Tom Gaskins, 1909 – 1998

Tom Gaskins (1909 – 1998) spent most of his life trudging through the swamps of Fisheating Creek near Palmdale, Florida. He was a man of ideas and regarded as a salt-of-the-earth character. Gaskins owned the Cypress Knee Museum in Palmdale where he collected and sold cypress knees as decorations, furniture, and other useful items. His knowledge of cypress knees and swamp life was legendary. Gaskins was also an inventor. He held over a dozen patents, including the Tom Gaskin's Turkey Call that is still manufactured and sold today.