A guide to 75 of Florida’s most interesting small towns

Bruce Hunt

Visiting

Small-Town

FloridaThird Edition

Visiting Sm

all-Town Florida

Bruce H

unt

This completely revised and updated edition of a popular guide leads you to Florida’s most charming and historic towns, places with names like Bagdad, Sopchoppy,

Ozello, and Two Egg. It’s a guidebook, a travelogue, and a sort of a history book, all told in the author’s easygoing chat-on-the-porch style. His “small town” criteria include: 10,000 population or less (with a few notable and important exceptions, like Fernandina Beach); remoteness and distinctness from large metropolitan areas; a compelling story in the town’s history; and, importantly, no speed traps.

• Havana, a revitalized ghost-town turned bustling-site of antiques shops, art galleries, and cafés now luring visitors from across the South

• Cedar Key, with its unhurried pace, offbeat character, local artists cooperative and galleries, and the source of the original Hearts of Palm salad

• Islamorada, home of the pioneer “Conchs,” with a horrific hurricane history, and the jumping off point to explore the only living coral reef in the continental United States

Once again, writer/photographer Bruce Hunt provides his readers with a treasure trove of information on Florida’s small towns—historic districts, galleries, antiques shops, local eateries, and the local characters who bring them to life. He includes directions, special events, and a comprehensive appendix with addresses, phone numbers, and websites.

Bruce Hunt, a native Floridian author, photographer, and illustrator living in Tampa has researched Florida’s small towns for nearly two decades. He has authored eight books on Florida travel and history. He has also written and photographed numerous articles for newspapers and magazines, and spent five years as a regular feature writer and photographer for DuPont Registry Tampa Bay magazine. His work has also appeared in The Tampa Tribune and St.

Petersburg Times. He’s also written for many magazines including Backpacker, Rock & Ice, Skydiving, and Celebrity Car.

Pineapple Press, Inc.Sarasota, Florida

$14.95

3rd Ed.Travel/Florida

Visiting small-town Florida

third Edition

Bruce hunt

Pineapple Press, inc.sarasota, Florida

For Rudi

Copyright © 2011 by Bruce hunt

all rights reserved. no part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

inquiries should be addressed to:

Pineapple Press, inc.P.o. Box 3889sarasota, Florida 34230

www.pineapplepress.com

library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data

hunt, Bruce, 1957-Visiting small-town Florida / Bruce hunt. -- 3rd ed. p. cm.includes index.isBn 978-1-56164-488-9 (pb : alk. paper)1. Florida--guidebooks. 2. Cities and towns--Florida--guidebooks. 3. Florida--history, local. i. title.F309.3.h86 2011917.5904’64--dc22 2011003918

third Edition10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Printed in the United states of america

ContEntsaCKnowlEdgmEnts vintrodUCtion vii

north rEgionmap 2

milton, Bagdad 3deFuniak springs 8two Egg 12Quincy 14havana 17Fernandina Beach 21seaside 30apalachicola, st. george island, Carrabelle 35wakulla springs 44st. marks, sopchoppy 48Jasper 51white springs 53Keaton Beach, dekle Beach 57steinhatchee 61high springs 65micanopy, Cross Creek, Evinston, mcintosh 68Crescent City, welaka 79Cedar Key 81rosewood 86

CEntral rEgion

map 89

Yankeetown 90dunnellon 94oklawaha 97Cassadaga, lake helen 101mt. dora 105

lake wales 110inverness 115Floral City, Pineola, istachatta, nobleton 120aripeka, Bayport, Chassahowitzka, ozello 125webster 131trilby, lacoochee 134dade City 137Christmas 140Yeehaw Junction 142Egmont Key 145anna maria, holmes Beach 147Cortez 152lake Placid 157arcadia 161

soUth rEgionmap 165

Boca grande 166Clewiston 172Briny Breezes 175matlacha, Bokeelia, Pineland, st. James City 177sanibel, Captiva 183Koreshan state historic site 189goodland 192Everglades City, Chokoloskee, ochopee 194Card sound 204stiltsville 206tavernier, islamorada 208Big Pine Key 214

aPPEndiX 219indEX 237

vii

introdUCtion

Just to allay any confusion, yes, this is my fourth

Visiting Small-Town Florida book. the first two featured different towns, and therefore were Volumes 1 and 2 of the first edition. that would make the 2003 “revised Edition” the second, and this one the third edition.

