said the group has been working hard to restore the clubhouse over the past few years.
“It’s like a dream come true, having that building done,” he said.
The building looks the same as it did when it opened in 1923, Carnes added. The only additions include a ramp on the side of the building to accommodate people with disabilities and a cover over the porch, he said.
Carnes, who remembers frequenting the building while growing up, said people used it as a polling place during elections, to host events like bridal showers, to have political rallies and as a place to get vaccinated. At one point, people could watch a movie for a dime at the clubhouse, he added.
The restoration efforts slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic when supplies became more complicated to acquire because of inflation and supply shortages, Carnes said, but they received monetary and supply donations. He thanked people who volunteered to help or gave money and supplies to help the organization finish its project.
Officials from a Jacksonville school donated the school’s old flooring to complete the clubhouse.
Association President Meri-lin Piantanida also thanked everyone who donated or volunteered their time to restore Palmetto Hall.
“We are very proud to have completed the restoration of Florahome’s 100-year-old Palmetto Hall,” she stated in a Facebook message.
Heritage association members turned the restored building into a museum with artifacts from around the area that people have donated. Carnes said one of the displays features Florahome resident Myrtle Revels, the first female sheriff in the town and the state of Florida.
Her husband, W.J. Revels, had been the sheriff and Myrtle took over after his death, Carnes said.
Saturday's event should offer an exciting tour for everyone who wants to go through the restored building, Carnes said.
“I’m just glad I lived long enough to see that,” he said about the restoration efforts.
For more information, email Florahomepark@yahoo.com.