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Recollections of William Hope, early Hernando County settler

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Residence of Samuel Hope on the Anclote River - Pinellas County, Florida. On right are Mr. & Mrs. William Hope?  Samuel E. Hope and Mary Hope. Children are May, Edward, James and Ella.

Editor’s Note: William Hope lived from 1808 to 1898. He was an early settler of Hernando County and the postmaster of the post office established in Melendez (one of the towns that became Brooksville). The Hope family is considered one of the founding families of Brooksville. In January 9, 1891, William gave an interview about his life to W. F. Stovall, editor and publisher of the Polk City News.

This article is provided courtesy of Robert Martinez, Old Brooksville In Photos & Stories.

I will be 83 years old next February. Fifty-seven years ago (1834) I ate dinner in Jacksonville. I was on my way from Liberty County, Georgia to Newnansville in Alachua County in this state, then a territory. I was camped on the back of what was called Brandy Creek on the outskirts of Jacksonville. What is now the largest city in the state was then a small village on the banks of St. Johns. It had no tavern that amounted to anything, no railroads, no steamboats, well nothing just a little place. I might have done better for myself by purchasing property and remaining there for land was of little value, but I was a farmer and looking for a farming country. Since then I have had an interesting life on the frontier. Always an advocate of progress, I was the first white inhabitant of what is now Hernando County.

When I arrived in Newnansville, the United States Court was in session. There I met a group of noble pioneers, men who won an honorable place in the history of Florida. Together we fought Indians, entered the wilds of the peninsula, leveled the forests, and opened the fairest state in the Union to our children and to others following them from other states. Of all the fearless band then assembled at Newnansville, only two are left - Thomas C. Ellis of Gainesville and myself. There is no better man in the state than Tom Ellis. I have known him for 57 years and have never known him to do anything of which he need be ashamed.

C. F. Jenkins followed us into this country. He was as true as steel and is still living in Homosassa. I settled at a place near Paine’s Prairie and lived there until the Indian War broke out. We erected forts as places of refuge for our women and children, and then men went on the warpath. Those were times that tested men.

It was during the 1855-56 war (Indian War) that I came to Choctahatchee Prairie where I now live. Three other families came with me. We were the first white people in this country. At the time it was part of Alachua County which then extended from its present northern boundary at the Hillsborough River. Not many legal papers were served here then. D. I. Yulee was our lawyer, and a queer one he was, but very persistent. And what he couldn’t gain by knowledge, he gained by perseverance. If Yulee had lived and remained in Congress, he would have had our Indian War claims paid long ago. I don’t know what the matter is with Call. He is one of us and knows what we went through. We depend on him and still hope he will get our claims paid. But I have lived without the $10,000 due me for 30 years and can continue.

The county seat of Alachua County was Newnansville. It is hard to realize how large the county was. The site of the present city of Gainesville was a wilderness in which wild game abounded with little fear of molestation. There was fine grazing on the prairie, and not only wild game, but fat cattle and hogs ranged there in all that great area - from where Gainesville now stands to Tampa Bay. There wasn’t a house in Gainesville. Ocala, Micanopy, Leesburg, Sumterville and Brooksville are all of a recent date, and the large population now inhabiting that area that I had ridden over had nothing to attract my attention but wild game and even wilder savages. I would have remained on the place I had settled on the prairie if I could have secured titles, but it was embraced in the Arredondo (Spanish) grant, which had not been passed on by the courts. So I pushed on and it was a good move. I got good title to 4,000 acres of fine land, and in its sand I will be laid to final rest. I say it was a good move for in Alachua, the orange is not a success, while here without fertilizing I have raised the grove which now supports me with greater ease than the 200 slaves I once owned.

The fertility of our lands were soon noised abroad, and this part of the county was settled with first-class people from Georgia and South Carolina, men with positions and standing were recognized. Their descendants are here yet, and they stand the peers of any of the recent importations. We erected mills and built churches and school houses. Ministers and teachers came. One of the first preachers we had was the venerable editor of the Palatka Herald, who was a Methodist circuit rider, and we were all glad to see him once a month. Brother Pratt was a jovial fellow and carried the Gospel to our firesides as a pleasant message and not an anathema from the throne of an avenging God.

