Niceville in Okaloosa County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Old Maritime City
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, December 9, 2022
1. Old Maritime City Marker
Inscription.
Old Maritime City. . Niceville was the center of the commercial fishing industry of the Choctawhatchee Bay region, the basis of the community’s prosperity. Mail service here was established in 1868. The schooner Bera Attious was built at the shipyard here in 1888. Niceville in Walton County was known as Boggy until 1910, when the name changed. In 1915 Okaloosa County was formed. Products from local sawmills, shingle mills and turpentine stills were transported across Choctawhatchee Bay to Pensacola. In 1911, the steamer Belle, loaded with naval stores, sank with the loss of four lives including local Noah Edward Burlison. Fishing was a lucrative industry, and fish wagons from as far away as Alabama and other parts of north Florida came to this area to buy fish. Some of the launches servicing this area were the Swan, Donna, Ruth, Fritz, and the Belle. They provided passenger, freight and mail services with scheduled stops between here and Pensacola. In 1934, an ice factory made it possible to produce large quantities of ice, which increased fish sales. The Niceville Fish Company operated by Claude Meigs and the Spence Brothers Fish Company were the leading commercial fishing industries maintaining fish warehouses and fleets of boats. ,
A Florida Heritage Site
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Niceville was the center of the commercial fishing industry of the Choctawhatchee Bay region, the basis of the community’s prosperity. Mail service here was established in 1868. The schooner Bera Attious was built at the shipyard here in 1888. Niceville in Walton County was known as Boggy until 1910, when the name changed. In 1915 Okaloosa County was formed. Products from local sawmills, shingle mills and turpentine stills were transported across Choctawhatchee Bay to Pensacola. In 1911, the steamer Belle, loaded with naval stores, sank with the loss of four lives including local Noah Edward Burlison. Fishing was a lucrative industry, and fish wagons from as far away as Alabama and other parts of north Florida came to this area to buy fish. Some of the launches servicing this area were the Swan, Donna, Ruth, Fritz, and the Belle. They provided passenger, freight and mail services with scheduled stops between here and Pensacola. In 1934, an ice factory made it possible to produce large quantities of ice, which increased fish sales. The Niceville Fish Company operated by Claude Meigs and the Spence Brothers Fish Company were the leading commercial fishing industries maintaining fish warehouses and fleets of boats.
A Florida Heritage Site
Erected 2021 by the
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City of Niceville and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1173.)
Location. 30° 31.15′ N, 86° 29.291′ W. Marker is in Niceville, Florida, in Okaloosa County. Marker is at the intersection of Bayshore Drive and Armstrong Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Bayshore Drive. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Niceville FL 32588, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Also see . . . Niceville History. (Submitted on December 10, 2022, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)
Photographed By Tim Fillmon, December 9, 2022
2. Old Maritime City Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 16, 2024. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2022, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 130 times since then and 28 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on December 10, 2022, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.