The community of Spring Lake can trace its origins back to the 1840s. It first appeared on maps around that time and slowly grew into a small community.

According to local historian Virginia Jackson, "The Spring Lake area was settled by Edward M. Harville and Captain John Townsend." Michael Garrison was another early arrival. He received a 160 acres via an Armed Occupation Act Land Permit and additional land for his military service. This land was located in the Spring Lake area. Michael sold his lands to the son-in-law of Henry Hope after Michael moved to the Tampa area. The Hope family is considered one of the founding families of Brooksville.

Alatha Frances Garrison was the wife of Henry Hope and is credited with donating the land that was used to for the Methodist Church and Cemetery. During the 1880s, School at Spring Lake was held in the Methodist Church, then in 1889 Frank Saxon donated an acre of land to be used for a schoolhouse. The schoolhouse had 3 rooms which were used for students from first through twelfth grade. This schoolhouse was torn down in 1919 and replaced with a larger school nearby.
Another early resident of Spring Lake was was Joseph Robles an immigrant from Spain. He married Mary Anne Garrison, a daughter of Michael Garrison, in 1841 and moved to Hernando County in 1845. The location of their land obtained through the Armed Occupation Act was in the Spring Lake area. After six years, Joseph moved to Tampa where he became an important figure. He originally received 80 acres of land in Tampa which is near the park named for him, Robles Park. He fought for the Confederacy with distinction and was a successful surveyor, farmer, and builder. He added to his original holdings until he owned many acres along the Hillsborough River.

Spring Lake is home to a National Historical Site. The Spring Lake Community Center received this designation October 20, 2009. It is considered an excellent example of rubble stone masonry. The community center was built in 1939 with labor provided by the WPA (Works Progress Administration) as a joint venture of the Spring Lake Woman's Club and the Board of County Commissioners. The community center provided the nearby school with a much need library, lunchroom, and toilet facilities. It also served as a recreation facility and polling place for the community. The Spring Lake school was closed in 1967 and demolished in 1999.

Spring Lake became well known for citrus production. One of the details that persuaded the Czecho-Slovak immigrants to develop a farming community named Masaryktown in Hernando County was the nearby orange groves in Spring Lake.

According to Frank E. Mackle III who was a leader of the Deltona Corporation that developed Spring Hill, “During the planning process the working name for the community was Spring Lake (after the small town where Dad and the family summered)”. The nearby community of Spring Lake precluded them using the name of Spring Lake, so they settled on a new name, Spring Hill.

Spring Lake is home to several of Hernando County's best known destinations. Papa Joe's Italian restaurant draws local visitors as well as patrons from the surrounding counties. Boyett's Grove is a tourist attraction (Gift Shop and Zoo) that harkens back to a time before interstate highways when there were many unique roadside attractions vying for travelers to stop in. Boyett's Grove has a gift shop that carries their citrus, jams, and an eclectic mix of souvenirs and old Florida memorabilia.

The next time you are in the eastside of the county, stop by this small community with a long history. Boyett's Grove still sells local citrus and trees and the view from the top of the hill is amazing.

It has been 50 years since the founding of Spring Hill. Spring Hill's grand opening took place on April 30th, 1967. The president of the Deltona Corporation Frank L. Mackle Jr., presented the official dedication speech. He spoke about how he looked forward to the future of the development "with Excitement." According to Frank E. Mackle III around that time "Deltona Lakes and Marco Island were still in their early stages of development and sales and the main thrust of Deltona's land planners and land development team was on the new community of Spring Hill." Spring Hill was designed to appeal to retirees with its affordable prices.

The advertising of Spring Hill was innovative from using folksy salesman like Don McNeill to the annual chicken plucking contest, the marketing department was creative. The Deltona Corporation was growing rapidly. They grew to sixty nine franchise offices spread throughout the United States with branch offices in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Frankfurt Germany. In addition they had offices in Latin America, Western Europe and the Far East.

The Deltona Corp. was run by the Mackle Brothers: Frank Jr., Elliott, and Robert. The first plats of Spring Hill were approved by the Hernando County Board of County Commissioners on February 9, 1967 and consisted of 1,213 lots near Hunters Lake which ranged in size from several acres to 75’ x 100’. Waterlines were being installed and a couple miles of roads had been put in at that time. The roads were built with a “soil cement base,” covered by 1 inch of asphalt. The Sun-Journal reported that is type of road construction was the first of its kind in Hernando County, but was becoming more common throughout Florida. Elliott Mackle said that it would be hard to say, but they were hoping to develop at least 8 to 10 more plats. Within 10 years, Spring Hill would encompass 21,070 acres with 31,900 homesites in the master plan.

A year after Spring Hill opened, the Mackles were in the news again. This time it was for an unfortunate event. Barbara Mackle the daughter of Robert was kidnapped while attending Emory University. This was a high profile case involving hundreds of FBI agents. The first ransom drop of $500,000 was disrupted when a police car drove by and the kidnappers fled. The second ransom drop was successful and the kidnappers provided vague direction to the location where Barbara was held. Barbara was found alive after being buried in a fiberglass reinforced box for 84 hours in the hills in the outskirts of Atlanta.

The grand opening of Spring Hill was held by the Spring Hill waterfall. Cars were parked along Spring Hill Drive which was then called Spring Hill Boulevard. At the time, they predicted that Spring Hill would one day be home to 50,000 people. Today the area called Spring Hill enclosed by US 19 to the west, Suncoast Expressway to the east, County Line Road to the south and State Rd 50 to the north is home to over 100,000 people. Roughly 98,000 people were counted in the 2010 census.

According to the Sun Journal, the opening of Spring Hill was attended by between 15,000 and 20,000 people. An official count of 4,000 cars was made.

The Sun Journal distributed several thousand copies of a special Spring Hill Edition of their paper at the event. They wrote in an article on April 13th, 1967, “Tentative plans call for a press run of at least 25,000 copies of the newspaper, which no doubt will make it the biggest circulation weekly newspaper in the state, probably during all of 1967.” A Sun Journal spokesman said, “April 30th will be a big day for the Mackle brothers and for Hernando county.”

A few years before the Mackles opened Spring Hill, they displayed their Mackle built Florida home at the 1964-1965 World’s Fair in New York. Florida was well represented at the World’s Fair with a sizable exhibit, there was even a water ski show. The Mackles spent over $100,000 to build their home at the New York World's Fair, which they were selling for under $12,000 in Florida. The cost of building in New York was significantly higher.

Frank Mackle III stated that the "Sales of home sites at Spring Hill went at a record pace and the 28,500 platted lots were essentially sold out in three years." Over the next 50 years the area known as Spring Hill has grown into Hernando County's most populous census-designated area. Spring Hill holds more than half the residents in the county.

In the early days of Hernando county and Brooksville an important figure was John Cabell (J.C.) Burwell. J.C. Burwell was the editor and publisher of The Brooksville Star which he started in 1888. The Brooksville Star was a weekly paper which came out on Friday and was associated with the Democratic Party. It had a circulation of around 500 people.

J.C. Burwell was a representative to the state Democratic convention which met in Jacksonville during June 1900. After forty four ballots William Sherman Jennings of Brooksville was nominated as the Democratic candidate for governor. W.S. Jennings went on to win and become the 18th Governor of Florida.

Burwell was interested in technological advancements. He established the first electric power plant in Brooksville. In 1908, he furnished the city of Brookville with twenty electric lights to replace the gas lights that lit the town square. He also purchased one of the first cars in Hernando County. Burwell also ran the Brooksville Ice and Storage Company.

