I don’t recall when I first met Ken – it was long, long ago, and probably just because he was then married to the amazing Janice, whom I’ve known forever. I liked Ken from the start. He was a kindred spirit; a hiker, paddler, an amateur historian (by association with Janice), photographer, and, yes, a Bartramite – all interests that we shared. One of the things that I appreciated most about Ken was that he was not just a joiner; he was a worker.
Always ready to pitch in and contribute. He was not one to sit on the sidelines while others did the heavy lifting. The memory of Ken that stands out most vividly for me is his retelling of the visit he and Janice made to the Natural History Museum in London, where he was able to peruse and even handle the art and writings of William Bartram. It was a spiritual experience for Ken, and his telling of it has inspired me and others to make a similar pilgrimage.
It was with a sad heart that I had to tell my 104-year-old mother of Ken’s passing. She is never happy to hear of the passing of youngsters like Ken. Age is, of course, relative. Thankfully, her memory is sound, and she immediately recounted how she would regularly see Ken and Janice dutifully walking the sidewalk along Highway 17 in East Palatka, near her home on the St. Johns, picking up trash deposited by less civically minded Palatkans who apparently take no pride in their community In this regard, Ken and Janic were inspirational to her and I’m sure to others as well. I was glad she reminded me; I had forgotten about that.
Linda Crider
Ken was invaluable to me when I had the Bartram Inn and first started offering the Bartram Adventure Tours. Because he had done tours before, he knew what I needed to pay attention to. He helped me a lot with the inaugural Bartram Adventure Bicycle tour when we were first getting started.
My fondest memory of Ken, however, is of him, Janice, and me taking the train from Palatka to the Bartram Gardens in Philadelphia during the winter. We had a stopover in Charleston, where we all shared a room. At the crack of dawn, Ken was up with his camera, wandering around, taking pictures, and looking for Bartram sites before heading back with cups of coffee for Janice and me and a cheerful smile to start the day. The three of us had quite an adventure, and despite the snow and cold weather in Philadelphia, we still enjoyed our stay and our tour of the Bartram Gardens.
Mike Adams
Ken and I shared a friendship of more than ten years, filled with many memorable moments. Among my favorites were the many excellent meals we enjoyed together at Musselwhites Restaurant in East Palatka. My wife, Carole, and I also fondly remember visiting Ken’s hideaway along the St. Johns River, a place that reflected his deep appreciation for Florida’s natural beauty.
Ken was an exceptional gardener who took great pride in cultivating citrus trees and native plants, including the Florida coontie. One of those coonties now grows at our home in Elkton, a living reminder of his generosity and love for the land.
He was a tireless, behind-the-scenes workhorse for Bartram events, contributing immeasurably to our annual Frolic, conferences in Montgomery, Alabama, and in Darien and Athens, Georgia, as well as numerous festivals throughout Florida. Ken’s dedication and quiet leadership significantly contributed to each of these gatherings.
In 2025, we were especially fortunate to follow in Ken and Janice’s 2013 footsteps, exploring Bartram art at the Natural History Museum in London, England. That journey felt like a fitting tribute to Ken’s lifelong passion for history, art, and discovery.
Ken will be remembered for his kindness, generosity, and steadfast commitment to the people and causes he loved. His legacy lives on in the gardens he nurtured, the events he helped build, and the friendships he so deeply valued.
Stephanie Liskey
I interacted with Ken at Bartram meetings and events since 2012. Even though my time with him was fleeting, I have a strong emotional impression of him. I never saw him in ill temper – he was always ready to lift the moment, one of the most graceful people I’ve ever met.
As an artist working to help interpret the Bartram Trail, I always come back to the significance of Ken and Janice procuring the high-resolution scans of William Bartram’s artwork from the Museum of Natural History in London. I was over the moon at the project’s inception to have access to these files. Over the years, my appreciation of the achievement deepened as I worked with the trail and Universities to secure more of Bartram’s renderings from Florida, and I realized it was not necessarily possible to obtain scans, even when institutions were trying to pay for them.
Ken and Janice were in the right place at the right time (and they certainly did all they could to put themselves there!). But there was an X-factor they brought to bear. Procuring these images set the stage and a foundation to build upon – for me, it’s part of what drew me into the trail project and has kept me there as it grew from the seed Ken and Janice planted so many years ago. I look forward to learning more about Ken as the community continues to share their memories of him.
Janis Brown
My memories of Ken are of him being always upbeat, smiling, and ready to help. His knowledge of Bartram and his and Janice’s efforts to create the Bartram Trail Society go back to the 70’s. He is greatly missed.
Michale Stallings
I have known Ken Mahaffey since the 70’s, when I began my personal research in archaeology and paleontology, including Native Americans and Bartram. I sensed that some of the written data was incorrect, so I contacted Ken, who worked for the Putnam County Property Appraiser’s office.
He helped me a lot with my research by getting together old paper maps. By studying these maps, I could infer, from topographical data, the possible habitation sites of many, many years ago. We were able to locate the Rollestown site in East Palatka. I was very interested in the native Americans. I was doubtful of the current data and location of some of these Timucuan tribes, as the Timucuan chiefdom Edelano, previously recorded as being at Murphy Island. Still, we correctly identified his location on Drayton Island. We also pinpointed Chief Utina’s location in Florahome. Dr. Jerald Malanich, a distinguished archeologist at UF and a friend, verified my research. These discoveries led to a dissertation by Dr. Virgil Beasley, a friend, at the University of Alabama.
Thank you, Ken.