On W University Avenue (State Road 24/26), on the right when traveling west.
Born in 1842 to slave parents in Winchester, Va., little is known of Josiah T. Walls' early life. After a short term of Confederate service, he enlisted in the Third Regiment, U.S. Colored Troops in 1863. Transferred to Picolata on the St. Johns . . . — — Map (db m55400) HM
On NE 2nd Street near NE 5th Avenue, on the left when traveling south.
Roper Park is the original site of the parade grounds and barracks for the East Florida Seminary, a non-sectarian
educational institution and a forerunner of the University of Florida, which was located in Gainsville in part due to the . . . — — Map (db m55994) HM
Near E. University Avenue, on the right when traveling west.
Designated the County Seat in 1854, and incorporated as a City in 1869, Gainesville takes its name from General Edmund Gaines, captor of Aaron Burr and commander of U.S. Army troops in Florida during the Second Seminole War. The town was the fourth . . . — — Map (db m58133) HM
On E. University Avenue, on the right when traveling west.
Founded as the Gainesville Academy before the Civil War and later renamed, the East Florida Seminary served Gainesville's need for higher education until the University of Florida was created by the Florida Legislature in 1905. The Seminary school . . . — — Map (db m58007) HM
Side 1:
The Matheson homestead dates from 1857, when Alexander Matheson brought his family from Camden, South Carolina to establish a home on the Sweetwater Branch at the eastern edge of the new town of Gainesville. The present one and a . . . — — Map (db m97622) HM
On County Road 234, on the right when traveling north.
Madison Starke Perry, born in Lancaster County, S.C., moved to Alachua County, Florida and became a prosperous planter. His plantation was located about six miles east of Gainesville in the area of present-day Rochelle. Perry was elected to the . . . — — Map (db m55537) HM
On Northwest 278 Avenue (County Road NW 241) at NW 278 Avenue, on the right when traveling south on Northwest 278 Avenue.
Bland Community and Ogden School
Settled in the 1840s by cotton planters from Georgia and South Carolina, Bland became a diverse agrarian area where farmers and sharecroppers raised cattle and grew cotton and a variety of fruits and . . . — — Map (db m64715) HM
On County Road 241 S near NW 294 Avenue, on the left when traveling south.
A Spanish Mission was established near here within sight of the Santa Fe River about A.D. 1606 by Franciscan missionaries. The river took its name from the mission, as did the modern town of Santa Fe. At one time, Santa Fe de Toloca was said to be . . . — — Map (db m64880) HM
On Southwest 137th Avenue just west of U.S. 27/41, on the left when traveling west.
The Alachua County Board of Public Instruction contracted with the firm of Winston and Perry to build a 3-story brick building for the Archer School, west of an old wood frame building, in 1917. The building housed grades 1-10 until 1925 when the . . . — — Map (db m120479) HM
On SW 134th Avenue at SW 170th St, on the right when traveling west on SW 134th Avenue.
Side 1
David Levy Yulee was born at St. Thomas, West Indies, in 1810. He attended school in Virginia from 1819 until 1827 when he went to Micanopy to work on one of the plantations of his father, Moses Elias Levy. He studied law and was . . . — — Map (db m97513) HM
Near Southeast 21st Avenue at Southeast 4th Street, on the left when traveling west.
Jesse Johnson Finley was born in Wilson County, Tennessee, November 18, 1812 and educated in Lebanon, Tennessee. After service as a captain in the Seminole War of 1836, he studied law and was admitted to the bar. During a ten year period he served . . . — — Map (db m93855) HM
On Southwest 24th Avenue at SW 69th Terrace, on the left when traveling west on Southwest 24th Avenue.
The Old Stage Road, one of Alachua County’s original highways, passed near here. Dating from the 1820s, it connected the county’s two major towns, Newnansville (once the county seat near present day Alachua) and Micanopy to the south. The road . . . — — Map (db m67689) HM
On Northeast 2nd Avenue at Northeast 5th Street, on the right when traveling west on Northeast 2nd Avenue. Reported missing.