Mr. Burwell was an avid "autoist." In a photo taken in 1909, he posed with his daughter Sally in his car while daughter Grace and wife Lucy were on the porch of their Brooksville home on Olive Street. In the early 20th century, Mr. Burwell's name is seen throughout area newspapers in articles like the Evening Independent's "Tampa and St. Petersburg United by Automobiles." Burwell took part in "the good roads movement" in which fellow auto-ists drove in processions to various locations in order to record times and link nearby cities.

Mr. Burwell discovered pineapples grow well in Hernando county. He planted pineapples in his backyard and developed the irrigation system himself. There is a beautiful photo from 1899 of his daughter Sally standing in the pineapple garden at their house on Olive Street in downtown Brooksville.

Burwell was part of a group of prominent citizens who believed that the lack of a local bank was holding Hernando county back, and set out to create a bank in Brooksville, with the support of governor. This group included: Merchant J. A Jennings, Sheriff W. E. Law, Turpentine Operators L.B. Varn, G. W. Varn, and G. C. Varn, Aripeka Saw Mill president M. A. Amorous. This group obtained a charter and established Hernando State Bank in 1905.

Hernando State Bank did not remain the only bank for long. The Manufacturer's Record, A Weekly Southern Industrial, Railroad, and Financial Newspaper on July 18, 1907 reported that "The Brooksville Banking Co of Brooksville Fla has elected officers as follows J B Norman Jr. President, JC Burwell Vice President, CA Lock Cashier. The incorporators are JC Burwell, JW McIntosh, JB Norman Jr, PS Weeks, …" In 1910, the Brooksville Banking Company became the First National Bank of Brooksville.

In 1914, when the First Presbyterian Church in Brooksville needed a new home, William A. Fulton, L.D. Hathaway, J.C. Burwell, and William M. McKethan purchased a lot at the corner of Broad St. and Orange Ave. for construction of a new church.

J.C. Burwell and Lucy Whitfield Cobb were married December 7, 1892 in Brooksville. They had two daughters: Grace Elizabeth and Sally Cabell. Miss Grace Burwell, became state supervisor of home economics. J.C. and Lucy Burwell are buried in the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Tallahassee.

J.C. Burwell played an important role in the early development of Brooksville. He had a hand in a newspaper, two banks, an electric company, a church and was an early adopter of automobiles.

The Bradley massacre was an indian attack on a Capt. Robert Duke Bradley's homestead during the Third Seminole War. Two of Bradley's children were killed in the attack which happened in Hernando County on May 14, 1856. On June 2, 1887, Hernando county was split into three counties the site of the Bradley massacre was located in the new Pasco county. It is located about five miles south of Hernando county on Bellamy Brother's Road. There is a historical marker on the east side of the road just past Darby Road as you head south. The marker states that this was the "last such attack on a settler’s homestead east of the Mississippi."

In the months preceding the massacre at the Bradley homestead there had been a several indian attacks. On April 16, 1856 a farmer John Carney near present day Brandon was shot five times and killed. Mr. Carney had sent his family to Tampa for their safety because of recent the indian attacks, while he remained to prepare his fields for spring planting. He stayed at the house of John Vickers and when he failed to return one evening, Mr. Vickers looked for him and headed to Alafia and informed the militia. John Carney's body was found in his field on April 17.

Capt. Bradley had fought in the the second Seminole War for the Florida Foot Volunteers. The indian campaign took its toll on the health of Capt. Bradley, so he resigned his commission and attempted to heal. He was said to have hemorrhages of the lungs which he had treated by an army surgeon at Fort Brooke. He moved around before settling in the homestead located on the stage road from Brooksville to Tampa. It was known as the 26th mile house. Before the attack it was reported that moccasin tracks were frequently found around the Capt Bradley homestead.

The Palatka Democrat reported on May 22, 1856 on the attack, "Bradley’s family had returned from supper, and the children were in an open passage of the house, when Indians fired a volley which killed a little girl and mortally wounded a boy fifteen years old; he ran into the house, got a gun and returned to the passage to return the fire when he fell dead. The mother, Mrs. Bradley, ran out and carried her children into the house. The Indians shot at her without hurting her or any more of the children.

Capt. Bradley, who was prostrated on his bed with sickness, arose and returned a fire on the Indians with two or three guns which he had in his house, which caused them to withdraw."

Capt. Bradley is reported to have believed that there were at least fifteen indians in the attacking party. In some of the accounts of the attack, the Seminoles were led by Billy Bowlegs, in others accounts they were led by Billy Munday. According to an account in the Dade City Banner on August 4, 1922 by C. B. Taylor, "Mrs. Bradley always declared that the Indians were led by a white man and insisted that she heard him talking to the savages during the battle directing their movement."

The attack on the Bradley family greatly concerned the residents of Hernando county. A committee of concerned citizens from Spring Hill (Original Spring Hill community located near the intersection of Fort Dade and Citrus Way, unrelated to later Spring Hill development) sent a letter to Gen. J. Carter requesting "send to our relief a force sufficient to protect us from the cruel barbarities of this insidious foe, or, at least, to aid us in protecting our lives and property, provided you have the direction or control of such force, and, if not, that you exert your influence to obtain it from the officer commanding the troops in Florida; for we are fully persuaded, from the indications here and the reports from other places, that there are now more Indians on this side of the Hillsborough River than there are beyond it." The letter was signed by Postmaster W. T. Mayo, Frederick Lykes, and other prominent citizens. The letter was reprinted in an article in the June 3, 1956 edition of the Tampa Tribune. That article stated that the letter led to the creation of Fort Broome which was located two miles southeast of Dade City in Tuckertown.

The Third Seminole War ended in 1858, with many of the seminoles sent to an indian reservation in Oklahoma. A small group of Seminoles retreated further into the swamp and stayed in Florida. The area received a brief respite before being plunged into the trials and tribulations of the Civil War.

The Board of County Commissioners honored Billy E. Brown with a resolution on May 23, 2017.

Brown has worked for the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative, Inc. (WREC) since October 16, 1956. He started with WREC in the Line/Operations Department, earning $1.10-an-hour. He quickly advanced to supervisory positions in Warehousing, Member Services and Billing. He served as District Manager in Brooksville during the 60’s and has held the position of Executive Vice President and General Manager since 1973.

Before he became General Manager, Brown is credited with winning the Deltona contract to provide power for the Spring Hill development, beating out Florida Power. It is reported that while Florida Power’s rates were cheaper, Withlacoochee could build the lines quicker.

Brown’s vision in creating the for profit company URADCO, a real estate subsidiary of Withlacoochee Electric, is credited in helping to persuade Sam Walton to build the WalMart Distribution Center at One Hernando Industrial Park. WalMart purchased 200 acres from URADCO for $1.32 million and they opened the distribution center in 1992. URADCO built two industrial parks in the area: One Pasco Center and One Hernando Center.
Brown has been instrumental in a number of successful community programs during his tenure. He implemented a program that assists families affected by catastrophic events which has paid out $1.9 million to help 577 families since 1994.

Under Brown’s leadership, the WREC Educational Foundation has awarded students throughout the 5 county service area over 1640 scholarships worth $9.7 million.
Like WREC, Brown is from Dade City. His parents owned a restaurant near the courthouse called the Corner Lunch. He was a high school athlete and played semi-pro baseball for four years. He was drafted in the Korean War while on a farm team for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After serving in the Coast Guard, he came home to Dade City and started to work for the Withlacoochee Co-op.

He recalled, “When I started working at the co-op, we had just under 3000 meters.”

“Today we have 225,000, representing service to about a half a million people… Of course over the years I’ve had a lot of recognition nationally, but none of it means anything like when it comes from hometown folks and thank you for that,” said Brown.

He continued, “The cooperative’s roots are in Hernando County. We were one of the last co-ops in the country to get started because of the war and lack of materials. Our first member was turned on April 1, 1947 and that was the then Sheriff of Hernando county Neil Law.”