my working title for the original 1997 edition of Visiting Small-Town Florida was Where’s Waldo, Florida? wisely, Pineapple Press suggested i change that. the “where’s waldo?” game was popular then, though it is just a footnote now. of course, i didn’t have any idea that fifteen years later i would have a third edition. But i’ll go ahead and answer the question. waldo is about fifteen miles northeast of gainesville, and is the first in a line of three towns (including starke and lawtey) along highway 301 that have achieved national notoriety as speed traps. when i write Small Towns in Florida to Avoid, these will be the first on my list.

at the outset let me say that not all of the places in this book will meet the traditional definition of a town. some are just a bend in the road with a general store, like Evinston, or just an old irrigation pump shed turned into a tiny post office, like ochopee. But all have their inimitable charm and merit a visit, even if it’s just to pass by. so, interspersed among the chapters on actual small towns, you’ll find a few vignettes of even smaller places that i found interesting enough to write about, like Briny Breezes, stiltsville, and two Egg—some quirky, some historical, some just remnants of a place now gone.

Back to the criteria for inclusion in this book. as mentioned, there was a “no speed traps” rule. i also had to keep population in mind. in previous editions i adhered to a strict population limit of 10,000, and sometimes that meant eliminating a town i really liked. the best example would be Fernandina Beach, which slipped over the

viii Visiting small-town Florida

limit to 10,549 in the 2000 census. But Fernandina is an exemplary Florida small town with its successful and ongoing historic-district restoration program, great restaurants, bed & breakfasts, shops, and a scenic setting. i decided that it just wasn’t right to leave it out, so mostly for the sake of Fernandina, i relaxed the rule to include towns with populations up to “around 10,000.” 1

other criteria: remoteness from or distinctiveness from large metropolitan areas. remote, like Chokoloskee, at the edge of the ten thousand islands; distinct, like Cortez, which maintains its genuine old-fishing-village character despite metropolitan encroachment. For me the essence of good travel is going to a place that differs significantly from the place where you live. “Visiting” is the first word in my title because this book is meant to be a guide for people who live in larger cities (like me) but crave a change of pace and want to visit someplace different, even if it’s just for a weekend or a day. with greater frequency, it seems, the conveniences of the city are being outweighed by its complications—crime, crowding, traffic jams, long lines, and rampant rudeness. sometimes you just need to get away from all that.

Perhaps the most important thing that i look for is a compelling story in a town’s history—sometimes it is trivial, sometimes significant, occasionally it is humorous. sometimes that history is fairly recent, like seaside’s or Briny Breezes’. sometimes it is old, like Cedar Key’s or apalachicola’s. among my favorites are towns that have embraced their heritage and devoted time and resources to restoring historic structures and districts—apalachicola, Everglades City, deFuniak springs, Fernandina, and mount dora are just a few examples. doing book research over the years has fueled my interest in Florida history, and consequently each successive edition has had more historical content. i’ll confess—i was not a history buff in my younger years. this is a curiosity that came to me later in life. now, for me, to know a place’s story—its history—and then to actually go there and stand on the spot where that story originated is a big part of the magic of travel.

readers of my previous editions also know well that i have a 1 Please note: Population figures are based on the most recent U.s. Census data, or if not available, the author’s best estimate.

introdUCtion ix

soft spot (or perhaps a large spot in my stomach) for local cuisine served up by mom-and-Pop diners and hole-in-the-wall bar-and-grills, and i’ve told you about some winners—wheeler’s Café in arcadia, h & F in Jasper, the Yearling in Cross Creek, the rod & reel on anna maria. sadly, a couple of my old favorite places are now gone. storm surge from hurricane dennis in 2005 flooded st. marks and destroyed Posey’s oyster Bar—a Florida Panhandle icon since 1929. manny & isa’s Kitchen opened in islamorada back in 1965, but is now closed. manny ortiz and his wife isa had their own Key lime grove and made the best homemade Key lime pie in the world. i’m going to miss that pie every time i drive down through the Keys. i’ve found some new spots, though: Eddy teach’s on st. george island, star Fish market in Cortez, Bert’s Bar & grill in matlacha, alabama Jack’s in Card sound, and havana Café in Chokoloskee. You won’t go hungry visiting these towns.

