Marjorie Harris Carr
Marjorie fought to protect the environment throughout her lifetime. Her largest battle was preventing the construction of the Cross Florida Barge Canal in the 1960s. This was funded by President John F. Kennedy as a project for the Army Corps of Engineers. Following her successful work ending the construction of the Barge Canal, the land it was meant to cover was renamed the Marjorie Harris Carr Cross Florida Greenway.
Image courtesy of the State Library and Archives of Florida
Marjorie met her husband, Archie Carr, Jr. at the Welaka Fish Hatchery in North Central Florida. She worked there as a wildlife technician, the first woman to hold the role in Florida. He is best known for his contributions to sea turtle conservation. They worked together doing environmental research in Florida and Honduras.
Image by Richard Frank in the March 1982 issue of Audubon Magazine in the Matheson History Museum Permanent Collection
In 1965, Marjorie wrote to W. Randolph Hodges, the Director of the State Board of Conservation about the risks of the Cross Florida Barge Canal. She included a letter of support written by First Lady of the United States Lady Bird Johnson. Marjorie hoped that Johnson’s support would encourage the state to listen to her report.
Images courtesy of the State Library and Archives of Florida