The Gainesville Serviceman's Center
The City of Gainesville purchased the Servicemen’s Center lot on December 7th 1942. The Federal Works Agency constructed a $37,000 building with a ballroom, stage, dressing rooms, second floor reading . . . — — Map (db m220712) HM
On Southeast Hawthorne Road (State Road 20) 0.1 miles east of Southeast 152nd Street, on the right when traveling west.
In 1853, planters Daniel Scott and Daniel Finley of Fairfield, South Carolina, bought 2,664 acres of land here for $6,743, and in 1854 Scott was taxed on 1,400 acres and 30 enslaved people. In 1855, Scott and Finley purchased 54 people for . . . — — Map (db m110525) HM
On State Road 121 at State Road 235, on the right when traveling north on State Road 121.
Settlement in the LaCrosse area started in the 1840s with the arrival of John Cellon, a young French immigrant. Other early settlers were Thomas Green, Abraham Mott, Richard H. Parker and family, William Scott and Thomas Standley. The town was built . . . — — Map (db m93838) HM
On State Road 26 at Grove Street, on the right when traveling east on State Road 26.
(side 1)
The region south of Santa Fe Lake was not settled until after the Seminole War in 1842, although it was on the Spanish mission trail from St. Augustine from about 1600 to 1763 and, during the English (1763-1784) and second Spanish . . . — — Map (db m99668) HM
On County Road 234 at County Road 2082, on the left when traveling north on County Road 234.
Colonel Daniel Newnan led a troop of the Georgia militia on a raid into the area in September 1812 in an attempt to annex Florida to the United States in the War of 1812. The raiders engaged a force of Seminole Indians under the command of . . . — — Map (db m54642) HM
Near Southeast 15th Street (Camp Ranch Road) 0.4 miles south of Southeast 41st Avenue when traveling south.
The Spanish explorers brought cattle and horses to Florida when they visited in the 1500s. When the Spanish left, the cattle and horses stayed. Today's cracker cattle and horses are direct descendants of those animals. They are a link to all of the . . . — — Map (db m126399) HM
On NW 7th Avenue west of NW 10th Street, on the right when traveling east.
A. Quinn Jones, Sr. (1893-1997), prominent African-American teacher, educational leader, and advocate, lived here from 1925 to 1997. The home, built ca, 1920, is a one-story frame bungalow set on brick piers. Jones’ career, spanning the segregation . . . — — Map (db m233743) HM
On West Newberry Road (State Road 26) at Northwest 255th Street, on the right when traveling west on West Newberry Road.
Only after about 1870 did phosphates become an important world industry. In Alachua County, phosphates were discovered late in the 1870's, but as in other regions of Florida, the major developments in phosphate mining and processing began about . . . — — Map (db m119012) HM
On Northwest 140th Street just south of Northwest 148th Place, on the right when traveling north.
In 1822, John J. Triggs was sent as a Methodist missionary to a new mission called Alapaha. This mission extended from south Georgia into parts of north Florida, extending east and west of the Suwanee River. Four missions were established in this . . . — — Map (db m239328) HM
Near Waldo Road (State Road 24) 0.3 miles north of Northeast 39th Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
The City of Gainesville began construction of this airport in April of 1940 as a project of the depression era Works Progress Administration. With WWII looming, construction was taken over by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1941. Initial . . . — — Map (db m101411) HM
On Newell Drive south of Union Road, on the right when traveling south.
A native of Gainesville and University of Florida Alumnus [B.S.B.A., 1942], Ralph D. Turlington represented Alachua County in the Florida House of Representatives for 24 years [1950-74], serving as Speaker of the House 1967-68. Appointed . . . — — Map (db m151249) HM
On SW 3th Street at SW 6th Avenue, on the right when traveling north on SW 3th Street.
