Charlie Frost, a retired carpenter, has devoted hours of his retirement time to learning how to make beautifully crafted pens. He is shown above handing one of them to Jim Briggs, president of the Clermont Historical Society. Charlie has been a member of the historical society for several years and volunteered to make the pens to be sold at the Clermont Historic Village. The pens are made from old-growth heart of pine wood that was salvaged when the 1925 train depot was renovated several years ago.
Once upon a time, huge forests of these trees covered acres and acres of land in Florida. A slow-growing tree, the heart of pine takes between 200 and 400 years to reach maturity. The groves are long gone, harvested to build homes, places of business and even to produce turpentine. No one plants them anymore because of their slow growth.
The Clermont Historical Society will be offering a limited number of these beautiful pens for sale in a wooden case for $45.00. The pens can be purchased at the Clermont Historic Village, 490 West Avenue, any Friday between 1:00 and 3:00 pm or any Saturday or Sunday between 1:00 and 4:00 pm. While you are there, please look at the other items the historical society has to offer and take some time to tour the Historic Village.
Admission to the Village is free, however, a donation of $3.00 per person is requested. The Village is home to two houses built in Clermont in the late 1800s, the original Cooper Memorial Library, the previously mentioned train depot, a World War II Quonset Hut and two replicas—a one-room schoolhouse built using a photograph of Clermont’s first school and an outhouse that was an Eagle Scout project.
To learn more about the Clermont Historical Society check out our Facebook page or come to one of our monthly meetings. The meetings are held on the second Monday of the month in the Train Depot at the Historic Village. The board meetings (open to the public) are at 6:00 pm followed by a presentation at 7:00 pm. The next meeting will be on January 13th.
