Vice Mayor Portrays Ghost of Historic Dunedin Figure

Vice Mayor Ron Barnette portrayed the ghost of Dr. W.S. Blatchley in a City of Dunedin TV promotion for the Dunedin Historical Society's release of his 1900s-era "My Nature Nook" book.

Vice Mayor Ron Barnette's YouTube acting debut was more than appreciated on Sunday. Barnette portrayed the ghost of Dr. W.S. Blatchley in a Nov. 8 City of Dunedin TV spot promoting the Dunedin Historical Society's release of the historic figure's 1900s-era, limited-edition book of notes on the natural history of the city. In the 10-minute YouTube video, Dunedin Historical Museum curator Vinnie Luisi, who plays himself, happens upon the ghost of Dr. Blatchley (Barnette in period costume) sitting on a log in front of his home at J.C. Weaver Park. "I don't like furniture; I like nature," Barnette, as Blatchley, said to Luisi, making sure he was comfortable sitting on a wooden stump. Barnette, as Blatchley, welcomes Luisi to sit for moment and…

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Historical Society Unveils Dr. Blatchley's 'Nook' Book

George Nigro unveiled the long-awaited limited-edition, leather-bound copies of Dr. W.S. Blatchley's "My Nature Nook," written in the early 1900s, during a large celebratory gathering Sunday evening.

In 1998, someone came into the Dunedin Historical Museum and asked the attendant if they had any information on a historical figure named "Dr. Blatchley." Luckily, that attendant happened to be Vinnie Luisi, Dunedin Historical Society board member George Nigro explained to a large celebratory gathering of influential Dunedin residents and some elected officials at a private residence on Victoria Drive on Sunday evening before distributing the first of the 150 limited-edition, leather-bound editions of Blatchley's "My Nature Nook." Although Luisi, who became museum curator, had never heard of Dr. W.S. Blatchley, his quest for answers eventually led to the discovery of the man's only surviving book (out of 13). "That's how close we came to …

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Katie Dolac

2:04 pm on Tuesday, December 4, 2012

Thanks for the photos, Dunedin Historical Society!   more ›

Local Voice: Less Than 60 'Nature Nook' Books Remain

Copies of the leather-bound, limited edition "My Nature Nook," a book on Dunedin's natural history by Dr. W.S. Blatchley, is still available at the Dunedin Historical Museum, but they are going fast.