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THE ODYSSEY MEMORIAL IN NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FLORIDATHE ODYSSEY MEMORIAL IN NEW SMYRNA BEACH, FLORIDA Word count: 794 BY AURELIA Come my friends, Tis not too late to seek a newer world Ulysses—Alfred Lord Tennyson The courageous Mediterranean people who left the shores of Minorca in the eighteenth century to “seek a newer world” in Florida, were the largest group of white people to form their own colony in America. They began their extraordinary odyssey in 1768; the ambitious goal was to serve as laborers in a British colonial enterprise designed to grow the indigo plant, then more precious than gold. After completing seven years of servitude, the new colonists were promised fifty acres of their own land. The project was conceived by a Scottish physician, Dr. Andrew Turnbull. He wanted to grow the precious indigo plant in hot and humid Florida swampland and he felt people who lived in the Mediterranean were best suited to work in this type of climate.. Dr. Turnbull went to Minorca where he gathered 1,255 Minorcans, Italians, Greeks, and Corsicans, placed them on eight ships and embarked on a three-month journey to the Musquetos area of Southeast Volusia County. Records show that a total of 148 perished at sea. When the remaining 1,107 arrived they discovered there were provisions for only half that number and, furthermore, most had to build their own shelters. The AHEPA Chapter in New Smyrna Beach, Fla., has honored the courageous Greek pioneers who died populating and trying to grow this colony with a magnificent sculpture called “The Odyssey Monument.” Built in 2000 with funds raised by AHEPA, the monument was designed by the late Argyros Xepappas, an architect who had an international reputation. Ted Fundoukos, President of AHEPA New Smyrna Memorial, said more than 500 persons helped raise more than $260,000. The men who headed the fund-raising effort are: Hon. John Alexander Demetrios Coidakis John Condorodis Sam Constant Theodore Fundoukos Demos Ginakes Ted Iltsopoulos Pete Klonaris Spiro Kostarides Gus Laskos Lambros Papalambros Chris Pappas C.M> Rizopoulos Tom Stratis George Vouvakis Anargyros Xepapas Beautiful stained glass windows were purchased by the Pan Cretan Society, University of Michigan, AHEPA Housing, and AHEPA Daytona. Each year on AHEPA Day, the first Saturday after Labor Day, a special commemoration is held at the monument. This year was no exception and Mr. Fundoukos said hundreds of people attended. Here is the background information on what was known at The Turnbull Settlement: In 1768, America was still a British colony and sparks were fanning the fire that would become the 1776 revolution. For a variety of reasons, involving the tumultuous birth of a nation, intensive international rivalries and intrigue, and hunger and oppressive daily living in a mosquito swamp, the colony failed after nine years. According to historians, ninety colonists then walked seventy miles to St. Augustine, where these brave people of the Mediterranean, with their distinctive cultures and languages, created a new settlement. It is a small chapter in the history of a great State, but it is a significant chapter. Today, hundreds of people in Volusia, Flager, and St. Johns counties can trace their ancestry to these early settlers. Also, the on-going archaeological digs in the area continue to uncover fascinating data on the early settlement. The New Smyrna Museum of History (NSMH) was established twenty-eight years ago to educate the public about the settlement and the pioneers who came here to seek a better life. Since its inception, the Museum has been managed exclusively by dedicated volunteers; through the years, hundreds of men, women, and young adults have been responsible for administration, archival collection, planning, and fund-raising. The Museum attracts hundreds of national and international visitors each year. The mission of the Southeast Volusia Historical Society SVHS is to promote research and study of the history and culture of Southeast Volusia, support historic preservation, and serve as an educational forum. NSMHs mission is more specific. It is to collect and exhibit objects and documents and educate the public about the Turnbull Colony, which existed between 1768 and 1777 in Southeast Volusia County. In 2003, thousands of documents, including maps, letters, and ledgers relating to the Turnbull Colony were discovered in Dundee, Scotland. American scholars and members of the SVHS went to Dundee to examine this treasure trove. Selected discoveries from Scotland were then merged with findings at South Volusia archaeological sites to produce an interactive video, surrounded by a display of panel art and artifacts. The video can be seen in a room at the entrance the Museum. It earned the Society and Museum the “Florida Preservation Award” for meritorious achievement in the field of preservation. Anyone planning a visit to Florida is cordially invited to visit the Museum and see the Odyssey Memorial sculpture, which is in a park near the Museum. TELOS`
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