“Again I thank you for your consideration and recognition.”

Commissioners and business leaders thanked Brown for all that he has done for the area.

Cliff Manuel, President of Coastal Engineering stated, “When he says something, his word is his bond. You never have to go back and wonder what he meant.”

Something that is very important to those old enough to recall is when electric power service first became available. Historian Frasier Mountain illuminated the importance of this by speaking for a significant amount of time on when electrical service came to different areas of the county. This was literally a life altering experience for the the residents of the area and they remember when electricity first became available where they lived. For people too young to remember when power became available (which is most of us), think of what life is like when the power is out and imagine that is what everyday is like.

One of the first areas to get service was downtown Brooksville. The power would only be available for a few hours a day. The electricity was used to light houses and power a few street lights. Frasier Mountain stated that the remains of one of the earlier power plants is visible from Fort Dade Avenue in the winter when the trees lose their leaves.

William Camp was a member of the Camp family who owned several mines in Hernando County in the early 1900s. William was interested in electricity. In the 1880s, William had created a hydroelectric dam that provided electricity to Roanoke, Virginia. In 1909, William developed a second hydroelectric power plant on the Withlacoochee River in the Inglis area. Inglis is about 20 miles north of Hernando County. The electricity from this plant was used to power the Camp mines in Hernando County. The 3,400-acre Lake Rousseau was formed by the construction of the Inglis Dam which was used to power the hydroelectric plant. When William died in 1911 his children sold the Inglis plant for $1.5 million dollars to Florida Power Corporation. The hydroelectric dam ceased operation in 1965 due to environmental concerns.

Historian Roger Landers wrote, "In 1908, J.C. Burwell of Brooksville Ice and Storage Company furnishes the city with twenty electric lights." J. C. Burwell's plant used direct current, which caused a noticeable flicker in the lights. According to Alfred McKethan, "Lights were made available until 10:00 P.M. each night, but for special occasions and by special request, service could be extended to 11:00 P.M.”

J.C. Burwell operated his plant for several years before selling it to H. D. Evans. Evans succeeded in connecting the Brooksville plant with the power provided by the hydroelectric dam in Ingles. This required modernizing the Brooksville power plant and switching to alternating current. In 1925, Mr. Evans sold his plant and lighting system to Florida Power Corporation as they started to buy up the small independent operators.

Many of the older residents of Aripeka remember when power was brought to that area. The New Port Richey Press on Oct. 3, 1947 reported that electricity was brought to Aripeka as a Rural Electric Administration (REA) project. The REA provided federal loans for the development of electrical distribution systems to serve isolated rural areas of the United States. Aripeka was one of the last towns in the area to receive electrical service. Electric service in Aripeka is credited with helping the area grow.

Electricity is taken for granted. We only notice how much we rely on electricity when a storm passes and we lose power for several days. Suddenly sleeping is difficult, since we are not accustom to the heat at night. We cannot prepare food, since our stoves and ovens are electric. The food in the refrigerator won't keep as long since it is hard to regulate the temperature even if you add ice at regular intervals. Many of us are so dependent on electricity that we have generators for when the power fails.

The waterfall on US19 almost had a different name on it. Spring Hill was not the first choice of the developers. The original name of the development was Spring Lake after the twenty mostly spring fed lakes that were scattered throughout the development’s property.

Spring Hill was developed by the Deltona Corporation. The Deltona Corporation was the development company that was formed by the Mackle Brothers: Elliott, Robert and Frank Jr. They had developments started in Marco Island and Deltona Lakes at the time, but their main focus was Spring Hill.

According to Frank E. Mackle III the son of Frank Jr. they purchased 21,440 acres for $5 million “but - true to the Three Mackle Firsts - only 15,000 of it would be included in the master plan.” The Three Mackle Firsts: 1. A Coordinated Growth Plan, 2. Limited Size (No larger than 15,000 acres), 3. A Central Water System to Every Lot. The Mackle Brothers set the remainder aside for future development. “The area had a gentle roll to it reaching 130 feet in elevation at its highest point,” said Frank E. Mackle III.

They chose the area, because heading north from Clearwater there was a development gap. As they headed north there was Tarpon Springs and then very little development until you reached Weeki Wachee Springs. So the Deltona Corporation decided that this was a prime area for a development.

They created a master plan that contained all the facilities necessary for a town. The plan included seven schools, 23 churches, and 500 acres of property zoned for commercial-business. They even had two golf courses laid out.

Frank E. Mackle III remembers, “During the planning process the working name for the community was Spring Lake (after the small town where Dad and the family summered) until it was discovered that there already was a Spring Lake, Florida.”

Spring Lake was a nearby community with a church and community center, so the Deltona Corporation had to choose a different name. Spring Lake still exists on the eastern side of Hernando County. The Mackle Brothers chose the name of another smaller nearby community, called Spring Hill. Spring Hill was the name of the Lykes Brothers’ home and the community that grew up around it at the Corner of Citrus Way and Fort Dade Avenue. This is why there is a Spring Hill Cemetery in that area.

The Spring Hill name was on maps for many years, but that referred to the Lykes Brothers’ home. In the 1960s, the Deltona Corporation appropriated the name for their development after being denied the name Spring Lake, because of a nearby town that was already using that name.

On the eastern outskirts of Hernando County, a few miles east of 75, about a half mile south of 50, down a limerock road stands a small general store and post office whose history is connected to several early industries of Florida: timber, turpentine, the railroad and agricultural development. Proprietors Eric and Donna Burkes, who also operate a sign production business, rebuilt the structure in 2016 as a way to attract customers. The Burkes began the sign business in their home next door three years ago, following Eric’s retirement from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office.

The business quickly outgrew the space. They decided to expand to the rear of the historic general store and post office once owned and operated by Eric’s uncle, Sid Brinson. The portion of the building that they use for the sign business was once the living quarters for the storekeeper. It is complete with a working fireplace constructed from bricks reclaimed from the remains of a turpentine still on the property.

It had always been Eric’s goal to renovate and reopen the store. Eric’s father John Brinson owned the property before him. John Brinson purchased it from his uncle Sid Brinson who operated the Post Office and General Store from 1920 until 1936. Eric explained, “The goal is to step into a 1920’s working general store but at the same time try to preserve the history.” They hope to be able to begin operating the post office over the summer under The USPS Village Postal Program. Fortunately Eric’s father John Brinson was able to see the store fully restored and operational before he passed away.

Eric Burkes has also preserved the history through a book he authored, History of Richloam. In the book he explains that Sid Brinson came to Florida in 1913 from Georgia to work as the Superintendent for the Schroeder Lumber Company. The Schroeder Lumber Company purchased several thousands of acres in an area known as “Kalon” in the 1890’s.

The Schroeder Lumber Company would harvest the trees for timber and then construct homes on the land to market and sell to potential buyers from the Northeast. They renamed the area “Richloam” because it means rich soil and was more helpful in selling the area to potential land buyers. The Schroeder Lumber Company owned a lodge where they would put up guests interested in purchasing property. Here they even maintained a farm where they would display a variety of crops that could grow in the area.

In his book, Burkes details the railroad that ran through the area, the Orange Belt Railroad which connected Sanford to Saint Petersburg. He explains that potential buyers would travel down to Richloam on the railroad. In 1902, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad purchased the line and eventually established “a Train Depot and Express Office” at the Richloam Store. Farmers shipped out their crops from the depot. Perhaps a token of the railroad’s wide reach, while rebuilding the general store, the Burkes discovered a ticket inside the wall for the Chicago Zoological Park, which opened in July 1934. The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad aka “The Goat” ran through Richloam until 1967.

