Robert S. Blount Collection on Turpentine

Collection

Identifier: MSS 0691

Scope and Content

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The Robert S. Blount Collection on Turpentine represents the work of Robert S. Blount as a student, photographer, and museum professional. It includes essays on Spanish horses in Florida and during the Civil War. It also contains a large number of photographs, negatives, and 35 mm slides. There are approximately 144 slides entitled, “A Presidential Review,” which were taken for Samuel Proctor’s book Gator History: A Pictorial History of the University of Florida. There is also a group of negatives related to screwworms in cattle and approximately 72 slides on historic buildings and university presidents at the University of Florida. The majority of the collection, however, is related to Blount’s research on the production of turpentine in Florida. These materials include a copy of his book, Spirits of Turpentine: A History of Florida Naval Stores 1528 to 1950; his master’s thesis, “Spirit in the Pines;” lecture notes and photographic slides on turpentine; and an album or report on the naval stores industry in Florida.

Dates

Creation: 1976 - 2023
Creation: Majority of material found within 1985 - 1992

Creator

Blount, Robert S. (Person)

Access

The collection is open for research.

Biographical/Historical Note

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Robert S. Blount was born in Savannah, Georgia, in 1946 to Robert S. Blount, Jr. and Margaret Lorraine Miller Blount. In 1969, he completed a Bachelor of Art Design at the University of Florida, followed by an MA in Historical Administration and Public History at Florida State University in 1992. He married his wife, Andrea, in 1968. He had a long career working for museums, including the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville, the Florida Agricultural Museum in Tallahassee, the Georgia Music Museum of Fame in Macon, the Elliott Museum and House of Refuge in Stuart, Florida, the Tampa Bay History Center, the Virginia Key Beach Park Trust in Miami, and the Mission San Luis in Tallahassee. His thesis, “Spirits in the Pines,” was the basis of his book Spirits of Turpentine: A History of Florida Naval Stores 1528 to 1950, published in 1993. Blount was also a talented musician, performing with the Picolata Strings and the group Gumbo Limbo. In addition, he was an active member of the Putnam Lan Conservancy, serving as a board member, executive director, and treasurer. He died on May 26, 2023, at the age of 76.

Extent

1 Linear Feet (2 boxes)

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Materials representing the work of Robert S. Blount as a UF student, photographer, and exhibits designer/interpreter for the Florida Museum of Natural History, as well as professional work with the Florida Agriculture Museum and other museums. The primary focus of this material is on the turpentine industry.

Arrangement

Many of the photos in the naval stores album have been detached, but some of them may be found in the folder of photographs from the U.S. Forest Service.