Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $9.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Oak Hill
    Oak Hill
    Oak Hill
    Ebook205 pages48 minutes

    Oak Hill

    By Dana Baldwin Thompson

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Beginning with the Timucuan Indians around 2000 BC, life along the Indian River in Oak Hill has always been simple. The natural beauty and pristine environment that drew Oak Hill's first inhabitants to the area still abounds, and the waterfront lined with large oak trees continues to inspire a feeling of serenity and relaxation. The first Florida pioneers settled in Oak Hill around 1870 and were drawn by the treasures of a diverse ecosystem of marshland, cypress hammock, and timber pine forest. These first settlers harvested the natural resources of timber, turpentine, and salt, followed by citrus groves and a thriving fishing industry. The selected photographs in this book, many appearing courtesy of local families, document the lives and times of Floridians who chose to call Oak Hill home.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherArcadia Publishing
    Release dateSep 18, 2012
    ISBN9781439638019
    Oak Hill
    Author

    Dana Baldwin Thompson

    Author Dana Thompson was inspired to preserve the photographs and stories of Oak Hill�s past by her grandmother Mary Mosby Baldwin, who settled in this community at the turn of the 20th century. A history teacher for 35 years in local schools, Thompson is a graduate of Stetson University and Nova Southeastern University. She has lived and served southeast Volusia County in a variety of civic and educational capacities for her entire life.

    Related to Oak Hill

    Related ebooks

    United States History For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      Celebrating Black History on Staten Island

      Apr 1, 2020

      Celebrating Black History on Staten Island
      2 min read

    • Article

      Equality On The Plains

      Oct 1, 2019

      Equality On The Plains
      4 min read

    • Article

      The Other Billie

      Dec 4, 2018

      The Other Billie
      5 min read

    • Article

      First Peoples

      Apr 1, 2023

      First Peoples
      3 min read

    • Article

      Refracting History | Writing in the Dark

      Dec 15, 2022

      I’m writing this during a power outage, an experience befitting the winter issue of British Columbia History magazine. I’ve spent most of my life in rural areas where power outages are often measured in days, and we predict when electricity will be r

      9 min read

    • Article

      Looking Back 200 Years

      Mar 16, 2020

      Looking Back 200 Years
      4 min read

    • Article

      Union Bay Historical Society

      Sep 3, 2019

      Union Bay Historical Society
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Bit Of Everything

      Jun 28, 2023

      A Bit Of Everything
      11 min read

    • Article

      Front Words

      Dec 15, 2023

      Front Words
      4 min read

    • Article

      Troubled Waters

      Jul 2, 2024

      Troubled Waters
      4 min read

    • Article

      Front Words

      Sep 15, 2023

      Happy 90th anniversary to City of Vancouver Archives. Its collection captures the city’s story through 7.2 million photographs, 6,800 maps, 2,800 audio recordings, documents measured in kilometres and terabytes of digital material. How did it begin?

      4 min read

    • Article

      Living History

      May 23, 2024

      Living History
      8 min read

    • Article

      The Mound Builders

      Aug 9, 2022

      The Mound Builders
      4 min read

    • Article

      Pieces Of History: The Story Of Gee’s Bend

      Aug 4, 2021

      Quilts are what propelled the small community of Gee’s Bend into the headlines, so it is fitting their quilts tell the Gee’s Bend tale… Long before the quilts of Gee’s Bend hung in museums of Fine Art, the women of Boykin, Alabama were making quilt

      6 min read

    • Article

      Building Back

      May 2, 2023

      Building Back
      10 min read

    • Article

      The Faraway Nearby

      Feb 27, 2020

      The Faraway Nearby
      10 min read

    • Article

      Noosa’s Perfect Balancing Act

      Feb 27, 2019

      Noosa’s Perfect Balancing Act
      8 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Oak Hill

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Oak Hill - Dana Baldwin Thompson

      pride.