The Burkes found an assortment of other relics both in the walls and on the grounds of the Richloam Store including a hammer used in the 1928 re-construction of the store following a fire earlier that year. It is thought that the fire was started to cover up evidence of a robbery (a federal crime when a post office is involved).

Eric Burkes explained that the original 1928 metal structure of the Richloam general store remains, but the wood had been badly damaged by termites so he had to replace the majority of it. Before the renovation he said, “You could just about push the whole building down with your hands. It underwent a long drawn out process, but we’ve got it restored back to its original state.”

The store was originally called “Brinson and Boyett General Merchandise” as it was joint venture between Sid Brinson and Elbert “Son” H. Boyett. Boyett left the business sometime around 1929 as by 1930, Sid Brinson was the only name listed on the business license.

Along with the train depot, and the general store/post office, the property was also home to an ice house, a smokehouse and a turpentine still. The store served the people of Richloam and the surrounding areas, including the town of Slaughter and Clay Sink.

Sid Brinson closed the store and post office in 1936, the same year that Schroeder Land Company sold their last remaining 36,000 acres to the Federal Government for $3 an acre. The purchase was part of the US Land Resettlement Administration’s Withlacoochee Land Use Project. The goal of the US Land Resettlement Administration (RA) was to resettle "struggling urban and rural families to communities planned by the federal government." The RA was conceived by Rexford G. Tugwell, an advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Columbia University professor. FDR established the RA by Executive Order and placed Tugwell at it's head. The RA obtained the land for what was to become the Withlacoochee State Forest from private landowners between 1936 and 1939 under the provisions of the U.S. Land Resettlement Administration.

After closing the store, Sid Brinson left for Sarasota to work again for the Schroeder Land Company. The State of Florida purchased Richloam from the federal government in 1958 through a land-lease agreement for $6.2 million with payment made over 25 years.

The Richloam General Store, now open for business again, is a nod to the early industries that drove the development of the area. It’s also a great place to appreciate a slower pace of life and chat with locals on the front porch. They offer locally made goods and penny candy. If you’re a Hernando County history enthusiast, a copy of Burkes’ book, A History of Richloam, belongs on your shelf. You can purchase it at the Richloam Store.

They are located at 38215 Richloam Clay Sink Rd, Webster, FL 33597 and open Monday through Friday 8 am - 4pm.

The genesis of the Brooksville Army field now known as the Brooksville–Tampa Bay Regional Airport came during World War II. A multi-county committee representing the Hernando County Chamber of Commerce met with US Senator Claude Pepper asking for his help in convincing the Army Air Force to create an army base on the lands controlled by the Withlacoochee Forest land use development program. The committee was comprised of John Wallace who served as Project Manager for the creation of the Withlacoochee Forest for the Resettlement Administration, Sheriff Neil F. Law of Hernando County, Hernando County Businessman Alfred A. McKethan, Sheriff Bill Coleman of Sumter County, Citrus County Businessman Frank D. Sanders and Pasco County legislator George F. Dayton.

The idea to develop an airport in the Hernando County area was well received and Senator Pepper proved persuasive to the Air Force. Shortly after the trip, several Air Force officers came from Maxwell Field, Alabama to examine possible locations. They were shown several areas in the Withlacoochee Forest and one area near Masaryktown which was not part of the Withlacoochee Forest. The officers were impressed by the area near Masaryktown. The land was placed under emergency proceedings and construction of the airport proceeded quickly with it entering service in November 1942.

During World War II, the airfield started as a base for the 1st Bombardment Squadron which was equipped with the B-17 Flying Fortress. In the beginning of 1944, the 1st was transferred to Texas and they were replaced by the 5th, 99th and 430th. Those squadrons were then transferred to Texas leaving their planes behind at the airfield.

With the end of the war, the Air Force closed the facility. In 1945, it was transferred to civil hands and renamed the Hernando County Airport, which was in turn renamed the Brooksville-Tampa Bay Regional Airport in 2013.

The airport currently encompasses 2,498 acres and has two runways. On October 15, 2012, the airport opened an air traffic control tower, which was the first time it operated an air traffic control tower since World War II.

In 1943, the Army acquired 10,200 Acres for training aerial gunners. The location is south of Centralia Road (Co Rd 476), east of Melanie Ave. and west of Citrus Way. They built a moving target system in which a jeep with attached target above went around a track.

Soldiers in training fired .50 caliber machine guns at the target. Other training activities included jungle warfare, rifle firing practice, rifle grenades, bazookas, mortars and antitank guns. By November 1946, the Army disbanded the training grounds due to the end of WWII.

Some of the munitions may still be in this location and if you find a munition it is recommended to call 911.

According to historian Frasier Mountain, there was an army radar at Bayport in support of the airport. In addition to the radar, the army also used the area in survival training and built causeways between the islands.

There is also said to have been a radar on Pine Island in support of the navy. In Douglas Waitley's Best Backroads of Florida: Beaches and Hills he says, "Pine Island supported a beautiful stand of longleaf pines, but, during World War II, the trees were felled so as not to interfere with the anti-submarine radar station built here."

After the war, some of the surplused equipment was used to log throughout the county. The heavy pieces of equipment were used to drag trees out of remote areas in the county. There are also a number of Quonset huts some of which were surplused after World War II.

World War II greatly affected Florida and Hernando County. Many of the young men stationed in Florida never forgot the area and returned in later life. In fact a large part of the migration to Florida can be traced directly back to the people stationed there for World War II.

The community of Spring Lake can trace its origins back to the 1840s. It first appeared on maps around that time and slowly grew into a small community.

According to local historian Virginia Jackson, "The Spring Lake area was settled by Edward M. Harville and Captain John Townsend." Michael Garrison was another early arrival. He received a 160 acres via an Armed Occupation Act Land Permit and additional land for his military service. This land was located in the Spring Lake area. Michael sold his lands to the son-in-law of Henry Hope after Michael moved to the Tampa area. The Hope family is considered one of the founding families of Brooksville.

Alatha Frances Garrison was the wife of Henry Hope and is credited with donating the land that was used to for the Methodist Church and Cemetery. During the 1880s, School at Spring Lake was held in the Methodist Church, then in 1889 Frank Saxon donated an acre of land to be used for a schoolhouse. The schoolhouse had 3 rooms which were used for students from first through twelfth grade. This schoolhouse was torn down in 1919 and replaced with a larger school nearby.
Another early resident of Spring Lake was was Joseph Robles an immigrant from Spain. He married Mary Anne Garrison, a daughter of Michael Garrison, in 1841 and moved to Hernando County in 1845. The location of their land obtained through the Armed Occupation Act was in the Spring Lake area. After six years, Joseph moved to Tampa where he became an important figure. He originally received 80 acres of land in Tampa which is near the park named for him, Robles Park. He fought for the Confederacy with distinction and was a successful surveyor, farmer, and builder. He added to his original holdings until he owned many acres along the Hillsborough River.

Spring Lake is home to a National Historical Site. The Spring Lake Community Center received this designation October 20, 2009. It is considered an excellent example of rubble stone masonry. The community center was built in 1939 with labor provided by the WPA (Works Progress Administration) as a joint venture of the Spring Lake Woman's Club and the Board of County Commissioners. The community center provided the nearby school with a much need library, lunchroom, and toilet facilities. It also served as a recreation facility and polling place for the community. The Spring Lake school was closed in 1967 and demolished in 1999.

Spring Lake became well known for citrus production. One of the details that persuaded the Czecho-Slovak immigrants to develop a farming community named Masaryktown in Hernando County was the nearby orange groves in Spring Lake.

According to Frank E. Mackle III who was a leader of the Deltona Corporation that developed Spring Hill, “During the planning process the working name for the community was Spring Lake (after the small town where Dad and the family summered)”. The nearby community of Spring Lake precluded them using the name of Spring Lake, so they settled on a new name, Spring Hill.

