Architectural Design Philosophy
The Memorial is constructed on the site of the previous Highlands County Stepping Stones Girl Scout House. In the 1930s, Girl Scout leader Sophy Mae Mitchell Sr. led an effort to build a Girl Scout log cabin at the corner of South Eucalyptus Street and Commerce Avenue. The FLMOHM Visitors Center is designed to pay homage to the Stepping Stones Girl Scout House by retaining the “look and feel” of the log cabin design with horizontal bands of light and dark which complements the architectural design of the surrounding government buildings. Inside the Visitors Center you will find select components reused from the Girl Scout House. These include the wood ceiling that had once been the floor in the older building.
In the late 1930s, the community raised $5,344, some from shows performed by New York actor Fred Stone and his young daughters. Fred Stone placed the cornerstone on Jan. 15, 1939. The community named the building Stepping Stones House, in honor of his daughters, nicknamed “Stepping Stones” for their height and age differences. Employees of the Works Progress Administration cut local trees and built the house. The Girl Scouts moved in Dec. 13, 1939 and used the building for decades. In 2022, the site was repurposed and transferred by means of a “Quit Claim Deed” to the FLMOHM in 2022 by the City of Sebring for a fee of $10.