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.
Union Cypress Sawmill. 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 lumber market in the Great Depression. Less than a handful of original buildings exist today.
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 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
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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. Marker 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.
2. Union Cypress Sawmill Marker and Macedonia Baptist Church
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 1,199 times since then and 90 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.
