History

Ben Marler: From Destin's only boy born in 1938 to a captain with a servant’s heart (PHOTOS)

Pam Griffin

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the first of a three part series. The other two parts will run on the faith page on Sept. 5 and Sept. 12Out of nine children born in Destin in 1938, only one was a boy. And that child filled a tall order that Benjamin F.... Full story

The knight shift: A green guardian watched over Destin’s borders

Fraser Sherman

The armored figure of a green knight that stood on the corner of Destin’s Main Street and U.S. 98 from 1967 to 1993 marked more than just the site of the Green Knight restaurant and lounge. “Everyone knew where the Green Knight was,... Full story

The days that Destin almost died

Fraser Sherman

Twenty years ago, it seemed possible Destin might cease to exist. Less than two years after Destin’s 1984 incorporation, the Dissolution of Destin Incorporation Committee presented the city with a petition calling on the City Council to... Full story

Everyone wanted in on Destin’s first city council

Fraser Sherman

Earlier this year, three candidates ran to fill the three open seats on Destin City Council. 20 years before, 37 candidates ran for seven open seats on Destin’s first-ever council. Whether they’d supported incorporation or not, everyone... Full story

Churches stand firm in their faith

Pam Griffin

Most churches in Destin have been ministering to the community for more than 25 years. Village Baptist Church was one of the many churches in Destin in 1984, with a membership of about 300. When Dr. Steven A. Davies arrived in 1992 to be senior... Full story

Destin, 25 years later: First council reviews city

Fraser Sherman

Twenty-five years ago, Destin wasn’t on the map — literally. “There was Fort Walton Beach, Panama City, no Destin,” Bill Phillips, a member of Destin’s first City Council told The Log. After the city incorporated in... Full story

'All we really added was layers of city government': Anti-city sentiment still runs in the veins of opponents

Fraser Sherman

After opposing Destin’s incorporation 25 years ago, Dewey Destin then ran for the first City Council out of the same motives. “The folks that came to Destin back in the good old days came to get away from government telling people what... Full story

Destin's History highlights from 1984

Fraser Sherman

In 1984, Destin became a city, Destin Water Users ran into sewer problems, work began on Emerald Coast Parkway and the Destin Charter Boat Association considered relocating to Okaloosa Island. Since March, The Destin Log has been recapping the high... Full story

There she is ... Miss Destin 1984: Mona Ponder won more than a tiara and sash; she also left the pageant with a lifetime of ‘fond memories’

Tina Harbuck

It may have been 25 years ago, but she can still name the fish. Mona Ponder, mother of three and wife of former Destin Councilman Mel Ponder, was Miss Destin in 1984 when Destin was toying with the idea of becoming a city. “I remember my dad... Full story

25 years and still writing: From fish to finances, Tina Harbuck has done it all at The Log

Tina Harbuck, The Destin Log

When I made the move here in November 1984 as a 24-year-old, I was just weeks away from my 25th birthday. And now in a few months, the city I now call home will be turning 25. The move to Destin came at a great time. The “sleepy fishing... Full story

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