BELL RINGER
#1 - What does “historical” mean?
#2 - List as many historical places in
Citrus County as you can.
Put a star next to the locations
you have been to.
Citrus County
Historical Places
What does historical mean?
his·tor·i·cal [ hi stáwrik'l ]
Adjective
Definitions:
1. formerly existing or
happening: existing, happening,
or relating to the past
an important historical
personage
2. formerly used: worn or used by
people in the past
4. relating to study of
history: relating to or involving
the study of history
historical uniforms of the 18th
century
a series of historical
monographs
3. supported by facts from
history: based on the past, or
describing people who lived in the
5. relating to evolution of
something: relating to the
gradual change and
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
Historic Places in Citrus County
Crystal River State Archaeological Site
Florida State Park
6 mound complex that is the largest of the
Deptford Period
Visitors can take a trail through burial and
temple mounds and shell middens
Unusual feature of two upright ceremonial
stones
Visitor Center/Museum displays artifacts
excavated at the site
Native Americans are thought to have settled here around
200 B.C. The earliest known inhabitants were preColumbian mound builders, drawn by the Crystal River,
which they called “Wewa-hi-i-aca” (clean or shining water),
the ideal climate, and plentiful game and shellfish. They
established a ceremonial and trade center that became one
of the longest, continuously occupied sites in Florida from
about 200 B.C. to 1400 A.D. An estimated 7,500 Indians
traveled to the Crystal River site every year to bury their
dead and exchange ritual objects. These were Citrus County’s
first tourists.
The construction of the burial mounds seems to indicate that the Peoples of
this culture were adhering to some social complexities. The Mound in the
background is surrounded by a continuous burial ridge, as seen in the
foreground
Accompanied by their personal possessions such as jewelry, tools and
pottery, the dead were placed in various burial positions. Some of the jewelry
(copper earrings) indicate trade with people of the Ohio River area basin.
Copper was of considerable trade value, since Florida has no workable
metals.
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
1
1
= CR Archaeological
Site
Historic Places in Citrus County
Florida De Soto Trail
Hernando De Soto’s
suspected route is
marked along existing
highways. A De Soto
trail marker is located
on US 41, just South of
Inverness.
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
1
1
2
2
= CR Archaeological
Site
= Florida De Soto Trail
Historic Places in Citrus County
Fort Cooper State Park
Named for Major Mark Cooper
Fort built during the the Second Seminole
War (first saw action in 1836)
Located at 3100 South Old Floral City Road
in Inverness.
Fort Cooper Entrance
Old military road in the
park.
Leftovers of the fort
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
1
1
2
3
2
3
= CR Archaeological
Site
= Florida De Soto Trail
= Fort Cooper State
Park
Historic Places in Citrus County
Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins State Historic Site
The sugar mill provided sugar to the confederate
soldiers during the Civil War.
Spring of 1846, Union naval forces raided the
plantation and burnt Yulee house, but the mill
(further inland) was not touched.
The remains of the boiler, chimney, and mill
machinery can be seen on a self-paced tour in Old
Homosassa with a series of plaques that details
the step-by-step processes of the mill.
Yulee Sugarmill - Homosassa
This site was once part of a thriving sugar plantation owned
by David Levy Yulee. Yulee was a member of the Territorial
Legislative Council, and served in the U.S. House of
Representatives and U.S. Senate after Florida statehood. The
park contains the remnants of the once-thriving 5,100-acre
sugar plantation: a forty-foot limestone masonry chimney,
iron gears, and a cane press. The steam-driven mill operated
from 1851 to 1864 and served as a supplier of sugar products
for southern troops during the Civil War.
Historic Places in Citrus County
Old Mille House Gallery and Printing Museum
Tells the story of printing from Gutenberg
through the early 1900s
Old-time presses, in working order, galley trays
and other vintage printing equipment are on
display
Local artists’ current work is also on display
Across the the Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins
Gutenberg Press
Koenig's 1814 steam-powered
printing press
First newspaper in Citrus County was called
the Phosphate Times.
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
1
1
2
3
4
2
3
4
= CR Archaeological
Site
= Florida De Soto Trail
= Fort Cooper State
Park
= Yulee Sugar Mill &
= Olde Mille House
Gallery + Printing Museum
Historic Places in Citrus County
MacRae House
Built in 1882 as a residence for John F.
