Jan Blair Wyatt
Jan Blair Wyatt was involved in the Harris County Heritage Society (Houston, Texas) in scenic Sam Houston Park, with its historic seven restored homes, for over 25 years in various capacities including Board Officer, Board Director, Event Planner, Fund Raising Chair, Guild President, Gift Shop Manager, and eventually Director of Communications, even curating an exhibit Messages from Houston, exploring the various ways news traveled from 1836 (by broadside) through the Apollo Landing (Houston, the Eagle has landed).
As President of the Cashiers, NC Historical Society, she launched CashiersHistoricalSociety.org
bringing news of the Society to the world wide web. The Cashiers Symposium (now The Jan Wyatt Symposium) in its 14th year, served as a yearly scholarly forum to discuss and publish proceedings on timely topics as Plain Style Furniture, Mountain Music, Heritage Gardening as well as important historical figures as William Holland Thomas, Wade Hampton, Dr. William Halstead. She served as a board member of the North Carolina Federation of Historical Societies and newsletter editor of the 26-county Museums in Partnership of Western North Carolina. With co-author, Jane Gibson Nardy she collected historic photos and wrote the story for Cashiers Valley, Images of America series by Arcadia Press.
After moving to Lafayette, Louisiana in 2007, she became a Louisiana Master Gardener and created LafayetteMasterGardener.org. Her project was chairing the creation of the international award winning Le Jardin des Traiteurs at la Maison Acadienne; Vermillionville, Lafayette, Louisiana and accompanying visitor publication. This Healer’s Garden (Medicinal Garden) had its roots in a 1933 master’s Thesis submitted to Louisiana State University by Charles Bienvenu about local Creole healing plants. Maintained by Lafayette Parish Master Gardeners, it continues today to educate children and adults about the importance of medicinal plants in the culture of the Acadiana.
When her husband, Charles, started the Bayou Vermilion Preservation Association to promote clean water, fish and wildlife, and recreation on the 70 mile Vermilion River, Jan created www.BayouVermilionPreservation.org and organized the first Bayou Vermilion Symposium based on the Cashiers model. Now in its fifth year.
At the request of Lafayette Mayor, Joey Durel, Jan became a founder of the Lafayette Farmers and Artisan Market at the new 100 acre city park, now Moncus Park. Again she launched a website for the group: www.marketatthehorsefarm.com (now www.marketatmoncuspark.com). She later served as Chairman of the Board.
She and her husband arrived in Pensacola in 2017, quickly settling in to a beautifully restored apartment at the 54 year old Bayshore Condominium. By April of that year she had designed www.bayshorecondominium.org. She also now is the editor of the monthly newsletter and serves on the Design Review Committee. In August 2017 application was made to the Florida Master Site List and The Bayshore was assigned #08ES0501. The journey continues on the road to securing a listing for the Bayshore Condominium on the National Register of Historic Places.
Jan Blair Wyatt was involved in the Harris County Heritage Society (Houston, Texas) in scenic Sam Houston Park, with its historic seven restored homes, for over 25 years in various capacities including Board Officer, Board Director, Event Planner, Fund Raising Chair, Guild President, Gift Shop Manager, and eventually Director of Communications, even curating an exhibit Messages from Houston, exploring the various ways news traveled from 1836 (by broadside) through the Apollo Landing (Houston, the Eagle has landed).
As President of the Cashiers, NC Historical Society, she launched CashiersHistoricalSociety.org
bringing news of the Society to the world wide web. The Cashiers Symposium (now The Jan Wyatt Symposium) in its 14th year, served as a yearly scholarly forum to discuss and publish proceedings on timely topics as Plain Style Furniture, Mountain Music, Heritage Gardening as well as important historical figures as William Holland Thomas, Wade Hampton, Dr. William Halstead. She served as a board member of the North Carolina Federation of Historical Societies and newsletter editor of the 26-county Museums in Partnership of Western North Carolina. With co-author, Jane Gibson Nardy she collected historic photos and wrote the story for Cashiers Valley, Images of America series by Arcadia Press.
After moving to Lafayette, Louisiana in 2007, she became a Louisiana Master Gardener and created LafayetteMasterGardener.org. Her project was chairing the creation of the international award winning Le Jardin des Traiteurs at la Maison Acadienne; Vermillionville, Lafayette, Louisiana and accompanying visitor publication. This Healer’s Garden (Medicinal Garden) had its roots in a 1933 master’s Thesis submitted to Louisiana State University by Charles Bienvenu about local Creole healing plants. Maintained by Lafayette Parish Master Gardeners, it continues today to educate children and adults about the importance of medicinal plants in the culture of the Acadiana.
When her husband, Charles, started the Bayou Vermilion Preservation Association to promote clean water, fish and wildlife, and recreation on the 70 mile Vermilion River, Jan created www.BayouVermilionPreservation.org and organized the first Bayou Vermilion Symposium based on the Cashiers model. Now in its fifth year.
At the request of Lafayette Mayor, Joey Durel, Jan became a founder of the Lafayette Farmers and Artisan Market at the new 100 acre city park, now Moncus Park. Again she launched a website for the group: www.marketatthehorsefarm.com (now www.marketatmoncuspark.com). She later served as Chairman of the Board.
She and her husband arrived in Pensacola in 2017, quickly settling in to a beautifully restored apartment at the 54 year old Bayshore Condominium. By April of that year she had designed www.bayshorecondominium.org. She also now is the editor of the monthly newsletter and serves on the Design Review Committee. In August 2017 application was made to the Florida Master Site List and The Bayshore was assigned #08ES0501. The journey continues on the road to securing a listing for the Bayshore Condominium on the National Register of Historic Places.