Spring Lake is home to several of Hernando County's best known destinations. Papa Joe's Italian restaurant draws local visitors as well as patrons from the surrounding counties. Boyett's Grove is a tourist attraction (Gift Shop and Zoo) that harkens back to a time before interstate highways when there were many unique roadside attractions vying for travelers to stop in. Boyett's Grove has a gift shop that carries their citrus, jams, and an eclectic mix of souvenirs and old Florida memorabilia.

The next time you are in the eastside of the county, stop by this small community with a long history. Boyett's Grove still sells local citrus and trees and the view from the top of the hill is amazing.

It has been 50 years since the founding of Spring Hill. Spring Hill's grand opening took place on April 30th, 1967. The president of the Deltona Corporation Frank L. Mackle Jr., presented the official dedication speech. He spoke about how he looked forward to the future of the development "with Excitement." According to Frank E. Mackle III around that time "Deltona Lakes and Marco Island were still in their early stages of development and sales and the main thrust of Deltona's land planners and land development team was on the new community of Spring Hill." Spring Hill was designed to appeal to retirees with its affordable prices.

The advertising of Spring Hill was innovative from using folksy salesman like Don McNeill to the annual chicken plucking contest, the marketing department was creative. The Deltona Corporation was growing rapidly. They grew to sixty nine franchise offices spread throughout the United States with branch offices in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and Frankfurt Germany. In addition they had offices in Latin America, Western Europe and the Far East.

The Deltona Corp. was run by the Mackle Brothers: Frank Jr., Elliott, and Robert. The first plats of Spring Hill were approved by the Hernando County Board of County Commissioners on February 9, 1967 and consisted of 1,213 lots near Hunters Lake which ranged in size from several acres to 75’ x 100’. Waterlines were being installed and a couple miles of roads had been put in at that time. The roads were built with a “soil cement base,” covered by 1 inch of asphalt. The Sun-Journal reported that is type of road construction was the first of its kind in Hernando County, but was becoming more common throughout Florida. Elliott Mackle said that it would be hard to say, but they were hoping to develop at least 8 to 10 more plats. Within 10 years, Spring Hill would encompass 21,070 acres with 31,900 homesites in the master plan.

A year after Spring Hill opened, the Mackles were in the news again. This time it was for an unfortunate event. Barbara Mackle the daughter of Robert was kidnapped while attending Emory University. This was a high profile case involving hundreds of FBI agents. The first ransom drop of $500,000 was disrupted when a police car drove by and the kidnappers fled. The second ransom drop was successful and the kidnappers provided vague direction to the location where Barbara was held. Barbara was found alive after being buried in a fiberglass reinforced box for 84 hours in the hills in the outskirts of Atlanta.

The grand opening of Spring Hill was held by the Spring Hill waterfall. Cars were parked along Spring Hill Drive which was then called Spring Hill Boulevard. At the time, they predicted that Spring Hill would one day be home to 50,000 people. Today the area called Spring Hill enclosed by US 19 to the west, Suncoast Expressway to the east, County Line Road to the south and State Rd 50 to the north is home to over 100,000 people. Roughly 98,000 people were counted in the 2010 census.

According to the Sun Journal, the opening of Spring Hill was attended by between 15,000 and 20,000 people. An official count of 4,000 cars was made.

The Sun Journal distributed several thousand copies of a special Spring Hill Edition of their paper at the event. They wrote in an article on April 13th, 1967, “Tentative plans call for a press run of at least 25,000 copies of the newspaper, which no doubt will make it the biggest circulation weekly newspaper in the state, probably during all of 1967.” A Sun Journal spokesman said, “April 30th will be a big day for the Mackle brothers and for Hernando county.”

A few years before the Mackles opened Spring Hill, they displayed their Mackle built Florida home at the 1964-1965 World’s Fair in New York. Florida was well represented at the World’s Fair with a sizable exhibit, there was even a water ski show. The Mackles spent over $100,000 to build their home at the New York World's Fair, which they were selling for under $12,000 in Florida. The cost of building in New York was significantly higher.

Frank Mackle III stated that the "Sales of home sites at Spring Hill went at a record pace and the 28,500 platted lots were essentially sold out in three years." Over the next 50 years the area known as Spring Hill has grown into Hernando County's most populous census-designated area. Spring Hill holds more than half the residents in the county.

In the early days of Hernando county and Brooksville an important figure was John Cabell (J.C.) Burwell. J.C. Burwell was the editor and publisher of The Brooksville Star which he started in 1888. The Brooksville Star was a weekly paper which came out on Friday and was associated with the Democratic Party. It had a circulation of around 500 people.

J.C. Burwell was a representative to the state Democratic convention which met in Jacksonville during June 1900. After forty four ballots William Sherman Jennings of Brooksville was nominated as the Democratic candidate for governor. W.S. Jennings went on to win and become the 18th Governor of Florida.

Burwell was interested in technological advancements. He established the first electric power plant in Brooksville. In 1908, he furnished the city of Brookville with twenty electric lights to replace the gas lights that lit the town square. He also purchased one of the first cars in Hernando County. Burwell also ran the Brooksville Ice and Storage Company.

Mr. Burwell was an avid "autoist." In a photo taken in 1909, he posed with his daughter Sally in his car while daughter Grace and wife Lucy were on the porch of their Brooksville home on Olive Street. In the early 20th century, Mr. Burwell's name is seen throughout area newspapers in articles like the Evening Independent's "Tampa and St. Petersburg United by Automobiles." Burwell took part in "the good roads movement" in which fellow auto-ists drove in processions to various locations in order to record times and link nearby cities.

Mr. Burwell discovered pineapples grow well in Hernando county. He planted pineapples in his backyard and developed the irrigation system himself. There is a beautiful photo from 1899 of his daughter Sally standing in the pineapple garden at their house on Olive Street in downtown Brooksville.

Burwell was part of a group of prominent citizens who believed that the lack of a local bank was holding Hernando county back, and set out to create a bank in Brooksville, with the support of governor. This group included: Merchant J. A Jennings, Sheriff W. E. Law, Turpentine Operators L.B. Varn, G. W. Varn, and G. C. Varn, Aripeka Saw Mill president M. A. Amorous. This group obtained a charter and established Hernando State Bank in 1905.

Hernando State Bank did not remain the only bank for long. The Manufacturer's Record, A Weekly Southern Industrial, Railroad, and Financial Newspaper on July 18, 1907 reported that "The Brooksville Banking Co of Brooksville Fla has elected officers as follows J B Norman Jr. President, JC Burwell Vice President, CA Lock Cashier. The incorporators are JC Burwell, JW McIntosh, JB Norman Jr, PS Weeks, …" In 1910, the Brooksville Banking Company became the First National Bank of Brooksville.

In 1914, when the First Presbyterian Church in Brooksville needed a new home, William A. Fulton, L.D. Hathaway, J.C. Burwell, and William M. McKethan purchased a lot at the corner of Broad St. and Orange Ave. for construction of a new church.

J.C. Burwell and Lucy Whitfield Cobb were married December 7, 1892 in Brooksville. They had two daughters: Grace Elizabeth and Sally Cabell. Miss Grace Burwell, became state supervisor of home economics. J.C. and Lucy Burwell are buried in the First Presbyterian Church Cemetery in Tallahassee.

J.C. Burwell played an important role in the early development of Brooksville. He had a hand in a newspaper, two banks, an electric company, a church and was an early adopter of automobiles.