there are seventy-five towns or places in this edition, five more than in the previous edition. i trimmed a couple off the list, but added a few more new ones. most get their own chapter but some i’ve grouped into one chapter because of their proximity. they are organized, roughly from north to south, into three regions. most are a simple day trip from within their respective regions. in the appendix you will find all the pertinent contact information—including websites, phone numbers, and addresses—for every diner, bed & breakfast, museum, and antique shop that i mention.

so, which is it? is this a guide book? is it a travelogue? or is it a history book? i hope that it is all three because i think the subjects are inextricably woven.

You will not find raucous night life, rollicking theme park rides, or performing porpoises in these towns. if you are looking for these things, you have picked up the wrong book. what you will find is the quaintness, peacefulness, and sometimes the quirkiness of real Florida, as personified in its small towns. You will also find some of the kindest and most down-to-earth folks on the planet. in small-town Florida they really do smile and wave as you pass on the sidewalk, even when they don’t know you.

in my nearly two decades of research i have come to know small-town dwellers as enlightened, hard-working, resourceful, and happy

x Visiting small-town Florida

people. overwhelmingly, i find them engaged in the betterment of their communities, eager to help their neighbors, and welcoming to visitors. they tend to be independent thinkers who are sometimes eccentric, and often creative, but always welcoming. i’m certain they will welcome you as they have me.

north rEgionN

N

NN

10

10

1010

95

75

Gai

nesv

ille

Jack

sonv

ille

Sain

tAu

gust

ine

Pens

acol

a

Pana

ma

City

Talla

hass

eeLa

ke C

ity

Oca

la

FLAG

LER

PUTN

AM

LEVYG

ILC

HR

ISTAL

ACH

UA

DU

VAL

CLA

Y

HAM

ILTO

N CO

LUM

BIA U

NIO

NST

.JO

HN

SBR

ADFO

RD

BAKE

R

SUW

ANEE

NAS

SAU

LAFA

YETT

E

DIX

IE

TAYL

OR

MAD

ISO

N

JEFFERSON

WAK

ULL

A

LEO

NG

ADSE

NC

ALH

OU

N LIBE

RTY

FRAN

KLIN

GU

LF

WAS

HIN

GTO

N

BAY

WAL

TON

JAC

KSO

NH

OLM

ESO

KALO

OSA

SAN

TAR

OSA

ESCAMBIA

MAR

ION

MIL

TON

TWO

EG

G QU

INC

YH

AVA

NA

HIG

H S

PRIN

GS C

RES

CEN

TC

ITY

KEA

TON

B

EAC

HD

EKLE

B

EAC

H

JASP

ERB

AG

DA

D

STEI

NH

ATC

HEE

ST. M

AR

KS

WA

KU

LLA

SPR

ING

SSO

PCH

OPP

Y

WH

ITE

SPR

ING

S

CED

AR

KEY

CR

OSS

C

REE

KM

CIN

TOSH

EVIN

STO

NM

ICA

NO

PYW

ELA

KA

ST. G

EOR

GE

ISLA

ND

APA

LAC

HIC

OLA

SEA

SID

E

DeF

UN

IAK

SP

RIN

GS

CA

RR

AB

ELLE

RO

SEW

OO

D

FER

NA

ND

INA

BEA

CH

3

MILTON, BAGDADPopulation: Milton 8,688; Bagdad 1,490

Pine logging and milling in the Milton/Bagdad area trace back to the early 1800s. The two towns, separated only by Pond Creek bayou, grew side by side. Today each has embraced its heri-tage, and done much to preserve it, making these towns an interesting visit for history buffs. In 1817 the king of Spain granted land along Pond Creek to Juan de la Rua. De la Rua built and operated a lumber mill there for ten years before becoming discouraged with the local laborers. In 1828, he sold his property to Joseph Forsyth, who took on partners Ezekiel and Andrew Simpson. They built the dam-driven Arcadia Mill, and a village began to grow around it. The vast forests of this region were

4 VISITING SMALL-TOWN FLORIDA

thick with valuable long-leaf yellow pine, and the Blackwater River provided a ready highway for floating logs down to Pensacola Bay. Forsyth and the Simpsons prospered and took on additional partner Benjamin Thompson. In 1840 they moved the mill a couple of miles downstream to the juncture of Pond Creek and the Blackwater River. A village grew around it again. Joseph Forsyth chose the name Bagdad—perhaps because, like its Middle Eastern namesake, it was wedged between two important rivers. (By the way, that’s not a typo. Forsyth spelled it without the “h.”)

