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The
Town of Florida, Missouri
"Florida,
Missouri, was a small village in the early thirties
smaller than it is now, perhaps, though in that day it
had more promise, even if less celebrity. The
West was unassembled then, undigested, comparatively
unknown. Two States, Louisiana and Missouri, with less
than half a million white persons, were all that lay
beyond the great river. St. Louis, with its boasted
ten thousand inhabitants and its river trade with the
South, was the single metropolis in all that vast
uncharted region. There was no telegraph; there
were no railroads, no stage lines of any consequence -
scarcely any maps. For all that one could see or
guess, one place was as promising as another,
especially a settlement like Florida, located at the
forks of a pretty stream. Salt River, which those
early settlers believed might one day become navigable
and carry the merchandise of that region down to the
mighty Mississippi, thence to the world outside."
"Florida
is situated upon a high point of land between the
Middle and North Forks of Salt River, near their
junction in the eastern part of Monroe county. This
seems to have been selected as a suitable place for a
settlement even by the aborigines and the mound
builders, as numerous piles, in a perfect state of
preservation to this day, fully attest. The
hills, covered with a heavy growth of timber,
protected them from the bleak winds of winter and
furnished, also, a hiding-place for deer and turkeys,
upon which, to a great extent, they must have
subsisted. The shoals, too, upon which the mills
are built, supplied them an excellent place for
spearing fish; for the water in those days, before the
ground was broken by the plow, was clear.
The
two mills, which formed the first starting points of
the town, were built about the same time, in 1827. The
mill on the South fork was erected by Peter Stice, a
jolly Dutchman; that on the North fork by Richard
Cave. Stice's mill was purchased by Hugh A.
Hickman during the fall of 1830 and operated by him
for nearly 40 consecutive years. Perhaps no mill
in the State was ever run so long by the same
individual, nor was ever a business more faithfully
managed than was this loved calling by the old
Captain, as he was familiarly called... Large
quantities of flour were hauled regularly to Hannibal
and Mexico (Missouri), and shipped from thence to St.
Louis, until the Hickman flour was well known at one
time in the city. Hugh A. Hickman ran out several
boats loaded with flour to Louisiana, on the
Mississippi, at the mouth of Salt river, and brought
back one boat lightly loaded with sugar, coffee and
other articles of merchandise.
Florida
was declared the head of navigation on Salt river, and
was thought by those brave and ambitious pioneers to
be a favorable point for the founding of a great
commercial town. The town was accordingly laid
off by Maj. Wm. N. Penn, Hugh A. Hickman and others,
and although the bright dreams which swelled the
hearts of these noble pioneers were not realized,
Florida has always held the rank of a respectable and
enterprising village. The first store in the
vicinity was kept by Maj. Penn for a man named
Roundtree, at Stice's mill, and was in operation there
in 1831.”
"During
the years 1829-30 emigration came in rapidly. The
inconvenience of being so remote from the county seat,
New London, and the hope of more rapid settlement,
induced the pioneers during the latter part of the
year 1830 to take steps to secure the organization of
a new county. The subject was laid before the
General Assembly of the State, was favorably
considered" and on 6 January 1831, Monroe County
was formed.
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Source:
Original source unknown but this town description was
extracted from the “Ivie Chronicles” by Len Evans.
LPP
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Florida
is situated upon a high point of land between the
Middle and North Forks of Salt River, near their
junction, in the eastern part of Monroe Co. This seems
to have been the site selected by the aborigines and
mound builders, as several mounds were found there.
The two mills, which formed the starting point of the
town, were built about the same time, in 1827. The
mill upon the South Fork was erected by Peter Stice.
The mill on the North Fork by Richard Cave. The mills
changed owners several times. The business done by the
mills from 1845 to 1860, was perhaps the largest
milling business ever done in the county. Florida was
declared the head of navigation on Salt River, and was
thought to be a favorable point for the founding of a
great commercial town. The town was accordingly laid
off by Maj. Wm. Penn, Hugh A. Hickmann and others. The
house Mark Twain was born in was standing in 1854 and
was used as a printing office. The first store in the
vicinity was kept by Maj. Penn, for a man named
Roundtree, at Stice's Mill, and was in operation there
in 1831. The first house in Florida was built by Judge
Damrell. Dr. Wm. Proctor and Dr. Walton were the
pioneer physicians. R. H. Buchanan was the first
tailor. Willard Buck, a one-legged man, was the first
shoe-maker. The town was incorporated in May, 1883.
--Directory
of Towns, Villages, and Hamlets, Past and Present, of
Monroe Co., Mo. , 1884 p. 152, 153, 154.
(submitted
by Robin Gatson)
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