BLOUNTSTOWN, Fla. (WMBB) — On Saturday, the Panhandle celebrated its Pioneer Settlement.
The living museum was established in 1989 by a local who set out to preserve a part of history.
Willard Smith relocated a number of homes from Blountstown and surrounding communities that were built between 1820 and 1940.
The homes are now located at the Pioneer settlement next to Sam Atkins Park in Blountstown.
Program Coordinator Patti Stephens said Smith created the living museum because he was passionate about educating younger generations.
“He wanted the children to know what it really took to survive and how you what it took to grow your food,” Stephens said. “And create a homestead and literally just survival. So he just they. And the other thing Willard will always say is you can’t know where you’re going unless you know where you’ve come from.”
Smith, however, was not able to create the living museum without help from his fellow community members.
To help fund the creation of the settlement Goat Day was founded.
Saturday admission costs $5 for anyone over the age of three. Goat Day features dozens of local vendors, food trucks, and of course goats.
It sets out to raise money while providing an affordable family outing. It also gave local vendors an opportunity to share their products and improve sales.
Shortly after the event began its founding Blountstown’s Rotary Club took over Goat Day and has since grown the event to raise money for scholarships.
“Today Goat Day in our community serves as a means for scholarship funds,” Blountstown Rotary Club President Bruce Davis. “ We take the money from goat day and we contribute to nine different scholarships four of them all around skills and crafts, and five of them are for higher education.”
Davis said goats were chosen as the centerpiece of the event because they tie back to the community’s roots.
When the town was founded goats were the primary source of meat. They were also used to help with labor and make soap.
