By the turn of the twentieth century, Simpson and Company was shipping lumber as far away as Scandinavia. Following the deaths of the partners in the Simpson Company the lumber mill was sold in 1903 to Thomas R. Lyon of Chicago, who renamed it . . . — — Map (db m100331) HM
When William Bartram rode on horseback through the upper Florida peninsula in 1744, much of his journey was through longleaf pine forests. The landscape of the peninsula has changed since this exploratory journey, and many animal species native to . . . — — Map (db m100321) HM
The closing of the Bagdad Land & Lumber Company in 1939 brought the end of an era. The industry that had created the community was gone, and the residents of the village had to find ways to survive. There were other mills, plants, and businesses in . . . — — Map (db m100311) HM
Bagdad Lumber Mill
In 1829, Joseph Forsyth saw economic potential in the vast pine forest of North Florida. Old growth yellow pine was one of the world's most prized building materials and the deepwater juncture of Pond Creek . . . — — Map (db m99709) HM
The mill site's natural characteristics were changed in the twentieth century when it was used as a prestress concrete plant (1977-1992) and an asphalt plant (1995-1999). When the asphalt company was unable to continue their operations, the land . . . — — Map (db m100319) HM
The First United Methodist Church of Bagdad traces its roots to a brush arbor in 1830. Dr. John Wesley Talley, a former missionary to the Choctaws, delivered the first sermons beside the Blackwater River and earned a $13 salary that first year. In . . . — — Map (db m146517) HM
The first years of the Civil War brought prosperity to Bagdad, but a blockade of Pensacola Bay deprived the mill access to former markets. On March 11, 1862, Confederates, burned Bagdad’s industries, shops, and the major buildings in the Pensacola . . . — — Map (db m99851) HM
Side 1
The property for the Forcade House was purchased in 1918 for $85 from the Oakland Lodge No. 18 of Bagdad. Completed in 1919, it is an outstanding example of Shingle style architecture, rarely seen in the South. Elzear “Exie” . . . — — Map (db m146485) HM
Circa 1870 hose reel cart, manufactured by the Wirt and Knox Company of Philadelphia, PA. This firefighting equipment dates back to the lumber mills of Simpson and Company, followed by the Stearns and Culver Company and later used by the Bagdad Land . . . — — Map (db m146484) HM
Native trees play an important role in the Northwest
Florida ecosystem, and they have become even more
important in recent years with the loss of natural habitats
because of development and coastal deterioration. Many
native trees are . . . — — Map (db m100306) HM
Although evidence exists as early as 1763 of the Jones Brothers' yard careening and repairing British men-of-war, Bagdad’s first major shipyard was built in 1833 by Captain John Gardner and changed ownership several times. In 1853, the shipyard was . . . — — Map (db m99835) HM
Submerged aquatic vegetation is an important part of the Northwest Florida ecosystem. It is defined as any combination of seagrasses and algae that covers 10 to 100 percent of the riverbottom. Many of these plant species grow in underwater . . . — — Map (db m100329) HM
The historic buildings in Bagdad embody the village's history and cultural heritage, reflecting various periods of growth, and telling an important story about how the town was developed. The village boasts a wide variety of architectural styles . . . — — Map (db m100315) HM
The Bagdad Mill Site has been home to a number of different companies that helped shape Northwest Florida. Juan de la Rua cleared land to create a dam and possibly a saw mill at Arcadia on Pond Creek in 1817, but was plagued by labor shortages. In . . . — — Map (db m99852) HM
The village of Bagdad developed as a lumber mill community in the early nineteenth century, and lumber remained the principal industry of the village until 1939. Strategically placed at the confluence of Pond Creek and the Blackwater River, the . . . — — Map (db m100301) HM
The Blackwater River begins in Bradley, Alabama, and winds approximately 60 miles before reaching Blackwater Bay. Three major tributaries—Big Juniper Creek, Big Coldwater Creek, and Pond Creek—feed the river. The
Florida Legislature . . . — — Map (db m100309) HM
Longleaf or yellow pine forests once dominated the South and spread 90 million acres from the Atlantic Coastal Plain of southeastern Virginia to the West Gulf Coastal Plain of Texas. Longleaf pine developed in close
association with periodic . . . — — Map (db m100332) HM
During the Civil War, Bagdad was a frequent target of Union raids from Pensacola because the Union needed building supplies for the navy yard. One such raid took place from October 25-28, 1864, and is recounted in the dispatches of Brigadier . . . — — Map (db m99854) HM
This antebellum home, constructed ca. 1847 by Benjamin Woodson Thompson (1809 - 1876), partner in the Forsyth and Simpson sawmill enterprise in Bagdad, is the best remaining Florida Panhandle example of a symmetrical Greek Revival structure having . . . — — Map (db m63182) HM
Bagdad was a thriving town. At its height, the mill employed about 1,200 mill workers and more than 60 businesses, churches, and schools operated in the village. A November 7, 1885, article in The Pensacola Commercial reported, "Bagdad has . . . — — Map (db m100325) HM