The Bradley massacre was an indian attack on a Capt. Robert Duke Bradley's homestead during the Third Seminole War. Two of Bradley's children were killed in the attack which happened in Hernando County on May 14, 1856. On June 2, 1887, Hernando county was split into three counties the site of the Bradley massacre was located in the new Pasco county. It is located about five miles south of Hernando county on Bellamy Brother's Road. There is a historical marker on the east side of the road just past Darby Road as you head south. The marker states that this was the "last such attack on a settler’s homestead east of the Mississippi."

In the months preceding the massacre at the Bradley homestead there had been a several indian attacks. On April 16, 1856 a farmer John Carney near present day Brandon was shot five times and killed. Mr. Carney had sent his family to Tampa for their safety because of recent the indian attacks, while he remained to prepare his fields for spring planting. He stayed at the house of John Vickers and when he failed to return one evening, Mr. Vickers looked for him and headed to Alafia and informed the militia. John Carney's body was found in his field on April 17.

Capt. Bradley had fought in the the second Seminole War for the Florida Foot Volunteers. The indian campaign took its toll on the health of Capt. Bradley, so he resigned his commission and attempted to heal. He was said to have hemorrhages of the lungs which he had treated by an army surgeon at Fort Brooke. He moved around before settling in the homestead located on the stage road from Brooksville to Tampa. It was known as the 26th mile house. Before the attack it was reported that moccasin tracks were frequently found around the Capt Bradley homestead.

The Palatka Democrat reported on May 22, 1856 on the attack, "Bradley’s family had returned from supper, and the children were in an open passage of the house, when Indians fired a volley which killed a little girl and mortally wounded a boy fifteen years old; he ran into the house, got a gun and returned to the passage to return the fire when he fell dead. The mother, Mrs. Bradley, ran out and carried her children into the house. The Indians shot at her without hurting her or any more of the children.

Capt. Bradley, who was prostrated on his bed with sickness, arose and returned a fire on the Indians with two or three guns which he had in his house, which caused them to withdraw."

Capt. Bradley is reported to have believed that there were at least fifteen indians in the attacking party. In some of the accounts of the attack, the Seminoles were led by Billy Bowlegs, in others accounts they were led by Billy Munday. According to an account in the Dade City Banner on August 4, 1922 by C. B. Taylor, "Mrs. Bradley always declared that the Indians were led by a white man and insisted that she heard him talking to the savages during the battle directing their movement."

The attack on the Bradley family greatly concerned the residents of Hernando county. A committee of concerned citizens from Spring Hill (Original Spring Hill community located near the intersection of Fort Dade and Citrus Way, unrelated to later Spring Hill development) sent a letter to Gen. J. Carter requesting "send to our relief a force sufficient to protect us from the cruel barbarities of this insidious foe, or, at least, to aid us in protecting our lives and property, provided you have the direction or control of such force, and, if not, that you exert your influence to obtain it from the officer commanding the troops in Florida; for we are fully persuaded, from the indications here and the reports from other places, that there are now more Indians on this side of the Hillsborough River than there are beyond it." The letter was signed by Postmaster W. T. Mayo, Frederick Lykes, and other prominent citizens. The letter was reprinted in an article in the June 3, 1956 edition of the Tampa Tribune. That article stated that the letter led to the creation of Fort Broome which was located two miles southeast of Dade City in Tuckertown.

The Third Seminole War ended in 1858, with many of the seminoles sent to an indian reservation in Oklahoma. A small group of Seminoles retreated further into the swamp and stayed in Florida. The area received a brief respite before being plunged into the trials and tribulations of the Civil War.

The Board of County Commissioners honored Billy E. Brown with a resolution on May 23, 2017.

Brown has worked for the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative, Inc. (WREC) since October 16, 1956. He started with WREC in the Line/Operations Department, earning $1.10-an-hour. He quickly advanced to supervisory positions in Warehousing, Member Services and Billing. He served as District Manager in Brooksville during the 60’s and has held the position of Executive Vice President and General Manager since 1973.

Before he became General Manager, Brown is credited with winning the Deltona contract to provide power for the Spring Hill development, beating out Florida Power. It is reported that while Florida Power’s rates were cheaper, Withlacoochee could build the lines quicker.

Brown’s vision in creating the for profit company URADCO, a real estate subsidiary of Withlacoochee Electric, is credited in helping to persuade Sam Walton to build the WalMart Distribution Center at One Hernando Industrial Park. WalMart purchased 200 acres from URADCO for $1.32 million and they opened the distribution center in 1992. URADCO built two industrial parks in the area: One Pasco Center and One Hernando Center.
Brown has been instrumental in a number of successful community programs during his tenure. He implemented a program that assists families affected by catastrophic events which has paid out $1.9 million to help 577 families since 1994.

Under Brown’s leadership, the WREC Educational Foundation has awarded students throughout the 5 county service area over 1640 scholarships worth $9.7 million.
Like WREC, Brown is from Dade City. His parents owned a restaurant near the courthouse called the Corner Lunch. He was a high school athlete and played semi-pro baseball for four years. He was drafted in the Korean War while on a farm team for the Pittsburgh Pirates. After serving in the Coast Guard, he came home to Dade City and started to work for the Withlacoochee Co-op.

He recalled, “When I started working at the co-op, we had just under 3000 meters.”

“Today we have 225,000, representing service to about a half a million people… Of course over the years I’ve had a lot of recognition nationally, but none of it means anything like when it comes from hometown folks and thank you for that,” said Brown.

He continued, “The cooperative’s roots are in Hernando County. We were one of the last co-ops in the country to get started because of the war and lack of materials. Our first member was turned on April 1, 1947 and that was the then Sheriff of Hernando county Neil Law.”

“Again I thank you for your consideration and recognition.”

Commissioners and business leaders thanked Brown for all that he has done for the area.

Cliff Manuel, President of Coastal Engineering stated, “When he says something, his word is his bond. You never have to go back and wonder what he meant.”

Something that is very important to those old enough to recall is when electric power service first became available. Historian Frasier Mountain illuminated the importance of this by speaking for a significant amount of time on when electrical service came to different areas of the county. This was literally a life altering experience for the the residents of the area and they remember when electricity first became available where they lived. For people too young to remember when power became available (which is most of us), think of what life is like when the power is out and imagine that is what everyday is like.

One of the first areas to get service was downtown Brooksville. The power would only be available for a few hours a day. The electricity was used to light houses and power a few street lights. Frasier Mountain stated that the remains of one of the earlier power plants is visible from Fort Dade Avenue in the winter when the trees lose their leaves.

William Camp was a member of the Camp family who owned several mines in Hernando County in the early 1900s. William was interested in electricity. In the 1880s, William had created a hydroelectric dam that provided electricity to Roanoke, Virginia. In 1909, William developed a second hydroelectric power plant on the Withlacoochee River in the Inglis area. Inglis is about 20 miles north of Hernando County. The electricity from this plant was used to power the Camp mines in Hernando County. The 3,400-acre Lake Rousseau was formed by the construction of the Inglis Dam which was used to power the hydroelectric plant. When William died in 1911 his children sold the Inglis plant for $1.5 million dollars to Florida Power Corporation. The hydroelectric dam ceased operation in 1965 due to environmental concerns.

Historian Roger Landers wrote, "In 1908, J.C. Burwell of Brooksville Ice and Storage Company furnishes the city with twenty electric lights." J. C. Burwell's plant used direct current, which caused a noticeable flicker in the lights. According to Alfred McKethan, "Lights were made available until 10:00 P.M. each night, but for special occasions and by special request, service could be extended to 11:00 P.M.”

J.C. Burwell operated his plant for several years before selling it to H. D. Evans. Evans succeeded in connecting the Brooksville plant with the power provided by the hydroelectric dam in Ingles. This required modernizing the Brooksville power plant and switching to alternating current. In 1925, Mr. Evans sold his plant and lighting system to Florida Power Corporation as they started to buy up the small independent operators.

