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December 7, 2006 - Marianna, Fla - The Old Chipola Hotel
A bit about the Chipola Hotel from a historical tract I found online:
"The early 1920’s were a period of poor farm prices and economic depression. J.C. Corcoran had married a Greenwood woman back in 1908 and he decided to invest in Jackson County. He founded the Marianna Lime Products Company, the five-story, 75-room Chipola Hotel (completed in 1926), Chipola Dairy Farm, the Florida Publishing Company, and the Marianna Fruit Company."
I took a trip today, Dec. 7th (65 th annaversary of Pearl Harbor) to my first college. This was then Chipola Junior College, a 2 year school, just a few years ago it changed to a 4 year school and is now called just Chipola College. I was there from Sept 64 to May 1965 (Freshman year). The mens dorm was not ready on my arrival so I stayed here in Rm 502 of the Chipola Hotel in downtown Marianna for about 2 months until I could move into the newly constructed dorm.
The construction on the dorm was done by State inmates in a work gang. The College is located one county away (Jackson County) and is 60 miles or 1 hr 10 minutes each way. The old hotel is now used as a senior residence facility and rooms are rented out to seniors 62 or over. Soon I will qualify to live there again!
This is the renovated dorm, my room was at the extreme right behind the white auto. Then the right side was 'boys' and the left was 'girls', now it is all male and for the various athletes. About 2-3 yrs ago I was on campus and took a tour of the place, it was then pretty dark and dingy, didn't visit it this time around.
I spent about 1 1/2 hrs in the library looking at the 65 yearbook and copies of the college paper 'The Papoose' for the months I was there. I was informed by an elderly woman librarian that there were others who went there with my name and sure enough I did find 2 H's, both from similar addresses in Fla., probably a father/son, but of course no relation to me. No middle names listed but they wouldn't have matched anyway.
The cafeteria food is much better these days and quite inexpensive. I got a grilled chicken sandwich, fries, coke and strawberry shortcake dessert for under $5!
The only person from Chipola that I have come across is a Leland Upshaw who was a few years ago living in Plantation, Fla. I found him online and talked to him for an hour or so. He wasn't a particular pal, just someone in the dorm across the hall. He also attended FAU a few years after I was there. He went from CJC to the army then on to FAU.
Chipola Library
My 2002 Ford Explorer is just to the left of the stop sign.
