Rare Historic Photograph of Downtown Marianna

This photograph, taken before 1900, is one of my favorite historic images of Marianna. It appears to have been taken from the intersection of Lafayette and Green Streets, looking west. The trees in the foreground are located at Confederate Park in downtown Marianna. The Battle of Marianna monument had not been erected by the time of the photograph.

Of particular interest is what some believe was Marianna's first bicycle. If you look just in front of the porch visible in the photograph, you will see an individual riding down the street on a bicycle. It is impossible to say whether this really was Marianna's first bike. They had been around for a number of years by this point.

Even so, it provides a rare look back at downtown Marianna when sidewalks were still made from wood and the streets were still dirt.