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■ItttHE HAMILTON JOU it J A k (*■#■
OFFICIAL 0/1 ^*\RfctS COUNTY.
VOL. XIII.
OUR FLORIDA FOLKS.
Stanford Tells tlie Times
Where He Found Them
and How THey.are
cm .J>oing.
I Center Hill, Fla., May 1,1885.
Editor Times:
Hear Sir—this pretty little village,
which is t»y temporary home, has
sprung up as by magic, and only -fif*
teen month’s old contains thirty or
forty families. It is located on the
F. railroad, 16 miles from Lees
burg, and is surrounded by lands ad
mirably adapted for orange groves
and truck-farming, and is destined to
be a town of prominence in this por
tion of the state. The rapid progress
of this place is measurably the result
of the efforts of Dr. Spicer, who is an
intelligent, enterprising Christian gen
tleman—the fearless champion of
prohibition, Sunday school, Christi¬
anity, and education. Near by is
our old Harris county friend, Major
James Kimbrough, with most of his
family around him. Also our young
Harris friends, Augustus Whitehead,
H. Pitts, M. Freeman, T.
and Thomas Pitts. Those young
men strove against adversity in Geor
gia, and came here with strong arms,
iron will and indomitable energy, de¬
termined to make a success of life,
and have already made rapid strides
in that direction.
Com and Sea Island cotton grow
finely in this part of the state; also
sugar cane and potatoes, but little of
either are raised. Their cribs and
meat houses are in the towns. I saw
in this neighborhood a stalk of cotton
which measured 15 feet from the
end root to the top in February, and
had green bowls and cotton blooms.
Corn can be raised here abundantly.
Hogs grow here finely all the year
with scarcely any attention. But lit¬
tle attention is paid to either or any
thing else but orange groves. These
MAY 19,1885.
ciev people never think
being silf-sustaining, Oranges, or
ange, orange, is their hymn and cho¬
rus all the day long. I do fear this
orange business is a huge bubble that
will burst before many years, and
some body will be badly hurt. Lees¬
burg is a town of about 2,000 inhab¬
itants, has several rail roads, several
hotels, and three neat churches and
quite a number of business houses,
and one national Banks. A few miles
from this place lives another Harris
county friend A. P. Roberts, who
came here after the unpleasantness
between the states with but little
means, and he and his noble sons
1 ™* forth their energies, and to-day
estate could not be bought for
$8 o,qoq. An example of one of my
saying • “go to work, work on, and
keep working”
The place on which Major Dade
and his brave men were massacred is
i» tbe county, 7 miles from Center
Hill, and from Sumterville.
The telegraph line running from
Ocala to Punta Rosa via
between the # of usss*
passes grave
Dade and his men.
Lake Weir, in southern part of
rion county is perhaps the
one in Florida. It.is about
miles long and five wide with
beach covered with sharp white
and scarcely any vegetable matter
be found in or arquiid the lake.
Here I found our old friend and
your former townsman, Dr. K. C.
Hood. His residence, with its beau
tiful lake view, splendid orange and
lemon groves, with other changing
surrounding, presents simply an earth
ly paradise. I shall never forget the
generous hospitality I received from
the doctor and his intelligent and
amiable wife. The neighborhood
can boast of its intelligence,
and religious worth.
From Lake H’eir I visited St Au-
NO. 20.
gustine via Jacksonville and Palacka.
Jacksonville is to Florida what New
York is to the state of New York—a
perfect thoroughfare. Palatka,which
was mostly reduced to ashes last
year, is now* rapidly building splendid
brick edifices. This is a place of
considerable business. St. Augustine,
which is the oldest city in the United
States, presents an antique appear
ance. Fort Marion presents*all the
solidity and evidences of durability
as when first constructed. The sea
walls, which are a mile long and are
as substantial and impregnable. as
when first constructed, will attract
your attention.
The old slave market, Catholic ca
thedntl, city gates, Spanish hospital,
light bouse, United States barracks
the monument to Major Dade aa d
pyramids to his brave soldier*
are all historic, and will amply com
pensate anyone fwr a visit to this city.
They aie all made of coquina except
the barracks and pyramid ', in the
j centre of the slave market is an arte
sian well, from which flows s rong
sulphur water, impregnated with ai
kaline salts, which is considered iiigh
ly beneficial in rheumatism, skin dis*
j eases, indigestion and certain varieties
ot kidney diseases.
The next place visited was Santord
a pretty town of about 2,000 inhabi
tarns. Much business done here, ami
lt is done upon the “go-'long, gel a
: long” principal,
\ ride of four miles brought me to
Hr. A. D. Bruce s, a former Harris
county mao, and a brother to Dr. W.
W. Bruce. The liberal hospitality I
received and the pleasant, social cn~
joyment with the doctor aad his pious
wife will not soon be forgotton, Dr.
Bruce has very good and paying
grove, and the largest Guava trees I
saw La Florida,
A two miles ride brought roe to
Colonel A. B. Russell’*, vcjir former