Among the good men I remember who vied with each other in advancing civilization were Capt. James McKay, W. F. Mayo, Judge James Geittis and O. B. Hart of Tampa, P. G. Wall, Fred E. Lykes, W. F. Mayo, and others of Hernando County. Our expectations were fully realized as to the fertility of the soil. It yielded abundantly, and we were happy and contented. Hon. Thomas P. King of Gainesville was the judge of our circuit court, for at that time we had been admitted as a state.

Those good men have passed away except for P. G. Wall and Judge King. Our old judge was good enough for us. His legs though were the smallest I ever saw, always got there and never ran away. And although the recent importations keep others on the bench, we were always satisfied when Judge King passed upon our differences, for we tried him and knew what he is made of. But a large part of our recent immigration left their country for their country’s good, and it is justice that they don’t want. They think we old fellows and our children are fools by the side of them, but we old fellows know all about each other and each other’s needs. A new order of things is on hand now. Our Negroes were freed and we were left to scuffle. We were equal to the emergency. Our lands were fertile and soon brought the fine orange groves into bearing, and I guess we have got a chapter that will run smoother.

You must excuse me. I am not as spry as I used to be. I must go and see about my sheep on the prairie. The eagles are trying to eat all my lambs, and it keeps me busy to drive them off. And besides, I can’t shoot a rifle as good as I could when I was young, although I killed two eagles the other day. Hope I will see you again next Christmas.


How Spring Hill has grown since 1967

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Deltona Corp Marketing  Materials provided by Patricia McNeese, Hernando County Planning Dept.

Spring Hill was part of a push to provide affordable housing to the masses. The Deltona Corporation developed a number of communities that provided low cost housing throughout the state of Florida including Key Biscayne, Marco Island, and the Deltona community. The Deltona Corporation was run by the Mackle Brothers who were well known real estate developers.

Spring Hill’s original birthday was held at the waterfall. Thousands attended the grand opening on April 30, 1967. The representatives of Deltona, the three Mackle Brothers: Frank Jr., Elliot and Robert cut the ribbon. On the three flag poles at the waterfall, the flags of the United States, Florida, and the Mackle Brothers were raised.
The original Spring Hill master plan had significant detail. In a time where many development consisted solely of the minimum detail, which was roads, drainage, and lots, the Spring Hill master plan contained plans for a community. The original master plan 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.

The original property used for the development had twenty (mostly spring fed) lakes throughout the property. This area has clean clear water as it is feed by the same source as Weeki Wachee Springs.


Spring Hill Drive and Commercial Way April 25, 1967 courtesy of Janet Croft

The working name of the development was Spring Lake, but as that was an active nearby town, the name of Spring Hill was chosen. Spring Hill was the name of the town that grew up around the Lykes home at the corner of Citrus Way and Fort Dade Avenue. By 1967, the town of Spring Hill was mostly historical, the Lykes Home still stands as do several cemeteries.

The original development had 28,500 platted lots which were “essentially sold out in three years” according to Frank E. Mackle III. Many of these lots we not built on until later.
The development of Spring Hill was never incorporated, so it does not have well defined borders. There is a census-designated place (CDP) that is used to monitor Spring Hill’s growth. In 2010 the census listed the population of the Spring Hill area as 98,621 people, this marked 43% growth from the 2000 census. In 1980, the census listed the population of Spring Hill as 6,468 residents.


Spring Hill Drive and Commercial Way, Google Earth

Spring Hill is noteworthy for its growth. It now contains more than half of the county’s population and many of the businesses. Just over 50 years ago Spring Hill was an idea and since then has grown by leaps and bounds.

The Hernando Sun has extensively covered Spring Hill’s 50th Anniversary. Check out our articles on Spring Hill’s founding and birthdays on our website https://hernandosun.com/.