Dunn – pioneer phosphate man and
developed for Central Florida
Around 1890, the building became an inn
and had celebrities such as Thomas Edison
and Winslow Homer stay there.
MacRae family still owns the home, but it is
their private residence.
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
1
1
2
3
5
4
2
3
4
= CR Archaeological
Site
= Florida De Soto Trail
= Fort Cooper State
Park
= Yulee Sugar Mill &
= Olde Mille House
Gallery + Printing Museum
5
= MacRae House
Historic Places in Citrus County
Floral City Historic District
The disastrous Citrus freeze in 1893-1894
was at the same time as the discovery of
phosphate – mostly in Floral City.
Floral City’s population went from 300 to
10,000 (similar to a “gold rush”)
44 historic sites and buildings remain
(1880 – 1920)
Magnificent Avenue of Oaks, planted in
1884, are lit up annually the first weekend
in December.
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
1
1
2
3
5
4
2
3
4
= CR Archaeological
Site
= Florida De Soto Trail
= Fort Cooper State
Park
= Yulee Sugar Mill &
= Olde Mille House
Gallery + Printing Museum
6
5
= MacRae House
6
= Floral City Historic
District
Historic Places in Citrus County
Withlacoochee State Trail
Paved with recycled rubber
Follows the late 1800s railroad route into
Inverness
All that remains from past railroad activity are
cement mileage and whistle markers, the Lake
Henderson Trestle, and the Inverness Depot built
in 1892.
Trail begins on North Apopka Avenue, Inverness
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
1
1
2
3
5
4
2
3 7
4
= CR Archaeological
Site
= Florida De Soto Trail
= Fort Cooper State
Park
= Yulee Sugar Mill &
= Olde Mille House
Gallery + Printing Museum
6
5
6
7
= MacRae House
= Floral City Historic
District
= Withlacoochee State
Trail
Historic Places in Citrus County
Florida Black Heritage Trail
Includes Pleasant Hill Baptist Church – built
between 1895 and 1910.
African-American Frazier Cemetery has
graves dating the early 1900’s.
Located in Floral City, but the trail goes all
over the state of Florida
http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/milesm
edia/floridablackheritage/index.php
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
1
1
2
3
4
5
2
8
3 7
4
= CR Archaeological
Site
= Florida De Soto Trail
= Fort Cooper State
Park
= Yulee Sugar Mill &
= Olde Mille House
Gallery + Printing Museum
6
5
6
7
8
= MacRae House
= Floral City Historic
District
= Withlacoochee State
Trail
= Florida Black
Heritage Trail
Historic Places in Citrus County
Crown Hotel
Was Inverness’ first general store
Was moved from it’s original location in
1907 – a second story was added and it
reopened as a hotel
Moved again in 1925 (to current location in
Inverness) and remodeled again
Most recent renovation, with a British
theme, was completed in 1981 – still
operates as a hotel
109 North Seminole Avenue, Inverness
Historic Places in Citrus County
1912 Old Citrus County Courthouse
Unique for its diagonal placement in the
historic courthouse square
One of only 15 original courthouses
remaining in Florida
Holds Citrus County Historical Museum and
Archives
Located on US 41 in Inverness
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
9
1
9
4
5
2
8
3 7
6
= Crown Hotel &
1912 Old County
Courthouse
Historic Places in Citrus County
“Michigan Town”
Crystal River grew from a small fishing village
before Civil War, to a center for milling cedar and
cypress into pencils and other products.
When the railroad arrived in the late 1880s, it
expanded the lumbering industry, facilitating the
export of fish and oysters.
It brought in northern tourists, touching off a
boom in the construction of hotels and inns.
The 1920s saw a new type of visitor, “snowbirds”
retreating from harsh winters.
One group established its own colony “Michigan
town” which exists today as part of Crystal River.
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
9
1
10
10
9
4
5
2
8
3 7
6
= Crown Hotel &
1912 Old County
Courthouse
= “Michigan Town”
Historic Places in Citrus County
Heritage Village
Eubanks Edwards house and several early
rental cottages that were built around
1900.
Today it is the home of antique and gift
shops, an art gallery, and a tearoom.
Located at the intersection of Highway 19
and Citrus Avenue
Historic Places in Citrus County
Citrus County Coastal Heritage Museum
Exhibits are in a 1939 native lime rock
building which once housed the city hall,
jail, and fire department.
