South of the Saint Marys River - Stories from the History of Northeast Florida

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Busting Out of Prison - In a Tank!

April 10, 2025

In 1971 Rex Gyger, 26, and Wallace McDonald, 43, met while incarcerated at Raiford State Prison. Gyger was serving a two year sentence for breaking out of jail in Tampa . McDonald was there for ten years for an armed robbery in Jacksonville . He had previously escaped from jail in Ohio and Louisiana three times. Both men were employed by the prison furniture shop. Both men were trained in wood and metal working. Both men desperately wanted to escape from prison. On the afternoon of Saturday, November 13, 1971 the prison shop was closed for the day. Gyger and McDonald broke into the shop. Using the tools and materials at hand and the skills they had learned while in prison, the two constructed a “tank” out of a forklift. They attached two layers of ten gauge sheet metal to each side of the machine, and four layers on top. They cut a small slit in the front of the armor so that they could see out. Then they waited. ...

Felons & Fugitives: Stories from the History of Florida State Prison

April 08, 2025

Florida State Prison (formerly Raiford Prison) had it's humble beginning in the early 20th century as a farm designed to temporarily hold offenders deemed too infirm to work on chain gangs. Today, it is a high security institution confining Florida's most dangerous criminals and the home of it's death chamber. Felons & Fugitives: Stories from the History of Florida State Prison traces the history of Florida's only named "prison" through the eyes of those unfortunate people who spent time within it's walls. From the author of the Amazon Best Seller South of the St. Marys River: Stories from the History of Northeast Florida , the new book, Felons & Fugitives , examines the history of Florida State Prison through the lives of some of Florida's most unusual criminals. Each story is as unique as the individual behind it, from the youthful indiscretions that blossomed into lifelong sentences to the harrowing circumstances that forced individual...

Ottis Elwood Toole: The Jacksonville Serial Killer

March 15, 2025

This article is reprinted from the book South of the St Marys River: Stories from the History of Northeast Florida On July 27, 1981 Reve Walsh took her six year old, Adam shopping at a Sears store in Hollywood , Florida . She left him playing video games in the toy department for a few minutes. When she returned Adam was nowhere to be found. Two weeks later the boy’s head was discovered by fishermen in a canal near Vero Beach , nearly 120 miles away. Adam’s body was never found. Over the following years, Adam’s father, John Walsh, became an activist on behalf of murdered and missing children and went on to host the television show “ America ’s Most Wanted.” While the case was never officially solved, both the police and John Walsh believe they know who was responsible for Adam’s abduction and murder: Ottis Elwood Toole of Jacksonville , Florida . Ottis Elwood Toole was born in the Springfield area of Jacksonville on March 5, 1947. A...

Olustee: Florida's Only Major Civil War Battle

February 11, 2025

President Abraham Lincoln was concerned about his re-election chances in 1864. The country was in the middle of a terrible Civil War that had claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands of citizens in the last three years. Despite victories at Gettysburg and Vicksburg the previous year there still seemed to be no end in sight for the war. Many people did not agree with Lincoln ’s conciliatory attitude towards the rebel states. Others believed that he had gone too far when he issued the Emancipation Proclamation effectively turning the war from a campaign to save the union into one whose purpose was to abolish slavery. Absolutely no one liked the draft. In short, Lincoln needed votes and his thoughts turned to Florida . Florida had become the 27 th State on March 3, 1845. It entered the union as a “slave state” and was highly dependent upon slave laborers for its agrarian economy. Almost half of Florida ’s entire population was slaves who wor...

Alligators and Ostriches - Exotic Animal Attractions of Northeast Florida

January 16, 2025

In the late 1800s Northeast Florida was a major winter destination for visitors from the northern states. Henry Flagler’s railroad was pushing southward and with it came hotels and tourists. The folks from “up north” wanted to experience Florida ’s warm climate and exotic environs. All of these people needed to be entertained. Of course, they wanted to see those strange prehistoric creatures that they had heard about – alligators. Local entrepreneurs were happy to oblige by establishing amusement parks and alligator attractions. For good measure, ostrich shows – featuring a species not native to Florida – were added to the mix. After all, exotic animals are exotic animals. It all began on Anastasia Island , just outside of St. Augustine , in the 1890s. A tram had recently been installed to ferry people from the City of St. Augustine to the beaches of Anastasia Island . A St . Augustine resident set up a small exhibit at the...