Melbourne in Brevard County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Union Cypress Sawmill

1912-1932

Photographed by Jamie Cox, January 3, 2014

1. Union Cypress Sawmill Marker

Inscription. The Union Cypress Co. was Melbourne’s first big industry, bringing employment, growth and development to the region. Their big cypress/pine sawmill was a three-story, all-steel structure about 50 by 150 feet. Five, 150-horsepower boilers provided power. Its power plant supplied Melbourne’s first electricity. The company’s railway to Deer Park provided the first direct route across the St. Johns River for 80 miles south of Enterprise. Some 40,000 feet of lumber and 45,000 shingles could be produced daily from the cypress/pine holdings of George W. Hopkins, which had a market value over $2 million in 1911. Lumber not used locally was shipped out via the Florida East Coast Railway. The company-owned town of Hopkins had some 69 buildings within its industrial, residential and commercial areas. The big mill burned in August, 1919, and was replaced by a smaller pine mill. Construction of a new cypress mill began in late 1924, but halted after Hopkins died in January, 1925. Foshee Manufacturing Co. leased the now-idle mill and railway in March, 1928, but even with plenty of timber left, had to close in late 1932 due to a declining

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

lumber market in the Great Depression. Less than a handful of original buildings exist today.

Erected 2008 by The Brevard County Historical Commission, The Brevard County Tourist Development Council, and the Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-618.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Railroads & Streetcars. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1925.

Location. 28° 3.998′ N, 80° 36.234′ W. Marker is in Melbourne, Florida, in Brevard County. It is on Mill Street east of Lipscomb Street, on the left when traveling east. Marker is beside the Macedonia Baptist Church. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2729 Lipscomb St, Melbourne FL 32901, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Florida’s Space Coast.

It is also in the American South

and on the Eastern Seaboard. 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

Union Cypress Sawmill Marker and Macedonia Baptist Church image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Jamie Cox, January 3, 2014

2. Union Cypress Sawmill Marker and Macedonia Baptist Church

Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Allen Chapel A.M.E. Church (approx. 0.4 miles away); Billy Wallace House (approx. 0.4 miles away); Line Street Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away); Crenshaw Hotel (approx. 0.7 miles away); Florida East Coast Railroad (approx. 0.8 miles away); Campbell Park (approx. 0.8 miles away); Myles Building (approx. 0.8 miles away); First Post Office Site (approx. 0.9 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Melbourne.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Orange Spot Inn (was approx. 0.7 miles away but has been confirmed missing).

Credits. This page was last revised on July 27, 2017. It was originally submitted on January 3, 2014, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,988 times since then and 112 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 3, 2014, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. 2. submitted on January 5, 2014, by Jamie Cox of Melbourne, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.