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Thursday, March 4, 2010

A Man Who Left His Mark on Marianna

Floye Brewton, former “2006 Jackson County Citizen of the Year” dies after extended illness.

By Sid Riley

What measure of performance of a man’s life causes his memory to endure after he is gone? For most, within a few decades after one passes those who remain take little note of the fact they once lived and worked here. After the passage of fifty years, nothing remains to denote their existence. This is true of the rich and powerful as well as the poor and relatively unknown. What endures is the creativity of those individuals who have the necessary talent to create something during their short lifetimes of unique value which endures through time.

Who was the King in England when Chaucer wrote “Canterbury Tales? Who was ruler of Italy or Governor of Rome when Michelangelo painted the murals on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel? Who was ruler of Athens when Socrates lived? It is relevant that those who were most powerful, most recognized during those times have been forgotten, while memories of some much less powerful man with special talents have endured through the ages. Why…because of the contributions they left behind as enduring reminders, in the form of priceless art, unique authorship, or philosophical discovery.

So it shall be in the instance of Floye Brewton in Jackson County.

The fruits of his talents will be visible reminders of his time among us for many, many years to come. He brought much of Marianna’s history back to life through the restoration of numerous historical buildings in our community which had fallen into conditions of disrepair.

His first notable restoration was the old Railroad Depot which sat alongside the railroad near the old Stone Hotel. He purchased the building, moved it to a location further up the hill towards Hwy 90, and restored the beautiful little building to its former glory. He next restored a historic home on Jefferson Street to house the Chamber of Commerce. All 2 Gether Salon and Day Spa resides there today. Then came the home on Lafayette which was converted by Brewton for the use of Carr, Riggs, and Ingram LLC. Next came the restoration of the beautiful “1840” house at the corner of Lafayette and Russ Streets. He next restored the beautiful Victorian home on Lafayette where Ora and Charles Mock now live. From there he moved down the street to restore one of the most historic homes in Marianna, the beautiful antebellum Eli-Crigler Mansion. He lived in the Crigler Mansion for a few years before selling and moving into another old home he had beautifully restored, the Foster Jennings home at 2933 Green Street. Along the way, he bought and restored the home at 4351 Lafayette Street which once housed CRT Computers. His last accomplishment was the complete restoration of the Francis MacKinnon home which now graciously adorns Lafayette Street. This body of work by Brewton will endure for many future generations in our community.

He was truly unique in using his construction talents to bring this City’s history and past architecture back to life. Thank You, Floye Brewton, We will remember you…

1 comment:

  1. I used to work for Mr Brewton. He was a wonderful person and very polite. He will be deeply missed by all.

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