Many of the older residents of Aripeka remember when power was brought to that area. The New Port Richey Press on Oct. 3, 1947 reported that electricity was brought to Aripeka as a Rural Electric Administration (REA) project. The REA provided federal loans for the development of electrical distribution systems to serve isolated rural areas of the United States. Aripeka was one of the last towns in the area to receive electrical service. Electric service in Aripeka is credited with helping the area grow.

Electricity is taken for granted. We only notice how much we rely on electricity when a storm passes and we lose power for several days. Suddenly sleeping is difficult, since we are not accustom to the heat at night. We cannot prepare food, since our stoves and ovens are electric. The food in the refrigerator won't keep as long since it is hard to regulate the temperature even if you add ice at regular intervals. Many of us are so dependent on electricity that we have generators for when the power fails.

Mr. Robert G. worked for Roland International which sold Ridge Manor Estates in the early 70s. He was recruited by Roland International right after he took the real estate license exam. They dined with potential recruits at the Governor’s Club in Fort Lauderdale and told them about the sales opportunities they offered. The headquarters for Roland International was in Miami near the corner of 79th Street and US 1.

“The industry was a lot of fun. I had three four hour shifts 5 days a week. The shifts were usually 10AM-2PM, 2PM-6PM and 7PM-10PM (for buyers out west),” said Robert.
Robert explained that excitement was the main tool used in sales calls.

“Before every shift there would be a meeting to get us all excited,” he said. There were teams for each shift. The team manager would conduct the 15 minute pep meeting prior to the shift.
A team consisted of 6 or 7 “phone freaks,” said Robert. Women in the front office conducted cold calls. These cold calls were actually leads that Roland International purchased from other developers like Deltona. If the women thought they had a potential buyer on the hook, they’d send in one of the salesmen. The salesman’s phone pitch was called “the front.” If a buyer indicated interest, they would mail out paperwork and information to them. A week later the salesman would call them back for what they called “the drive.” The drive was when they tried to close the sale.

“It was all about a story and all about excitement,” said Robert G. To sell Ridge Manor he explained that the story had to do with how close it was to the interstate and Tampa as well as the potential for growth.

The salesman would get $300 for selling a 1.25 acre parcel with 5 homesites for $4995. A buyer had to send in the first $50 downpayment to be considered sold. Robert said that 10 - 20% of buyers cancelled within a short period of time, and an amount was deducted from the salesman’s pay. There was also a lot of turnover, where buyers wouldn’t make payments and the property went back to Roland International.

After a successful sale a “loader” would call the buyer to sell them a larger parcel- usually over 10 acres. A loader was the heavy hitter salesman often with a lot of experience and talent.
In reaction to the swamp scandals of the 50’s and 60’s, where buyers were basically conned into purchasing swampland with no access, the state of Florida required developers to minimally provide road access and drainage for the properties they sold. That was the extent of infrastructure provided by Roland International.

Roland International, formed in 1969, then merged with a foreign for profit company under the same name in November 1971. They were active in Florida until 2004, when they failed to submit an annual report to the state.

Bimini's Isle is an island on the coast of Hernando County and has the perfect name. Named for one of the owners, Margaret Robins' nickname was Bimini and Bimini's Isle was actually made of two islands connected by a causeway. The word Bimini means "two islands" in Lucayan.

Raymond Robins and Margaret Dreier Robins main residence was a mansion on Chinsegut Hill, but when guests wanted to fish, go to the beach, or view the shore birds they headed to Bimini's Isle. Many leaders of business, science, and politics stayed with the Robins including Thomas Edison, Helen Keller, James Cash (J.C.), and the Russian Ambassador Alexander Troyanovsky. Their house was a popular stopping place for influential people on their visits to Florida.

The Evening Independent reported on Mary Dreier (Margaret's sister) and her companion Frances Kellor staying at Bimini while visiting the Robins. It is said that in ten days time Miss Kellor caught 147 fish, mainly redfish.

The fish was not the main attraction of Bimini's Isle. The Robins had dykes built to create a freshwater reservoir on the island to attract shorebirds. The dykes also became a popular nesting spot for birds.

This wide variety of birds at Bimini's Isle led to it being selected for the first meeting of the Hernando Audubon Society, a chapter of the Florida Audubon Society in June 1940. According to the June 28, 1940 edition of the Evening Independent which recorded the first meeting, "The island has been a bird sanctuary for years giving refuge to herons, seagulls, sandpipers and other shore birds, as well as mockingbirds, bluebirds, king fishers, thrashers, flycatchers, and woodpeckers. At feeding time flocks of 50 or more red-winged blackbirds descend onto the tables provided with grain."

Some of the prominent founding members of the Hernando Audubon Society were Chairman Miss Lisa Von Borowsky (personal secretary of the Robins), Secretary-Treasurer John J. Bell, Mrs. Jimmie Jennings, and Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Beville.

The Evening Independent on September 25, 1940 recounts another meeting of the Hernando Audubon Society at Bimini's Isle. The wildlife conservationist reported seeing a bald-eagle, marsh hens, a red winged blackbird, and many other birds.

Bimini's Isle is evidence of Hernando County's long history of conservation. At present around a third of the lands in the county are off the tax rolls with a majority of that being conservation lands.

On December 30, 1963, Wilbur "Pop" Good died in Brooksville at the age of 78. His passing received little attention at the time. Wilbur was a well known baseball player during his playing days. He played with the Chicago White Sox the year before some members of the team lost the World Series on purpose. This was the so called Black Sox players which was memorialized in the movie "Field of Dreams."

Wilbur was a former professional who played in the major leagues for 11 years. He was an outfielder for the New York Highlanders (1905), Cleveland Naps (1908–09), Boston Doves/Rustlers (1910–11), Chicago Cubs (1911–15), Philadelphia Phillies (1916) and Chicago White Sox (1918). During his playing years he was known as Wilbur “Lefty” Good.

He also appeared in 5 games as a pitcher with the New York Highlanders in 1905 with no wins and two losses, but he hit a .375 batting average. In 1906 and 1907, he was sent down to the minors and played as a pitcher for Akron where he had a respectable 12 wins and 6 losses in 1907. In 1908, he was moved to the outfield and hit an average of .370. He returned to the majors as an outfielder for the Cleveland Naps and played the rest of his professional career as an outfielder.

Wilbur was born in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania where he is definitely not the most famous resident- that honor goes to the groundhog Punxsutawney Phil. He stayed in Pennsylvania before going professional. The Beaver Times of Beaver, Pennsylvania describes his pitching for Beaver College in their March 30, 1904 issue "Wilbur Good, the new pitcher, who made a reputation at Leetsdale last year, showed up finely yesterday, and made every man fan wind when they tried to locate his curves."

Wilbur played for the Chicago White Sox in 1918. The next year the White Sox made it to the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. A gambler Arnold Rothstein paid several of the White Sox players to intentionally lose the series, earning them the name “Black Sox.” This was known as the "Black Sox Scandal." Rothstein was said to have paid pitcher Eddie Cicotte $10,000, "Shoeless" Joe Jackson $5,000 and others varying amounts. Although Jackson later recanted his testimony and professed his innocence until his death. In all, eight Chicago White Sox players and two other players were banned for life from baseball. The eight Chicago White Sox players were also tried in court and acquitted. Wilbur had played with these players and knew them well.

In addition to his major league career Wilbur spent many years in the minors. He played in the minors until the 1931 season. He then became a manager until 1949. He won four league championships, first with Kansas City Blues in 1923 winning the American Association. Then with the Johnstown Johnnies in 1930, he won the Mid-Atlantic League. After that, in 1941 he won the Florida State League with the Leesburg Anglers. Finally in 1948 he won the Georgia State League with Fitzgerald Pioneers. Managing is where Wilbur's nickname went from "Lefty" to "Pop."