Bagdad grew up on the south side of Pond Creek, and Milton grew up on the north side. About the same time that Joseph Forsyth and the Simpson brothers were getting the Arcadia Mill into full swing, Benjamin and Margaret Jernigan were starting a mill of their own. People began to refer to the area around it as Jernigan’s Landing and also as Scratch Ankle, presumably because of the dense briars that grew along the banks of the Blackwater River. Neither of those names stuck, but a more definitive one, Milltown, did, and it eventually evolved into Milton, which was incorporated in 1844.

More sawmills opened over the following decades. By the turn of the century, Milton and Bagdad had become the most industrialized towns in Florida. The lumber barons thought the bounty was endless, but they were short-sighted. The Great Depression in the 1930s hit both towns hard. Plus, the once-plentiful pine forests had become depleted. The last of the mills, the Bagdad Land & Lumber Company, closed in 1939.

Santa Rosa County Road 191 becomes Forsyth Street as it rolls into Bagdad from the south. On the right, behind a hedge, is the stately pre–Civil War (1847) Thompson House. Arcadia Mill partner Benjamin Thompson built this palatial two-story antebellum mansion with double front porches supported by twelve white columns. During the Civil War, invading Union troops commandeered the house. While there they scrawled a taunting message in charcoal across the parlor wall, which is still there today: “Mr. Thompson, Spurling’s First Cavalry camped in your house on the 26th of October, 1864.” Originally the house overlooked the Blackwater River, a few blocks to the east, but in 1913 the owners decided to move it in order to make room for their expanding mill operation. They jacked the house up

MILTON, BAGDAD 5

onto log rollers, turned it around 180 degrees, and pulled it by mule to its present location. In 2009 the Thompson House finally got its own Florida Heritage Site designation and State Historical Marker.

Four blocks away, at the corner of Bushnell and Church streets, the Bagdad Village Preservation Association operates the Bagdad Historical Museum in a restored circa-1880s church building that was Bagdad’s first African-American church. Displays there tell the story of Bagdad’s and the surrounding area’s early days and particularly of Bagdad’s involvement with the Civil War. During one battle of note that took place here in October, 1864, the aforementioned Union colonel Thomas Spurling and some 200 troops raided a Bagdad logging operation. Confederate troops engaged them in a battle that lasted for two hours.

Across Pond Creek Bridge, Milton has grown into a sizable town, with a population of more than seven thousand. The downtown district has been nicely renovated, particularly Caroline Street (Highway 90) and Willing Street, which parallels the Blackwater River. Downtown reminds me of a miniature Savannah or New Orleans French Quarter. Riverwalk Park—with its pink-blossoming crepe myrtle trees, brick walkways, wrought-iron-and-wood park benches, and gas lamp–style street lights—occupies the waterfront behind Willing Street.

Devastating fires swept through downtown Milton in 1909 and again in 1911, leveling much of the district. But this was boom time, and the town was rebuilt bigger and better than before. Two notable brick buildings—the three-story Imogene Theater on Caroline Street, and the Exchange Hotel at the corner of Caroline and Elmira Streets—were part of Milton’s rebirth from the ashes.

Architect Walker Willis designed the theater. It was originally called the Milton Opera House when it opened in 1912. When the Gootch family bought it in 1920, they renamed it after their eleven-year-old daughter, Imogene. A post office and a store shared the first floor. The upstairs theater ran vaudeville shows and silent movies and later “talkies” until it closed in 1946. The Santa Rosa Historical Society restored it in 1987 and turned it into the Milton Opera House Museum of Local History. Unfortunately, fire struck the area again in January 2009, so once again the Historical Society is working on restoration—shooting for a reopen by summer 2011.