Niceville in Okaloosa County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Niceville Fire

1934

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, December 9, 2022

1. Niceville Fire 1934 Marker

Inscription. Niceville Fire of 1934, as reported in local newspapers: “The 200 CCC men formed bucket brigades and in cooperation with the fire crews of the Choctawhatchee National Forest did yeomen service in saving buildings and stocks of merchandise after three grocery stores, a dry goods store, creamery, post office building, hotel, drug store and fish warehouses were destroyed. The loss is estimated at $100,000 (worth $2,000,000 in 2021) with little insurance. There was no running water with which to combat the flames and it appeared for a time that the town would be completely destroyed until the forest firefighters and CCC workers took charge.” (Gadsden County Times, January 25, 1934) “While the ruins were still smoldering, space was being made in Finck’s for the post office. During the day the Niceville Fish Company set up offices there. Within a little while a grocery had been added. And now Adolph’s establishment represents the bay country’s first and only complete arcade. In it is found a post office, a wholesale and retail fish house, a grocery, a restaurant, a bakery and the bay country’s only draft beer dispensary, while

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the Niceville Masonic Lodge occupies the floor above.” (The Valparaiso Star, February 1, 1934)
A Florida Heritage Site

Erected 2021 by the City of Niceville and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-1172.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Disasters. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1934.

Location. 30° 31.102′ N, 86° 29.242′ W. Marker is in Niceville, Florida, in Okaloosa County. It is on Bayshore Drive just south of Edge Avenue, on the left when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Niceville FL 32588, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on the Florida Panhandle.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Gulf Coast.

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

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, December 9, 2022

2. Niceville Fire 1934 Marker

South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 6 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Old Maritime City (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Boggy Mill Company Site (approx. 0.7 miles away); Old Niceville High School (approx. ¾ mile away); Niceville Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) Worker Statue™ (approx. ¾ mile away); Eglin Air Force Base (approx. 2 miles away); IM-99 BOMARC Launch Platform (approx. 5.6 miles away); RF4-Phantom II (approx. 5.6 miles away); M118 General Purpose Bomb (approx. 5.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Niceville.

Also see . . . Niceville, Florida. (Submitted on December 10, 2022, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)

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 863 times since then and 65 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 10, 2022, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.