1885 Webb's Florida - Taylor County

Taylor County has an area of 1080 square miles or 691,200 acres. Population in 1880, 2279.

It is bounded on the north by Madison and Jefferson counties, on the east by Lafayette, on the south by Lafayette and the Gulf, on the west by the Gulf and Jefferson.

Taylor County is fortunately situated. It borders the Gulf of Mexico on is south for the distance of about 40 miles. This gives it easy access to the ocean and furnishes to it a number of excellent fisheries.

At about three miles from the Gulf the surface rises to the elevation of about 20 feet and then continues for the most part level. The soil is suitable for growing long cotton, corn, and the various crops and fruits of Florida. The principal timber growth on the elevated lands is pine, which seems almost inexhaustible. The hammock lands have white-oak, hickory, live-oak, cypress, and other hard woods of hammock growth in Florida.

As to water-power, there are five streams running generally in a southwesterly direction and emptying into the Gulf of Mexico, at a distance from each other of about six miles. These streams have sufficient fall to furnish water-power for turning machinery and suitable sites for necessary buildings.

Partly from want of railroad facilities to market, there have as yet been no turpentine farms in this county, with all the abundance of pine-forests, and for the same reason but little of the pine has been converted into lumber.

As to the useful minerals of the soil, there has been no effort to ascertain their number or the quantity they may offer for use to the public. Some move in that direction is needed. There are some fine mineral springs, chalybeate and white Sulphur, and their healing waters are in rich abundance, inviting invalids to test their curative powers.

In regard to schools and churches, the county has for a long while been in a frontier condition, and is still largely so. But there is some improvement in these respects; several churches have been erected in the last few years, and the system of common schools provided by the State is furnishing some knowledge of books to quite a number who would otherwise be unable to procure such knowledge.

As encouragement to immigration, we can say the people are kind, clever, hospitable, and desirous to offer a cordial welcome to immigrants; and there are thousands of acres of good lands, pine-forests, and hammocks which are awaiting their arrival and their tillage.

That this county is the land that flows with milk and honey, we offer the assurance that there is plenty of both. With the railroad facilities now in prospect, no better home need be sought or desired. Give the road already surveyed, and then the soil for tillage, the forests for lumber and turpentine, and water power for turning machinery will render this locality a garden-spot in Florida.

Perry, the county seat, is situated 10 miles from the Gulf, near the centre of the county and about 30 miles from Madison. There are several stores, druggists, a dentist, cotton-gin and grist-mill, a high-school, and a population of about 250.

Salem is a post-office town of 250 inhabitants. It was settled in 1842. Is 50 miles from the nearest railway and 20 from the nearest boat landing on the Gulf. Madison, the nearest town of any considerable size, is distant two days' travel by private conveyance. B. H. Bailey and I. M. Wilder are owners of prominent orange groves. S. T. Wilder is the postmaster.

Shady Grove was settled in 1874. It is on the line separating Taylor and Madison counties. It has several grist-mills, cotton-gins, cotton-seed oil mill, stores, wagon and furniture manufactories, and a population of about 600 people.

Spring Warrior is a country post-office near the centre of the county, 11 miles from Perry, the county-seat.

Stephensville is the distinctive appellation of a small but promising settlement on the Gulf coast, and a little to the north of the Steinhatchee River. The first settlement was made prior to the war, and there has been a fishery here for upwards of 40 years. In the early period of the war there was a thriving settlement, but by the "fortunes of war" it was nearly or quite destroyed and the settlers scattered. January 1, 1876, Mr. John B. Carrin, the present postmaster, came here and found a few settlers earning a precarious living by fishing and cutting cedar-wood for the market, the nearest post-office being 40 miles distant, at the county-seat. The above industries are still followed, but with more energy. Summed up briefly, the advantages of Stephensville are a mild and pleasant climate, good harbor and landing, good town-site, timber in abundance, excellent farming land, good water, and a healthy location. Agriculture and horticulture are as yet in their infancy. Messrs. J. B. Carrin, Thomas P. Beadley, and James H. Stephens being the only ones extensively engaged therein. By the efforts of Mr. Carrin a tri-weekly mail has been established, and this is now a State shipping point, steamers and large sailing vessels frequently calling. There is every reason to believe that Stephensville will ultimately become a flourishing seaport.

Extracted 2022 Apr 07 from Webb's Florida: Historical, Industrial and Biographical, published in 1885, page 107

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