This site, known locally as the ballpark, was the center of recreational activities in Gainesville for more than 60 years. From 1883-1910 Gainesville’s Oak Hall baseball team played here against teams from Florida and the Southeast. The Oak Halls . . . — — Map (db m150706) HM
One of the area's early white settlers, Charlotte Crum is the first known burial in the Brooksville Cemetery. Her death occurred immediately following the Second Seminole War (1833-1842), and is symbolic of the epic collision that occurred in . . . — — Map (db m259761) HM
On Washington Street South (Georgia Route 39) 0 miles north of Hartford Road ( Route 37), on the right when traveling north.
The son of James Gaines, Revolutionary soldier and relative of five Presidents, General Gaines (1777–1849) was born in Virginia. From 1801 to 1804 he built the military highway from Nashville, Tenn., to Natchez, Miss. He made the arrest of . . . — — Map (db m47515) HM
On Southwest 3rd Avenue at Southwest 9th Street, on the left when traveling west on Southwest 3rd Avenue.
Historic Alachua General Hospital (AGH) stood on this site for nearly 82 years. A county or community-supported venture for much of its history, the hospital served the needs of Alachua County citizens for generations as a respected health care . . . — — Map (db m93167) HM
On State Road 235, on the right when traveling east.
At the end of 1824, Alachua County was organized as a political unit of the new Territory of Florida. The
Seminole inhabitants of the Alachua region had recently been ordered to a reservation, and land was
available there for white settlers. . . . — — Map (db m65513) HM
On 221st Street near 65th Avenue, on the right when traveling south.
In 1774, noted botanist William Bartram travelled across what is now the southeastern corner of Alachua County following an old Indian and trading trail. In Florida's territorial period, English-speaking settlers used the same route as a frontier . . . — — Map (db m41100) HM
Near Southeast 15th Street (Camp Ranch Road) 0.4 miles south of Southeast 41st Avenue when traveling south.
Hacienda de la Chua
Organized cattle ranching at the prairie began here in the 1600s. You are standing at the site of the largest ranch in Spanish Florida, Hacienda de Ia Chua (right). Hacienda de la Chua was the main supplier of beef to St. . . . — — Map (db m126488) HM
Earleton is named for General Elias B. Earle (1821-1893) who received government land grants in Florida for his service in the U.S./Mexican War (1846-48). Born into a prominent South Carolina family, Gen. Earle fought in the Palmetto Regiment, . . . — — Map (db m41263) HM
On SW Archer Road (State Road 24) near SW 85th Street, on the right when traveling west.
One of the oldest houses in Alachua County, the Historic Haile Homestead was the home of Thomas Evans Haile, his wife Esther Serena Chesnut Haile and 14 of their children. The Hailes came here from Camden, South Carolina in 1854 to establish a . . . — — Map (db m70202) HM
On Fletcher Drive south of West University Drive (Florida Route 26), on the right when traveling north.
When this building opened in 1906, it was called the Main Building. It served as the administration-classroom building for the University. The president’s office was on the southwest corner of the first floor. There were twenty-four classrooms, . . . — — Map (db m151217) HM
On West Newberry Road (State Road 26) at Northwest 254th Street, on the right when traveling west on West Newberry Road.
The discovery of hard rock phosphate in Alachua County in 1889 sparked the appearance of boom towns wherever large deposits of the mineral were found. Incorporated in 1894, Newberry thrived until 1914 when the onset of World War I forced the mines . . . — — Map (db m65216) HM
On SW 5th Blvd. (State Road 24) near S.W. 2nd Way, on the right when traveling east.
The first permanent English-speaking settlers came to the northeast portion of Alachua County in the 1820's. In 1837, during the Second Seminole War, an army post, Fort Harlee, was established on the Santa Fe River about three miles north of this . . . — — Map (db m41072) HM
On Village Drive south of Southwest 2nd Avenue (State Road 26A), on the right when traveling north.
