For the past eleven years, the Historic Hernando Preservation Society has been recognizing citizens who have contributed significantly to the understanding of the historic significance of Hernando County. It’s only fitting, therefore, that this year they honored Natalie Kahler with the Lee Anne Shoeman Award for her work in researching the fascinating history of the Chinsegut Hill estate with its 1849 plantation and educating the public on this interesting aspect of the community’s history. To read a little bit about the families that built the plantation and lived there in later years go to The Luminaries of Chinsegut Hill
This award is named in honor of the late Lee Anne Shoeman, a gifted Language Arts teacher at Hernando High School and historian who volunteered countless hours with the Historic Hernando Preservation Society. She had just completed writing the verbiage for the state markers at Bayport Park before her untimely death. Past recipients of this award include Virginia Jackson, Dr. Roger Landers, Mable Sims, and Bob Martinez, publisher of “Old Brooksville in Photos and Stories.”
Jan Knowles, president of the Historic Hernando Preservation Society, remarked, “Natalie’s contribution to our historic archives…is priceless. This site [Chinsegut Hill] had never been studied in the way you have, bringing to light the…many secrets that were previously unknown.”
Natalie has shared her research through first-person presentations, podcasts, and tours. Her work is based on primary sources- personal letters and books written by people who actually lived there, providing authentic histories in their own voices.
The award ceremony took place at the Brooksville City Hall on April 3, 2025. Present at the event were members of the Preservation Society, guests, members of the public, and Ross Lamoreaux with the Tampa Bay History Center. Natalie received a smaller version of the beautifully designed award, which is kept on display at the city hall with the names of all the recipients engraved on it.
Natalie has been a fixture in our community for many years. After serving on the Brooksville City Council, she became the executive director of Brooksville Main Street. While in that position, Natalie worked closely with both the Historical Society and the Hernando County Fine Arts Council to bring all types of family-friendly events to the downtown area, thereby revitalizing the businesses and stimulating the local economy.
If you are interested in local history, you can attend the Historic Hernando Preservation Society’s monthly meetings at City Hall on the first Thursday of the month. The meeting starts at 6 p.m. with a speaker following the business portion of the meeting. For more information, go to www.HernandoPast.org or call Jan Knowles at 352.279.5182.
[Photo by Sarah Nachin]
