On April 21, 1984, the band Heart played a free beach concert on Okaloosa Island to 35,000 people, causing a traffic nightmare that lasted for hours. This pivotal event—fueled by free beer and college Spring Breakers—forced Okaloosa County to choose whether the Emerald Coast would be a destination for rowdy students or for families.
On April 18, 1861, Abraham Lincoln would make his opening move on the chessboard of the Civil War. It would have devastating consequences on the Emerald Coast.
When he arrived, he was one of the most controversial figures in Northwest Florida. By the time he died, he was universally loved.
On a humid April day in 1837, a Creek man walked into the tiny settlement of Lumbertown to trade for ammunition. He didn’t know he was walking into a powder keg. What began as a wary exchange ended in a roadside slaughter—sparking a brutal, “eye-for-an-eye” bush war that would terrorize the Florida Panhandle for decades. This is the forgotten story of the Creek Indian Crisis, a conflict of scalpings, famine, and ethnic cleansing that redefined the Emerald Coast.
On this day in 1917 the votes were finalized in Crestview was the winner of the county seat contest in Okaloosa county. Here’s how it went down
On April 1, 1862, soldiers of the Union Army fired their cannons at the Walton Guards on the temple mound of Camp Walton and caused them to flee all the way to Boggy Bayou. Here’s how it went down.
VIDEO: Retired Air Force Pilot Howard Hill talks about his five years in a Vietnamese Prisoner of War Camp. He tells the harrowing story of his shoot down and capture by communist north Vietnamese militias, his grueling five-year imprisonment in a Hanoi camp for captured Americans, and his release back to his loving wife and family in the United States.
Explore the rich history of Okaloosa and Walton Counties’ people and places – from Crestview, Niceville, and Fort Walton to Freeport and Eglin AFB. We have the stories and documents to help you learn more about the Florida Panhandle’s hidden history!
Pro Communi Bono
St. Francis De Sales, Ora Pro Nobis!
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