A thorough and thoroughly entertaining look at a classic community landmark–and a standing work of art–will kick off the Fall 2021 season of Academia Hernando, the not-for-profit lifelong learning organization providing quality instruction and learning experiences for adult students throughout Hernando County and beyond. Academia Hernando is sponsored by The Hernando Sun, Kenjo’s Tree Service and The Residence at Timber Pines.
The History of Chinsegut Hill will be presented at 10 am on Sept. 17 at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 2301 Deltona Blvd., Spring Hill. Lectures begin promptly at 10 am and will last for 2 hours including a 15 minute intermission. Face masks are required for attendance.
“Chinsegut Hill Historic Site has a human history that spans millennia. Prehistoric people, Seminole Indians, wealthy American planters, enslaved individuals, political crusaders and more inhabited this ground. We interpret this history thematically as the ‘Persistent Florida Frontier,” as the Hill has come to hold different meanings for people over time,” reads the Academia Hernando program website.
This presentation will cover:
Pre-historic Era: The history of Paleo-Indians that passed through the Hill.
The Plantation Era: The Pearson and Ederington families and ties to the Seminole Wars, slavery, and the Civil War.
Reconstruction and Ruin: The Snow family and the conditions of Hernando County during Reconstruction.
The Progressive Era and the College Years: The influence of the progressive Robins family, their ties to national and international events, and the later management of Chinsegut by different universities.
Presenting the history of Chinsegut through the eras is Brian Buttafuoco, who has served as the Curator of Education for the education department at the Tampa Bay History Center since 2015, and more recently for Chinsegut Hill Historic Site. “The known history of Chinsegut is broad, stretching from the time of Paleo-Indians, through the 19th and 20th centuries, and continues on today. We will discuss how different eras of history are woven into the lives of the incredible people that lived there, and their impact on the local, national, and international stage. We will also discuss how this history is currently being interpreted through the efforts of the Tampa Bay History Center,” said Buttafuoco.
Buttafuoco received his Bachelor of Arts degree in history from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, and earned his professional certification in secondary education in the social sciences from the Florida Board of Education. He also taught middle school for 5 years in Polk County before transitioning to museum education. He is a Certified Interpretive Guide through the National Association for Interpretation.
“Through education, volunteering, and outreach Mr. Buttafuoco has also worked with the Sierra Club Tampa Bay Group, Hillsborough County Parks, the Tampa Audubon Society, the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa, and as a park ranger for the National Park Service,” read information found on Academia Hernando’s website.
Sharon Printz, board member of Academia Hernando, says that Buttafuoco’s presentation should prove both well-researched and interesting. Staying true to the mission of Academia Hernando, which has a goal is to inform, educate and inspire adult learners through a series of weekly lectures on a wide variety of topics. An academic subscription to Academia Hernando costs $70 and includes all eight lectures and a mystery bus trip excursion. Tickets to individual lectures are $10. For more information, visit www.academiahernando.org or call (352) 515-0300 or (352) 686-4035.