Includes a replica of an original fish house
façade and a diorama of the downtown
area in 1927
Historic Tour of Crystal River guides are
available.
Located at 532 Citrus Avenue
Admission is Free;
Donations Always
Welcome
Built in 1939 by WPS
labor, the exterior is
constructed of natural
limestone quarried
locally. This was the
first permanent home
for the Crystal River
city government and
was used until the
1970s.
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
9
1
11
10
10
9
4
5
2
8
3 7
6
11
= Crown Hotel &
1912 Old County
Courthouse
= “Michigan Town”
= Heritage Village &
Coastal Heritage
Museum
Historic Places in Citrus County
First Post Office in Homosassa
Homosassa received its first post office in 1845,
with Bill Conely being the first postmaster.
• This was the same year Florida became the 27th state.
The post office was discontinued and
reestablished a number of times in the following
years.
After the post office was reestablished on April 7,
1886, it has continued to serve the community to
this day. (at various locations)
The picture
below shows the
cabbage log post
office that was
built by
Postmaster
Russell M.
Adkins’ father in
1948. It was
located across
the street from
the two story
brick school
house which
burned in
December, after
Christmas, in
1969. Gulf Coast
Marines is now
on the site the
post office was
located.
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
9
1
11
10
10
12
9
4
5
2
8
3 7
6
= Crown Hotel &
1912 Old County
Courthouse
= “Michigan Town”
= Heritage Village &
Coastal Heritage
Museum
12 = First Post Office
11
Historic Places in Citrus County
Homosassa Springs State Wildlife Park
Known as “Nature’s Giant Fishbowl” when
the first observatory was constructed in the
1940s
1964, launched the current fish bowl into
the Spring of 10,000 fish – pushed along
steel skids greased with bananas
1984, transferred from private to public
ownership
Dedicated to the preservation and
rehabilitation of Florida’s Wildlife
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
9
1
11
10
10
12
13
9
4
5
2
8
3 7
6
= Crown Hotel &
1912 Old County
Courthouse
= “Michigan Town”
= Heritage Village &
Coastal Heritage
Museum
12 = First Post Office
11
13 = Homosassa Springs
State Wildlife Park
Historic Places in Citrus County
Plantation Inn and Golf Resort
Built in 1962
1975, W.W. Caruth, Jr. purchased the
property.
Through a series of renovations and
additions, including a major update in
1997, W.W. Caruth, Jr.’s vision of a truly
peaceful retreat has been fully realized.
9301 West Fort Island Trail, Crystal River
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
9
1
14
12
13
11
10
10
9
4
5
2
8
3 7
6
= Crown Hotel &
1912 Old County
Courthouse
= “Michigan Town”
= Heritage Village &
Coastal Heritage
Museum
12 = First Post Office
11
13 = Homosassa Springs
State Wildlife Park
= Plantation Inn and
14
Golf Resort
Historic Places in Citrus County
Old Hernando School
Built in 1941
Recently renovated – now holds the Family
Resource Center (food bank, provides
Christmas for families, and other services)
• Also known as
Lakeview School
• On May 4, 2001, it
was added to the
U.S. National
Register of Historic
Places.
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
9
1
14
12
13
11
15
10
10
9
4
5
2
8
3 7
6
= Crown Hotel &
1912 Old County
Courthouse
= “Michigan Town”
= Heritage Village &
Coastal Heritage
Museum
12 = First Post Office
11
13 = Homosassa Springs
State Wildlife Park
= Plantation Inn and
14
Golf Resort
15
= Old Hernando School
Mannfield
Former County Seat
Remains are in the
Withlacoochee State
Forest.
Inverness replaced
Mannfield as the county
seat in a middle of the
night move.
http://www.citrusdirectory.com/info/history/ghost_towns/m
annfield/slides.php
KEY
= hometown
= school
= county seat
9
1
14
12
13
11
15
10
10
9
4
5
16
2
8
3 7
6
= Crown Hotel &
1912 Old County
Courthouse
= “Michigan Town”
= Heritage Village &
Coastal Heritage
Museum
12 = First Post Office
11
13 = Homosassa Springs
State Wildlife Park
= Plantation Inn and
14
Golf Resort
16 = Mannfield
15
= Old Hernando School
GHOST TOWNS
an abandoned rail
"watering hole"
•Gulf Junction - Near Crystal River
•Orleans - a Mining town
Thank you for your
attention, time, and
willingness to learn
about our County’s
past!