(side 1)
Timucua Burial Mound
This earthen mound pays tribute to the ancestors of the Timucua Indians who lived and established villages near lakes and other sources of fresh water in north central Florida. Around 950 CE, following . . . — — Map (db m134740) HM
On South University Avenue (U.S. 27/41) at SW 137th Ave, on the right when traveling north on South University Avenue.
Thomas Gilbert Pearson was an ornithologist, college professor, and world leader of the bird preservation movement. Pearson grew up in Archer, where he collected bird skins and eggs and taught himself ornithology to pay for his schooling at Guilford . . . — — Map (db m70637) HM
On S Main Street (State Road 329) near SE 1st Avenue, on the left when traveling south.
The Alachua County Commission, by authority of the Florida Legislature, selected this site for a courthouse in 1854, moving the county seat from Newnansville. The first courthouse was a frame building completed in 1856. It was demolished on the . . . — — Map (db m232797) HM
On Southeast 221st Street (Old U.S. 301) north of 67th Avenue, on the left when traveling south.
(side 1)
The Moore Hotel is the first hotel and oldest existing business in Hawthorne. In 1882, William Shepard (W.S.) and Virginia McCraw Moore moved to Hawthorne from Braden, Tennessee, and bought a railroad house on Johnson Street to use . . . — — Map (db m150563) HM
On South Bronough Street 0.1 miles south of West Pensacola Avenue, on the right when traveling south.
Alachua County
1941 Alachua Army Base established to train WW II pilots
1942 County awarded National Service Certificate for
exceeding bond quota
Citizens Field & U.S. Navy Ship (DE-772) named in honor of
Hamilton . . . — — Map (db m210689) HM WM
On Forest Creek Trail just north of Hidden Forest Loop, on the right when traveling south.
William Iredell Turner was born in Richmond, Virgina and grew up in Alachua County, Florida, where he spent his early adulthood as a cattle rancher. He became a major with the Florida Volunteers in the Second Seminole War (1835-1842). He later . . . — — Map (db m200001) HM
On NW 1st Avenue State Route 20 (U.S. 27), on the right when traveling west.
The northwest region of Alachua County was probably first settled on a permanent basis by English
speaking people during the late 1830's. One of the earliest settlements in the vicinity was at Crockett
Springs, located about three miles east . . . — — Map (db m220547) HM
On Southwest 174th Street at Southwest 137th Lane, on the left when traveling south on Southwest 174th Street.
Wilson Robinson, Sr., was a native of Archer, born on May 27, 1927. Mr. Robinson spent much of his life working to improve the community.
He was a founder of the Archer Community Progressive Organization and the Archer Day Care Center, and was . . . — — Map (db m209674) HM
Near Southeast 190th Place just west of County Road 325, on the right when traveling west.
Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings described the nature and people of Cross Creek in vivid terms that have inspired artists and nature-lovers to cherish this place. One of Cross Creek's resident artists, Kate Barnes, attended a small neighborhood gathering . . . — — Map (db m187584) HM
On Northeast 14th Street 0.1 miles north of Northeast 8th Avenue, on the left when traveling north.
Lynching in America
Between 1882 and 1930, Florida had one of the highest per capita lynching rates in the United States, with Alachua County ranked near the top. After the Civil War, the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution . . . — — Map (db m207585) HM
On Newberry Lane at NW 245 Street, on the left when traveling west on Newberry Lane.
Lynching in America
Between 1877 and 1950, thousands of African Americans were the victims of lynching and racial violence in the United States. Florida had one of the highest per capita lynching rates in the nation, with dozens of racial . . . — — Map (db m186426) HM
On Village Drive at Southwest 2nd Avenue (State Road 26A), on the right when traveling north on Village Drive. Reported permanently removed.
100 yards west is an aboriginal burial mound built ca. A.D. 1000 by Alachua Tradition peoples, ancestors of the Potano Indians who lived in Alachua County in the 16th and 17th centuries. Initially several individuals were buried in a central grave, . . . — — Map (db m134742) HM
On State Road 121 at State Road 235, on the right when traveling north on State Road 121. Reported permanently removed.