Wilbur is buried in the Brooksville Cemetery. This area is home to a rich baseball tradition and for the past 100 years has been a destination for many baseball players like Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and has produced a number of professional players.

The 50th anniversary of the grand opening of Deltona Corp’s Spring Hill community was on April 30 of this year. The county and Hernando County Chamber of Commerce will be commemorating the anniversary on July 27th at The Lake House, which was once Spring Hill’s community center. It was here where early residents gathered for community picnics and celebrations.

Janet Moscatel Croft worked for Spring Hill Developer, Deltona Corp, beginning in 1975 under General Manager Roger Norton. Croft recalls the early days of Spring Hill and some of the people who were involved in it’s development and growth.

Croft quickly moved up the ladder with Deltona Corp. “I started working part time on weekends as a front receptionist then graduated to contract sales for the entire Spring Hill development. From there I became the secretary to the first General Sales Manager, Harold Zopp. The library on Spring Hill Drive is named after him. The last position I held was in the warranty department of new homes, giving me that extra one year until the last home was out of warranty. The Administration Building closed its doors so the warranty department was moved into the [real estate] office of McGeehan and Sons,” she explained.

Croft worked alongside her sister Elaine McGeehan. The sister act was well known. Croft said, “Many of the northern agents knew about us as the sisters working together. We were able to meet people from all parts of the country and from around the world.” According to a Tribune article on Spring Hill’s 25th Anniversary, Deltona Corp maintained a sales staff of 150 to sell the Spring Hill community.

Croft’s sister Elaine was married to Connell McGeehan. Connell is the son of Margaret and Hugh McGeehan. Hugh was one of the first salesmen for Deltona Corp. He and his wife eventually opened the first real estate office in Spring Hill. Hugh McGeehan was appointed as one of the first Hernando County Commissioners representing Spring Hill.

Hugh McGeehan, who passed away in 2002, was considered a pillar of the community. He played a founding role in St. Theresa Catholic Church, was on the board of Lykes Health System and assisted in finding a location for Spring Hill Regional Hospital. He was a board member at Pasco-Hernando Community College and St. Leo University. For almost 20 years, he served as a trustee for the Withlacoochee River Electric Cooperative which grew from around 50,000 to more than 175,000 customers in that time period.

Croft was friendly with Deltona salesperson Betty Olsen Germaine who passed away in March at the age of 94. “She knew a lot of Spring Hill history,” said Croft. “Betty's husband Marty Olsen was also one of the beginning salesman. After Marty passed away, Betty remarried (Richard Germaine) and eventually opened The Realty Shoppe in the original Deltona Administration Building at the entrance of Spring Hill,” Croft stated.

Betty and her first husband Martin became involved in Deltona Corp in 1967 when they opened a franchise of the Deltona Corporation in Fort Wayne, Indiana. They moved to Marco Island, another Deltona community where the couple was involved with early development there. Following Deltona Corp, they landed in Spring Hill in 1974.
“The ladies who worked at the Ad Building,” said Croft would often lunch at the Spring Hill Country Club, which happened to be the only restaurant around in the beginning. At the time it was a 9 hole course and later became an 18 hole course.

Describing Spring Hill, Croft said, “Spring Hill was a close knit community.”

She continued, “We all gathered at the Community Center (now The Lake House) for picnics.” She said that residents also gathered at the Community Center for church services, first provided by St. Teresa. Eventually, different denominations shared the community center.

“The Little Red School House was our little library and craft center,” said Croft. The Little Red School House is still one of the gems of Spring Hill. Today it functions as a cozy used bookstore that generates funds for the Hernando County Library system.

Croft recalled some of the community’s main events.

“The Chicken Plunking Contest became well known throughout the country. One year Soupy Sales came as a guest...later on it was moved down to the Veterans Building on Spring Hill Drive. The big winter event was the Christmas Parade in the beginning of December...everyone, I mean everyone attended.”

She recalls that the community had only one doctor. “His name was Dr. David McGrew. He was still in the Navy so he would come up one or two days a week. His office was located in the 7-11 strip mall.” The closest doctor otherwise was in New Port Richey, Croft explained.

In terms of shopping, Croft stated, “The larger strip mall consisted of Winn Dixie at one end and Webb Drug Store at the other. The drug store had a lunch counter. It later became Eckerd Drug Store.”

West Side Elementary was the first school in Spring Hill. Croft explained, “The older children attended Hernando High until Springstead High was built years later.” Croft said that when Springstead was first built, it was “in the middle of nowhere.” Her son was one of the first graduates in 1982.

For the 1960’s, Deltona Corp did quite a lot of land use planning. They created a master plan which indicated areas for future growth as well as categorized areas for specific land uses. The original master plan only included 15,000 acres, it had seven school sites, 23 church sites, 500 acres of commercial property, and 2 golf courses. This level of land use planning was uncommon at the time.

“I hope the residents of Spring Hill get to know the history of their town. The years go by too quickly,” said Croft.

On the bank of the Withlacoochee River a little north of the I-75 overpass on Croom-Rital Road are the remains of a town. The town was originally known as Pemberton Ferry but was later renamed Croom when the railroad was built across the river. The area where the town was located is now part of the more than 20,000 acre Croom Tract of the Withlacoochee State Forest.

A pillar from an old iron railroad bridge, some foundations, the Thomas House, a brick vat, and several small cemeteries is what is said to remain of the town. You can reach the ghost town with a hike from either Hog Island or the Silver Lake Recreation Area.

In 1884 Pemberton Ferry was added as a stop on the Florida Southern Railroad, which was formerly the Gainesville Ocala Charlotte Harbor Railway. Brooksville was not chosen as a stop for the railroad, but local residents managed to raise $20,000 via bonds for a branch track. The Florida southern railroad built the branch to Brooksville and by 1885 trains were traveling from Pemberton Ferry to Brooksville. The historic Train Depot in downtown Brooksville was built as part of this project and finished in 1885.
The railroad continued to build south with Henry Plant's South Florida Railroad laying the track from Pemberton Ferry to Lakeland and Bartow. Plant also built the final leg from Bartow to Arcadia and Trabue (renamed Punta Gorda). Colonel Isaac Trabue provided the railroad land for right of way. A 4,200 foot dock was constructed into Charlotte Harbor allowing the train to meet the steamboats.

Several small steamers traveled along the the Withlacoochee River between Pemberton Ferry and Lake Panasoffkee. A river improvement project was undertaken in order for the steamers to be able to navigate the river. It was once badly obstructed, so it could not be used for transporting vessels. These obstructions were limestone ledges, downed trees, sandbars, and tree branches. The river improvement project’s goal was to allow vessels that drew up to two feet of water to navigate the river for half the year. The project was successful and by 1891 there were several small steamers that traveled between Pemberton Ferry and Lake Panasoffkee.

The town of Croom had lost a portion of its population with the start of World War I. Phosphate mining was a major industry and the main consumer of phosphates was Germany. The war stopped trade with Germany. Many of the former phosphate miners had to move to find new work. There are reports of flu decimating the town. Then the area was hit again by the great depression as more people moved to to find work. The final nail in coffin of Croom was Franklin Delano Roosevelt's US Land Resettlement Administration (RA) of the New Deal, whose goal was to resettle "struggling urban and rural families to communities planned by the federal government.” The RA decided to turn the area into a national forest, so they resettled the people who were still living in Croom and other nearby towns. Eventually, the land was turned over to the state of Florida via lease-purchase agreement in 1958 and that is why it is now the Withlacoochee State Forest.

Hiking the area which was once Pemberton Ferry is a nice way to explore some local history.