Richloam General Store aims for designation on the National Register of Historic Places

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The Board of County Commissioners received a letter from Ruben A. Acosta, Florida Department of State, Bureau of Historic Preservation, informing the county of the Richloam General Store’s nomination for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

The nomination proposal will be in front of a review board on Thurs. Aug. 10. If the board finds that the property meets the criteria, then a formal nomination will be submitted to the Keeper of the National Register in Washington D.C. for a final decision.

The owners of the Richloam General Store, Eric and Donna Burkes, recently made major restorations to the building. It once again functions as a general store for the Richloam community. 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.

The assassination of Judge William Center: one of many murders after reconstruction

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Oldest portion of the current county courthouse, built in 1913 by J.F. Jenkins and Company

County Judge William Center was assassinated outside his home in Brooksville on June 4, 1879 in the early morning. According to his family and newspaper accounts at the time, Judge William Center was about to reveal who had set fire to the Hernando County Courthouse in 1877 when he was assassinated.

By noon on June 4, 1879, Center’s murder started showing up in newspaper accounts state wide, which was impressive, because Brooksville did not have the telegraph at that time. It usually took news several days to propagate. His murder was reported that day as far away as in Savannah in the Savannah Morning News.

The Hernando County Commission had offered a reward of $2,000 for information leading to the conviction of the person/people responsible for the courthouse fire. No one was ever convicted of the crime.

County Judge William Center was the secretary for the First United Methodist Church at the time of his assassination. Recently, the current secretary stumbled upon this fact and jokingly wondered how dangerous the church secretary job actually is.

Roger Landers a local historian recounted a story involving Judge Center.

“On Sunday, May 6, 1877, Arthur St. Clair performed the marriage of a mixed-race couple in Brooksville -- David James, who was black, and Lizzy Day, who was white. The marriage led to a public outcry.

“The following evening, the couple was visited by several prominent residents: Frank Saxon, James Rhodes, County Judge William Center and R.M. McIntosh. Their purpose was to advise the newlyweds of the possibility of danger. A firearm was discharged, resulting in a gunfight that left a number of men wounded, including James.

“The judge, Center, visited the couple again the next day, and assured them that the visit of the previous evening had been strictly out of concern for their safety. Center also told them that they would be safe until James’ wounds healed and they could leave town. They moved to Tampa.”

Arthur St. Clair was a major figure in reconstruction politics (when Florida was under the military control following the Civil War). Many of the people who were involved in the Confederacy were banned from holding office during this time. St. Clair held a number of offices including “voter registrar, deputy sheriff, county commissioner, captain in the state militia, delegate to the 1876 Republican state convention and three-time Republican nominee for the State House.”

St. Clair was murdered on June 26, 1877, when he was returning from a political meeting for his fourth run for the State House at Dade City (Fort Dade), when a group of men confronted him. St. Clair was shot and killed. This drew men living nearby and one of them, Henry Lloyd was also shot and killed.

Much of what we know about the 1870s in Hernando county comes from the pages of the Sunland Tribune Newspaper. The Sunland Tribune Newspaper from the 1870s has been scanned by the University of Florida and is available online. Sunland Tribune was the predecessor of the Tampa Tribune.

In August and September 1877 there were several articles in the Sunland Tribune with accounts of Mary Turner, a black woman who was reportedly with Rev. Sinclair on the night he was killed.

She said the murder of Sinclair occurred at “about 10 p.m. and through the moonlight she saw a crowd of about 20 men on horseback and armed. After they were surrounded by these men, Sinclair recognized several of them and called them by name. The men then covered their faces with their hats. Sinclair was shot, in the confusion that followed, and Mary Turner escaped.”

When asked if she had been at the coroner’s inquest,she replied that “she had and knew several of the men on the jury as being involved with the shooting.” She lived in Brooksville and would have known the men she accused. Mary Turner alleged that “Mr. Saxon, Mr. Rhodes, Mr. Center, Mr. Hennes, Mr. O’Berry, William and Robert Nicks were all involved. She claimed that George Cross had shot Sinclair.”

