Orange City in Volusia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Thursby House
Built in 1872 by Louis Thursby, this house has seen the rise and fall of the steamboat and railroad, prosperity and crash of the citrus boom, the creation of Floridas tourism industry, and the changing face of natural Florida.
The Florida Park Service works hard to honor our cultural past while looking to the future.
To help keep the Thursby House open, please be considerate while exploring the rooms and think about volunteering or donating to the Friends of Blue Spring State Park. The Friends are a not-for-profit providing direct support to the park.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Architecture • Industry & Commerce • Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1872.
Location. 28° 56.601′ N, 81° 20.419′ W. Marker is in Orange City, Florida, in Volusia County. It can be reached from Magnolia Avenue (Becker Boulevard) one mile south of West French Avenue. Marker is mounted at eye-level, just to the left of the Thursby House front/west entrance. Thursby House is located in Blue Spring State Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2100 West French Avenue, Orange City FL 32763, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Florida’s First Coast. 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 8 other markers are within 3 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Bartram at Blue Spring (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The History of Blue Spring (about 600 feet away); A Fossil from the Steamboat Age (about 600 feet away); Betsy Ross Airfield for Women (approx. 2.1 miles away); William Bartram Trail (approx. 2½ miles away); Orange City Veterans Memorial (approx. 2½ miles away); Dickinson Memorial Library (approx. 2.6 miles away); Rollins College (approx. 2.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Orange City.
Regarding Thursby House. National

via NPS, unknown
2. Louis P. Thursby House
NPGallery Digital Asset Management System website entry
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Also see . . .
1. Louis P. Thursby House (Wikipedia). Wikipedia entry:
The house was once a two-story structure built from three kinds of center-cut pine that had been milled in Savannah, Georgia, and transported by boat to the site. Louis P. Thursby and his family settled on the inlet to Blue Springs, on the St. Johns River, in 1856. Shortly after his arrival, he constructed one of the first steamboat landings and planted one of the first orange groves on the upper St. Johns River. (Submitted on October 26, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. The Thursby House. Florida State parks website entry:
Louis Thursby, one of the areas first European settlers, came here with his family in 1857. He hoped that being close to the river would help him to grow wealthy. The Thursby house is preserved as it looked at the turn of the 20th century, capturing Florida in a momentous period of transition between frontier and modern state. (Submitted on October 26, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 18, 2022. It was originally submitted on October 26, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,035 times since then and 59 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on October 26, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2. submitted on February 18, 2022, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. 3, 4, 5. submitted on October 26, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.



