Mayo in Lafayette County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Mayo, County Seat of Lafayette County

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, March 12, 2015

1. Mayo, County Seat of Lafayette County Marker

Inscription. Established in 1874 by John B. Whitfield, Mayo was named in honor of James M. Mayo, a colonel in the Confederate Army and father of Nathan Mayo, who served as State Commissioner of Agriculture from 1923 to 1960. Mayo became the county seat of Lafayette County in 1892, after the courthouse in the previous county seat at New Troy was destroyed by fire. A two-story wood frame courthouse was completed in 1894 but was moved in 1907 to its current site at the corner of Fletcher and Bloxham Streets to make way for the present Classical Revival style courthouse which was completed in 1909. A small commercial district in the vicinity of the courthouses is noted for its historic turn-of-the century architecture.

Florida Heritage Site
Sponsored by the Florida Department of State
Sandra B. Mortham, Secretary of State
F-368 • 1995

Erected 1995 by Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-368.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Political Subdivisions • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1874.

Location. 30° 3.196′ N, 83° 10.535′ W. Marker is in Mayo, Florida, in Lafayette County. It is on West Main Street (U.S. 27) west of North Fletcher Avenue

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

(State Road 51), on the right when traveling west. Marker is located beside the sidewalk, near the southeast corner of the Lafayette County Courthouse grounds, facing West Main Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 120 West Main Street, Mayo FL 32066, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Florida.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 2 other markers are within 16 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Lafayette County (within shouting distance of this marker); Southern Heritage Historical Farm (approx. 15.9 miles away).

Also see . . .
1. James Micajah Mayo. James Micajah Mayo (died 1897) studied law at the University of Virginia. In October of 1861, following the outbreak of the Civil War, he was appointed to the rank of Captain in the Confederate States Army. On October 8, 1868, he married Florence Lyon. The union bore eight children, five of whom were still living in the 1960’s. About 1886 he moved his family to Ocala, Florida. He became a land speculator, and an officer of a budding railroad. One story is that when a panhandle county was looking for a new site as its county seat, it was suggested that if Mayo would run a railroad line to a certain location within the county, the developer would name the place “Mayo.” (Submitted on April 15, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

2. Lafayette County, Florida (Wikipedia).

Mayo, County Seat of Lafayette County Marker (<i>tall view</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, March 12, 2015

2. Mayo, County Seat of Lafayette County Marker (tall view)

The county seat was New Troy until the court house burned down on New Year's Eve, 1892. It was moved to Mayo in 1893, and Mayo is currently Lafayette's only incorporated town. The moving of the courthouse was the end for New Troy; houses were dismantled for their timber and bricks, hardwoods replaced the fields, steamboat traffic ended in 1899, and the ferry closed in 1917. (Submitted on April 15, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Lafayette County Courthouse (<i>southeast corner view; marker visible near center</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, March 12, 2015

3. Lafayette County Courthouse (southeast corner view; marker visible near center)

1883 Lafayette County Courthouse (<i>located directly across N. Fletcher Ave. to the east</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, March 12, 2015

4. 1883 Lafayette County Courthouse (located directly across N. Fletcher Ave. to the east)

1883 Lafayette County Courthouse Marker (<i>mounted near 1883 courthouse entrance</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, March 12, 2015

5. 1883 Lafayette County Courthouse Marker (mounted near 1883 courthouse entrance)

This Historical Landmark
1883-1907 Lafayette Co. Courthouse
1907-1995 An Apartment House
1995 to present
Bed & Breakfast

Credits. This page was last revised on November 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 14, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 999 times since then and 87 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on April 14, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on April 15, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.