| Marianna, Florida | |
|---|---|
| — City — | |
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| Coordinates: 30°46′35″N 85°14′17″W / 30.77639°N 85.23806°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Florida |
| County | Jackson |
| Area | |
| - Total | 8 sq mi (20.9 km2) |
| - Land | 8 sq mi (20.8 km2) |
| - Water | 0 sq mi (0.1 km2) |
| Elevation | 167 ft (51 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 6,230 |
| - Density | 778.8/sq mi (298.1/km2) |
| Time zone | Central (CST) (UTC-6) |
| - Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP codes | 32446-32448 |
| Area code(s) | 850 |
| FIPS code | 12-43175[1] |
| GNIS feature ID | 0286422[2] |
Marianna is a city in Jackson County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,230 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 6,200 [1]. It is the county seat of Jackson County[3] and is home to Chipola College. The official nickname of Marianna is "The City of Southern Charm."
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Marianna is located at 30°46′35″N 85°14′17″W / 30.77639°N 85.23806°W (30.776370, -85.238149)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.9 km² (8.1 mi²). 20.8 km² (8.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.37%) is water.
The Chipola River runs through the heart of Marianna.
As of the census[1] of 2000, there were 6,230 people, 12,398 households, and 11,395 families residing in the city. The population density was 299.6/km² (776.1/mi²). There were 2,764 housing units at an average density of 132.9/km² (344.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 56.82% White, 40.16% African American, 0.26% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.87% from other races, and 1.16% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.60% of the population.
There were 12,398 households out of which 28.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.3% were married couples living together, 20.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 41.8% were non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.22 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 11.8% from 18 to 24, 22.3% from 25 to 44, 18.4% from 45 to 64, and 20.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 88.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,861, and the median income for a family was $29,590. Males had a median income of $28,500 versus $21,530 for females. The per capita income for the city was $14,021. About 20.9% of families and 28.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 41.7% of those under age 18 and 34.6% of those age 65 or over.
Marianna was founded in 1828 and named the county seat the following year, supplanting the earlier settlement of Webbville, which soon dissolved and no longer exists.
It is the final resting place of the Confederate governor of Florida, Governor John Milton,and the scene of a minor Civil War battle between a small home guard of about 150 boys, old men, and wounded soldiers, and a contingent of approximately 900 Federal troops.
Governor Milton, who owned the Milton Plantation and hundreds of slaves, was the Governor of Florida during the Civil War years. Governor Milton was vehemently against the Confederate States of America reuniting with the United States of America. He vowed that he would rather die than see the Confederates reunite with America.
In late spring 1865, as Federal Troops were preparing to take control of Tallahassee, Governor Milton received word the Civil War had ended and that Florida would now be part of the United States again. Upon this news, the Governor died of a gunshot wound. Historians tell it that Milton committed suicide because he could not stand the thought of slavery ending and becoming a part of America again.
Home of the Arthur G. Dozier School for Boys, founded around 1900, in December 2008 subject of an official investigation into allegations of abuse, torture, rape, and murder of juvenile offenders held there in the 1950s and 1960's. Noteworthy is the so-called "white house" where many of the more severe abuses took place; this building remained in use until October 2008.
As the Jackson County Times has reported for some time, there are no "mystery graves" at Dozier School in Marianna.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement released the results of its investigation into nearly 100 years of deaths at the Marianna facility, confirming reports by the Jackson County Times and the previous findings of Jackson County historian Dale Cox that are no suspicious graves and no missing youths at Dozier.
The investigation was launched by order of Governor Charlie Crist after former students of the school alleged that students had "disappeared" while at Dozier and that some were buried at the little historic cemetery on the hill behind today's Jackson County Correctional Facility. Television stations in the area even showed images of former Dozier students standing in the cemetery and crying for boys they said had been beathen to death and buried there.
Local historian Dale Cox quickly refuted the allegations of "mystery graves" almost as quickly as they surfaced. Cox indicated that his research into the history of the Dozier cemetery indicated that most of the 31 graves there dated prior to 1920. Cox told the Jackson County Times and other media outlets that 22 of the graves date from a fire in 1914 and the influenza epidemic in 1918. The rest, he said, [is] explainable. To bolster his statements, Cox produced a 1940 aerial photograph two weeks ago that shows the cemetery.
It turns out the historian got it right. The report released by FDLE . . . confirmed his findings on the history of the Dozier Cemetery and indicates that all of the graves there had been identified and almost all of them dated before 1940. None of the people buried there died as a result of staff abuse.
As Cox had earlier indicated, FDLE discovered that 22 of the graves dated from a fire at the school in 1914 and the Spanish flu epidemic 4 years later. Five other individuals were buried at the school prior to 1925. Of the remaining four graves, one is of a student who was killed by a mule, another contains the victim of an accidental drowning and one holds a student who died after running away in 1940. The last one contains a student who was murdered by four other students in 1944. His murderers were charged and tried.
The FDLE is continuing its investigation into claims of abuse at the school, but has completed its study of student deaths there without finding any evidence of either missing students or students who died from alleged staff abuse.
The announcement received limited media attention, nothing like the earlier stories when reporters flooded to Marianna in search of sensational headlines and "mystery graves." Historian Cox lambasted the media for the way it had covered the story and treated the community in general. "There were some good reporters who came here," he said, "but there are quite a few reporters and media organizations that owe Marianna and Jackson County an apology for the way they covered this story. They printed wild accusations of murders and secret graves with no supporting evidence. Now they should make up for it." [5]
Marianna was the scene of the horrific lynching of Claude Neal, an African American accused of murdering a white woman. On October 26, 1934, a crowd of about two thousand gathered to witness the lynching, the details of which had been announced the day before. Neal's penis and testicles were cut off and he was made to eat them; other parts of his body were also cut off (and some saved as mementos) before he was skinned, burned, and hung from an oak tree on the courthouse lawn.[6] Cellos Harrison, also an African American, was lynched in Marianna ten years after the lynching of Claude Neal.[2]
Marianna has five schools, all of which usually perform in the high C-low B range in the state's FCAT grade scale. Golson for grades K-2, Riverside Elementary for grades 3-5, Marianna Middle School for grades 6-8, and Marianna High School for grades 9-12. Dayspring Christian Academy, a private school, holds grades K-8. Chipola College, home of the Chipola Indians, is the choice for many residents and offers dual-enrollment classes for high school students.Chipola College is a 4-year state college offering Bachelor's Degrees in nine programs. Additionally, students can earn Masters and Doctorate degrees on the Chipola Campus through Troy State University, University of Florida, University of West Florida, and Florida State University.
Marianna Municipal Airport is a public-use airport located 4 miles (6.4 km) northeast of the central business district. It was the site of a fatal plane crash in April 2000, when a private lear jet carrying three businessmen from Maryland tried to make an emergency landing. Though the pilot was in line with the runway, the plane lost power short of the runway and crashed into nearby woods. Eye witnesses say the plane exploded on impact, thus killing all aboard.
Marianna is an official Florida Main Street town. The downtown area has been restored to look as it did many years ago. The downtown area includes the Marianna Historic District, with a number of antebellum homes.
Florida Caverns State Park is located near the town. There is also cave diving in underwater Blue Springs. St. Luke's Episcopal Church's chapel and cemetery are a State Landmark following a principal role in the American Civil War battle of Marianna in 1864. Neal's Landing on the Chattahoochee River is not far from Marianna and is a fishing and camping area. Neal's Landing is where the old Indian village of Ekanchattee once existed. The Chipola River is a source of recreation during the spring, summer, and fall months.
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   | City of Marianna - City of Marianna | City of Southern Charm |
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