The LaCrosse area was settled before the Civil War. Cotton was the chief crop. John Eli Futch was a cotton buyer who built a warehouse for cotton, a store to serve the growers, and his home near the store. This store became the first post office and . . . — — Map (db m220546) HM
On Old Bellamy Road 0.2 miles west of Northwest 173rd Road Street, on the left when traveling west.
Side 1
Country stores were critical for collecting farm crops and sending them to market. They played an important role in building commerce and establishing credit. The Traxler store was one of several in Alachua County that provided these . . . — — Map (db m197954) HM
On Southeast 1st Avenue just east of South Main Street (U.S. 129), on the left when traveling west.
[south side] This monument is dedicated to the memory of those Confederate Veterans from the western part of Alachua County that became Gilchrist County in 1925 [east side] This monument is dedicated to . . . — — Map (db m298992) WM
On Southwest 137th Avenue (West Church Street) at Southwest 170th Street (Gibson Avenue) (Florida Route 241), on the right when traveling west on Southwest 137th Avenue (West Church Street).
Bethlehem Presbyterian Church was first organized in 1866 at Wacahoota, a farming community southeast of Archer. The early members were pioneer families from South Carolina. Their first pastor, the Rev. William McCormick, founded other pioneer . . . — — Map (db m150976) HM
On Northwest 8th Avenue (State Road 20) at Northwest 1st Street, on the right when traveling west on Northwest 8th Avenue.
The Chestnut family in Gainesville has served the mortuary needs of the African American community in Alachua County since 1914. Charles S. Chestnut, Sr. was a founding member of the Florida Morticians Association in the early 1900s. The business . . . — — Map (db m110984) HM
On 11th Avenue West just north of 4th Street West, on the right when traveling north.
Palmetto Baptist Church. The Palmetto Baptist Church was organized on January 5, 1892, and a few months later its first building was erected on this site. The Reverend R.H. Whitehead, under whose leadership the church was constituted, became . . . — — Map (db m100920) HM
On North Main Street north of Broad Street (U.S. 98), on the right when traveling north.
Hernando County originally embraced Hernando, Pasco and Citrus counties. It was created by the Territorial Legislature in 1843 and named for Hernando DeSoto. In 1844 its name was changed to Benton County in honor of Senator Thomas Hart Benton of . . . — — Map (db m123567) HM
On North Morgan Street at East Fortune Street, on the right on North Morgan Street. Reported permanently removed.
This hallowed ground set aside as a town
burial site in 1850 "for whites & slaves alike"
is the resting place for many of Tampa's founding fathers, mayors, and county officers.
A governor of Florida, two Supreme Court
Judges, framers of all . . . — — Map (db m135974) HM
Near Northwest 34th Street (Florida Route 121) at Northwest 10th Avenue, on the right when traveling north.
(Front)
Hogtown Settlement
Near this site was located Hogtown, one of the earliest settlements in Alachua County. It was originally an Indian village which in 1824 had fourteen inhabitants. Hogtown settlement is also mentioned in . . . — — Map (db m150806) HM
Dickison and His Men
John Jackson Dickison (1816-1902), Florida's famous Civil War guerrilla leader, bivouacked at Camp Baker, south of here, during the closing weeks of the conflict. Dickison and his men became legendary figures. As Company . . . — — Map (db m40315) HM
On Northeast Waldo Road (Florida Route 24) at Earle Street, on the right when traveling east on Northeast Waldo Road.
Lynching in Alachua County
From 1889 to 1926, white mobs lynched at least six Black people in the Waldo, Hawthorne,
Campville, and Rochelle areas of Alachua County. On November 28, 1889, a mob stormed the
Waldo Jail and abducted Thomas . . . — — Map (db m315758) HM
Thin black lines indicate changes in relevance. Between each pair of lines entries are ordered geographically but all have the same relevance.
* Inflectional forms of words are their plurals, singulars, and possessives as well as gramatical tenses and similar variations.
