The Possum Monument - Wausau, Florida
The Possum Monument
If you want to try a little possum for
yourself, be sure to visit Wausau
on the first Saturday of August each
year for the Possum Festival!
If you want to try a little possum for
yourself, be sure to visit Wausau
on the first Saturday of August each
year for the Possum Festival!
THE POSSUM MONUMENT
Wausau, Florida
Wausau, Florida
| The Possum Monument One of Florida's favorite roadside attractions can be seen on Highway 77 in Wausau. |
On the side of State Highway 77 in Wausau
stands what may well be Florida's most
unique roadside memorial - the Possum
Monument.
Unveiled in August of 1982, the unusual
monument pays tribute to the lowly possum
(or Opossum, as Northerners seem to
prefer). The inscription on the monument
says it all:
Erected in grateful recognition of the role the
North American possum, a magnificient
survivor of the marsupial family pre-dating
the ages of the mastodon and the dinosaur
has played in furnishing both food and fur for
the early settlers and their successors. Their
presence here has provided a source of
nutritious and flavorful food in normal times
and has been important aid to human
survival in times of distress and critical need.
In addition, as the monument inscription
notes, you might not be able to get
Democrats and Republicans together on
much in Florida, but on one thing they agree:
The 1982 session of the Florida Legislature
further recognized the possum by passing a
joint resolution proclaiming the first Saturday
in August as Possum Day in the Great State
of Florida.
Wausau, as you probably have guessed by
now, is the self-proclaimed "Possum Capital
of the World." In addition to the monument,
the community is home to the "Possum
Palace," a nice entertainment venue and the
home of the annual Fun Day and Possum
Festival.
The celebration is held on the first Saturday
of August each year. That is the day officially
designated by the Florida Legislature at
Possum Day in Florida.
The Possum Festival features a Possum
Queen and Possum King contest, Possum
Auction and a wide variety of other activities.
Crowds numbering into the thousands
attend the event each year.
stands what may well be Florida's most
unique roadside memorial - the Possum
Monument.
Unveiled in August of 1982, the unusual
monument pays tribute to the lowly possum
(or Opossum, as Northerners seem to
prefer). The inscription on the monument
says it all:
Erected in grateful recognition of the role the
North American possum, a magnificient
survivor of the marsupial family pre-dating
the ages of the mastodon and the dinosaur
has played in furnishing both food and fur for
the early settlers and their successors. Their
presence here has provided a source of
nutritious and flavorful food in normal times
and has been important aid to human
survival in times of distress and critical need.
In addition, as the monument inscription
notes, you might not be able to get
Democrats and Republicans together on
much in Florida, but on one thing they agree:
The 1982 session of the Florida Legislature
further recognized the possum by passing a
joint resolution proclaiming the first Saturday
in August as Possum Day in the Great State
of Florida.
Wausau, as you probably have guessed by
now, is the self-proclaimed "Possum Capital
of the World." In addition to the monument,
the community is home to the "Possum
Palace," a nice entertainment venue and the
home of the annual Fun Day and Possum
Festival.
The celebration is held on the first Saturday
of August each year. That is the day officially
designated by the Florida Legislature at
Possum Day in Florida.
The Possum Festival features a Possum
Queen and Possum King contest, Possum
Auction and a wide variety of other activities.
Crowds numbering into the thousands
attend the event each year.
The U.S. Government also recognized
Wausau's role in honoring the possum by
helping to fund the town's Possum Palace.
Although the Possum Festival is done in fun,
there is a real historical basis behind it. Many
families throughout the Deep South survived
the hard times of America's Great
Depression and other such disasters by
hunting possums and other wildlife for food.
If you've never tried them, baked possum and
sweet potatoes are delicacies never to be
forgotten!
The Possum Monument is located in
downtown Wausau, Florida. It faces State
Road 77.
Wausau is about ten miles south of the
county seat in Chipley. State Road 77 is one
of the main highways leading from Alabama
to the beaches of Northwest Florida.
Wausau's role in honoring the possum by
helping to fund the town's Possum Palace.
Although the Possum Festival is done in fun,
there is a real historical basis behind it. Many
families throughout the Deep South survived
the hard times of America's Great
Depression and other such disasters by
hunting possums and other wildlife for food.
If you've never tried them, baked possum and
sweet potatoes are delicacies never to be
forgotten!
The Possum Monument is located in
downtown Wausau, Florida. It faces State
Road 77.
Wausau is about ten miles south of the
county seat in Chipley. State Road 77 is one
of the main highways leading from Alabama
to the beaches of Northwest Florida.
The Possum Monument
A closer view of one of the carvings
on the unique Possum Monument
shows a possum climbing a tree.
The monument can be seen on
State Road 77 in Wausau, Florida.
A closer view of one of the carvings
on the unique Possum Monument
shows a possum climbing a tree.
The monument can be seen on
State Road 77 in Wausau, Florida.
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| Copyright 2011 & 2015 by Dale Cox All rights reserved. Last Update: August 1, 2015 |
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