Toni Collins as Maria Tresper
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Dressed in period costume, and speaking with wit and passion, Toni Collins (Levy County's Historic Records Coordinator) enraptured the audience attending the Cedar Key Historical Society's "living history" presentation. Ms Collins portrayed a woman named Maria Tresper, with the use of a "diary" that was a compilation of information gleaned from historic records, and her own journalistic skills. Maria Tresper and her husband George had operated a plantation at Clay Landing, on the banks of the Suwannee River during the Civil War. They also owned a home on Way Key, and conducted other business ventures in the Cedar Key area. The life of Maria Tresper was one of wealth and privilege, but all that changed when Florida seceded from the Union. There was profit to be made from the ensuing war, and her husband soon became enmeshed in the role of blockade-runner. As was the case of most women in that time, Maria knew little of her husband's business affairs; but his continual absence left her with little choice but to learn to manage this masculine chore.
Maria's story was rife with details of the horrors of war, and the effect it had on the families of Levy County. As the story unfolded through the voice of Toni Collins, the audience could feel the fear, loneliness, and uncertainty that must have been a part of everyday existence for Maria Tresper. When the last words of Maria's tale were spoken, and Toni Collins closed the cover of the journal, the audience burst into applause. An hour had flown by that felt like only minutes.
Toni Collins reading from the "diary" of Maria Tresper
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Following the presentation, Toni answered audience questions, and gave suggestions on where to find resources and additional information on the history of Levy County. She also spoke of the importance of historical records, and the on-going efforts of Clerk of Court, Danny J. Shipp and the Levy County Commissioners, in maintaining the County's historical records. | 