By Barbara Palmgren
After the Annual November meeting for the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida, members participated in a ribbon cutting for the Vale of History Wall exhibit. This completed an unusual year of ribbon cuttings for the local history museum that houses artifacts for all of Northwest Florida.
Barbara Palmgren, Exhibits Chair, made the snip of the scissors to officially acknowledge official displays on the wall and in nearby display cases. Visitors can view Freida Spence’s portrait of her grandparents who developed a sawmill along the shores of Boggy Bayou and then look down to the opposite end of the wall to the large portrait of Addie Lewis, renowned educator. Addie’s portrait was once hanging at Lewis Middle School and donated by renamed Lewis School for this permanent exhibit.
In fact, several home town heroes on the wall had schools named in their honor. James Plew and Lula Edge join Addie on the wall. Centered between them is Walt Ruckel, a major real estate developer for the area. Ruckel Middle School is named in his honor. Other leaders such as Raymonde Byrne Williams also greet visitors from the exhibit.
James Plew developed Valparaiso as a city after John Perrine was first obtained an official charter in 1921 to create the city of Valparaiso. John Perrine, who had a park named in his honor across from the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida, has not been forgotten thanks to his great-granddaughter, Windy Horton, from Lebanon, Tennessee. Barbara and Marie Hallion had met Windy when she visited the area several years ago. Barbara put her in contact with Jene McCraken, Collections Chair, and the two began corresponding about the project. Jene was sent multiple photos from Windy’s grandmother’s trunk. We thank Marion Ruckel Skalicky , an inspirational Ruckel family member as well as others who gave their family treasures to the Vale of History. We thank Jerry Spence and Freida Spence for their donations as well.
Special thanks go to Arthur Edgar, museum manager, for his vision to begin this exhibit. He was helped with hours of work and planning by Jene and Bill McCracken and Debra Edgar. This project began in the spring of last year.
The entire year has truly been a celebration of new exhibits at the museum. The rail gun exhibit, the Vietnam Refugee Camp Exhibit and the grand opening of the 1400 sq ft addition has been more than what was foreseen several years ago. A plaque honoring the Impact 100 grant of $100,000 and those who contributed the additional funds to build the new room now hangs on a wall in the addition.
Next year, the exhibit hall will display an exhibit to honor the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Under the guidance of curator Dr, Marie Hallion, volunteers will give their time and talent to the events leading up to this day that changed our world forever.
With volunteers ready to participate, this promises to be a memorable 2026! As visitors tour the museum and this new exhibit, they will pass by the other exhibits that have taken their place this year and years before. As they near the history of the birth of our nation guests pass the Vale of History Exhibit that now takes its place in history at the Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida.
By Jene’ McCracken
A new display at the Heritage Museum entitled “The Vale of History” honors some of the influential people who were pivotal in the founding of Valparaiso.
The display is comprised of several portraits and photographs of people who helped shape Valparaiso through their entrepreneurial, civic, educational, political and cultural efforts.
Among those featured are Addie Lewis, Lula Edge, Jessie “Granny” Edge, Mr. and Mrs. Perrine, Mr. and Mrs. Plew, Mr. and Mrs. Walt Ruckel Sr., Mr. C.W. Ruckel, Raymond Plew, Byrne Williams and several members of the Spence family.
Two glass cases also house treasured heritage items from early Valparaiso residents. The Museum extends its appreciation to Marion Ruckel, fourth-generation direct descendant of James Plew, and to the Spence family for sharing prized artifacts. Additional thanks go to Mrs. Windy Horton, great-great-granddaughter of John Perrine—who named the city of Valparaiso—for donating several never-before-seen photographs.
The Museum also wishes to thank Principal Chatman and Media Specialist, Bethany Colman (Addie Lewis Elementary ) for generously donating two portraits of Addie Lewis as well as Principal Melissa Kearly (Edge Elementary) for donating portraits of Lula Edge and Jessie Edge.
The Vale of History display was conceived by Museum Manager and Exhibit Coordinator, Mr. Arthur Edgar who has over 30 years of museum management and exhibit experience. Among those volunteers who helped Mr. Edgar bring his concept to fruition are Carole Barlow, Ashlyn Burns, Cloey Coates, Deb Edgar, Jene’ McCracken (Trustee Collections) and Mike Weaver (Trustee).
The Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida, located on Westview Avenue in Valparaiso, is open Tuesday–Saturday, 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
