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Strange Florida Folklore

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Stikini

According to ancient Seminole legends, there once were horrible creatures known as Stikini, or witch owls. Blending in with the tribes, the Stikini looked like humans by day. At night they would transform into owls. They would vomit up their internal organs, which they hung up on tree branches. The which owls would prowl through the lands, capturing victims and eating their hearts and lungs. In some variations, it was believed that saying their name out loud could cause you to turn into one of the dreaded Stikini.

Uncle Monday

Zora Neale Hurston, acclaimed author and one of Eau Gallie’s most famous former residents, helped to share with the world the legend of Uncle Monday. Originally a holy man in Africa, Uncle Monday was part of a cult that claimed to share a close bond with reptiles. Uncle Monday was kidnapped by slave traders and then brought to America but he escaped for Florida where he joined the ranks of the Seminoles living in the area of Blue Sink. Together they fought against the Whites who were attempting to drive the Seminoles from their lands. Soon it became clear that Uncle Monday and the tribesmen would be defeated. Adamant that he would never be held captive again, Uncle Monday performed a ceremony using a combination of voodoo and tribal magic that allowed him to transform into an alligator. He turned into an alligator of such monstrous size that he became King of all the alligators in the Blue Sink. It is said that Uncle Monday can still transform into a man and will leave the waters to cast spells on any who dares to think they have more power than him.

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Acrefoot Johnson

Another popular tale is that of Acrefoot Johnson. Rooted in fact, Acrefoot Johnson was actually a real man- James Mitchell Johnson. He was called “Acrefoot” due to his size 12 boots. Johnson was a Postman in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, and was very good at his job. So good in fact that legends began to circulate about him. There are tales of him winning races against carriages pulled by four horses, battling alligators, and carrying passengers strapped to armchairs on top of his shoulders along his routes. Johnson died in 1922, and his tombstone even states his creed: “The Mail Must Go Through.”

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