      INTRODUCTION

      First documented on the 1564 map drawn by French explorer Jacque LeMoyne, Oak Hill has long played a part in the story of Florida. A walk along the high riverbanks reveals a glimpse of Oak Hill’s history as the shell mounds emerge in the background. The Timucuan natives, who called this area home 2,000 years ago, created these mounds. The abundance of shellfish, mostly clams and oysters, and fish made this an ideal area for a permanent settlement.

      Although many such mounds and middens were made along the Volusia County coastline, most of them were destroyed at the dawn of the 20th century by the demand for shell to make roads. In 1880, Lord Hatton Turnor built a house on and around the coastal mounds in Oak Hill. Fortunately, in the early 1900s, Wesley Snyder purchased the Turnor house and refused to give in to the economic pressure to sell the shell for roads, thus preserving an important part of the area’s past. These ancient middens are also a reminder to visitors of the lure and serenity of coastal Florida during the golden age of tourism.

      In the 1850s, the Swift brothers, William, Rodolphus, and Obed, of Massachusetts identified the old twisted oak trees along this same riverfront area as their point of entry to the live oak forests. It is believed that the name of the town originated with these seasonal loggers who arrived in the fall to cut timber for Northern shipbuilding.

      Life in this rural southeast Volusia County community has always been simple, sustained by the bountiful waters of the Indian River and Atlantic Ocean, and supported by land rich in timber and well suited for farming. The treasures of a diverse ecosystem of a lagoon, marshland, cypress hammock, and pine forest drew those first Florida pioneers who settled in Oak Hill following the Civil War. The local cemetery has 11 Civil War veteran burials—five Union and six Confederate. Many settlers harvested the natural resources of timber, turpentine, and salt, while others worked as beekeepers, citrus growers, or fishermen.

      The center of the settlement gradually shifted from the river when the railroad came through in the late 19th century. Early settlers like the Andersons, Sauls, and Howeses donated land to the railroad company so it would pass through the town. They were willing to invest in the progress of the area and understood what additional transportation could mean to those who lived and worked in Oak Hill. Corrals were soon built close to the railroad tracks so cattle could be sent by railcar. Citrus grove owners took advantage of moving individual and company fruit by rail, expanding the market. Soon fish, turtle, and shellfish were being shipped to fine restaurants as far north as New York. The first store, owned by William Howes, moved from the shores of the Indian River to the west closer to the new railroad.

      The passage of the 18th Amendment in 1919 brought a new kind of business to the town. The unique location of the beach ridge and lagoon provided easy access for the distribution of illegal liquor being smuggled by boats from the Bahamas. This colorful period of Oak Hill’s past is filled with amazing stories shared only on the back porch by best friends.

      By 1924, the Dixie Highway was paved, bringing more businesses, buildings, and activity to the town. Automobile gas stations, garages, grocery stores, cafés, a citrus packinghouse, and even a hotel were built along newly constructed U.S. Highway 1. By this time, there were churches, schools, a community center, and the beginning of a city government. The Florida State Legislature granted a city charter to Oak Hill in 1927, establishing a mayor-commission form of government. However, the country was in a depression, and a petition was filed in 1930 to deactivate the government until further notice. The fight to reactivate in 1962 was led by J. U. Gillespie and his son, William Gillespie. The city election was held, and Clarence Goodrich Jr. became mayor in 1963 and remained in that position for the next 27 years. Mayor Goodrich worked diligently to move the city forward while maintaining the uniqueness and charm of the place where he was born and lived his entire life.

      Since 1907, when early pioneer families established the Village Improvement Association, there has been a community spirit of helpfulness and concern for others by most residents. Social gatherings were frequently held, usually involving music, food, dancing, and baseball games. The Woodmen of the World Hall was built in 1911 for civic and town meetings. Concerned for the education of the local children, the people established their own school board and built a schoolhouse.

      Families grew, and most generations that followed remained in the area, many on the land claimed by their forefathers. Four and five generations later, families continue fishing the waters that were familiar to their great-grandfathers. Some have replanted citrus groves on family land. A few still have beehives as a hobby. Life is still simple, for the most part, enriched by the natural beauty and pristine environment

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1