As the end of the summer approaches the last tasks are close to being finished. My final goals are to reach out to lingering contacts, complete my final paper, and create a final presentation to discuss all the work that has been done throughout the semester.
Continuing with the leads made last week, I reached out to one of the contacts mentioned from my visit to Baker County. I was able to contact Pastor Videll Williams who expressed interest in our Olustee project. He assured us that he would keep in contact to answer our questions regarding Olustee. Furthermore, there are still a small handful of email addresses that I must send my Baker County Google form to. I am hoping that these emails may produce some last minute insightful results into Baker County. Then, I have also been working to upload the many pictures of the Baker County Historical Society, the sources there, and the Olustee battlefield. I believe these images will be helpful resources for future interns and team members.
Largely this week has also consisted of consolidating the work that I have done throughout the summer. I have started by outlining my final internship paper. After discussion with Dr. Gannon we found it more apt to document the attempts at reaching the Baker County community. I am excited to discuss this experience in the form of a white paper. It will allow me to reflect upon all the skills I have developed as well as the nature of Baker County. Though the work is still on going, I believe it will still be beneficial to document the earlier difficulties in learning more about Baker County. Moreover, I am excited to present this
research at the internship showcase next Friday. It will be interesting to get the opinion of people outside of the project and inform them of our work. The story of Olustee is something that I believe can resonate with everyone. I hope to show that it is not only an issue of the past, but very relevant to the present. The other interns and myself have begun by working on a Google Doc and adding our own information to separate slides. Together we can express the depth of the story of Olustee.
Lastly, during this week I found myself reflecting on the experience as a whole. I remember how impossible it felt at the start of the summer to find anything about Baker County. It seemed as if the area itself was shrouded in mystery. Therefore, I am proud to look back on how much I was able to learn about not only the county, but also the people within it. I am eager to keep in contact with the many helpful people I encountered during the summer. Their stories and zeal towards sharing their experiences only worked to motivate me during my research. I look forward to the fall where the story of Olustee will go to the federal level. With this strategy I hope more people will be aware of the tragedy, the "open secret," or more aptly the sacrifice of the Union soldiers who continue to go unrecognized. With our work this summer I ardently hope that they will no longer be forgotten but instead memorialized for their efforts in fighting to preserve our country.
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