In July and August 1877 there were several large meetings and several resolutions passed regarding the incident. The first resolution “condemned the crime and called for diligent efforts to bring the assassins to justice.” The next resolution condemned the Ocala Star Banner and Sunland Tribune for printing fake news about the events.
On September 29, 1877, around 1am the Hernando County courthouse is destroyed by arson. The Sunland Tribune reports that all the county records were destroyed. On May 10, 1879, the Sunland Tribune reports that again around 1am another fire is set in the building which stored the records since the courthouse burned. This time some of the records were saved.

The county had enough of these shenanigans and the Sunland Tribune reports “the county commissioners have offered $1,000 reward for the perpetrators and $1,000 reward for evidence that will convict the parties of burning the court house.” This was the reward that it was said that Judge William Center was set to collect when he revealed the names of perpetrators and the evidence he had collected. Only he was killed between his house and the city where he was to reveal who had burned the courthouse.

Judge Center’s murder along with the other events led to calls to clean up the lawlessness in Hernando county. His murder was never solved.

During these years of upheaval following the Civil War and Reconstruction there were many murders. Even though the population was a few thousand there were dozens of murders over a few years in the surrounding area.

Wilbur 'Pop' Good: a piece of baseball history from Brooksville

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Wilbur Goode, 1911; Source: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. Benjamin K.  Edwards Baseball Card Collection. By American  Tobacco Company

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.

Early days of Spring Hill

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Spring Hill Drive and 19 April 25, 1967 submitted by Janet Croft

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.


The Spring Hill Community Center, now the Lake House.  Photo courtesy of Janet Croft.

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.


Deltona Corp Master Land Use Plan of Spring Hill

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.

Pemberton Ferry: ghost town on the Withlacoochee

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Pillar from iron railroad bridge that remains in the river where the town of Croom /Pemberton Ferry was located; photo by Alice Mary Herden

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.

Recollections of William Hope, early Hernando County settler

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Residence of Samuel Hope on the Anclote River - Pinellas County, Florida. On right are Mr. & Mrs. William Hope?  Samuel E. Hope and Mary Hope. Children are May, Edward, James and Ella.

Editor’s Note: William Hope lived from 1808 to 1898. He was an early settler of Hernando County and the postmaster of the post office established in Melendez (one of the towns that became Brooksville). The Hope family is considered one of the founding families of Brooksville. In January 9, 1891, William gave an interview about his life to W. F. Stovall, editor and publisher of the Polk City News.

This article is provided courtesy of Robert Martinez, Old Brooksville In Photos & Stories.

I will be 83 years old next February. Fifty-seven years ago (1834) I ate dinner in Jacksonville. I was on my way from Liberty County, Georgia to Newnansville in Alachua County in this state, then a territory. I was camped on the back of what was called Brandy Creek on the outskirts of Jacksonville. What is now the largest city in the state was then a small village on the banks of St. Johns. It had no tavern that amounted to anything, no railroads, no steamboats, well nothing just a little place. I might have done better for myself by purchasing property and remaining there for land was of little value, but I was a farmer and looking for a farming country. Since then I have had an interesting life on the frontier. Always an advocate of progress, I was the first white inhabitant of what is now Hernando County.

When I arrived in Newnansville, the United States Court was in session. There I met a group of noble pioneers, men who won an honorable place in the history of Florida. Together we fought Indians, entered the wilds of the peninsula, leveled the forests, and opened the fairest state in the Union to our children and to others following them from other states. Of all the fearless band then assembled at Newnansville, only two are left - Thomas C. Ellis of Gainesville and myself. There is no better man in the state than Tom Ellis. I have known him for 57 years and have never known him to do anything of which he need be ashamed.

C. F. Jenkins followed us into this country. He was as true as steel and is still living in Homosassa. I settled at a place near Paine’s Prairie and lived there until the Indian War broke out. We erected forts as places of refuge for our women and children, and then men went on the warpath. Those were times that tested men.

It was during the 1855-56 war (Indian War) that I came to Choctahatchee Prairie where I now live. Three other families came with me. We were the first white people in this country. At the time it was part of Alachua County which then extended from its present northern boundary at the Hillsborough River. Not many legal papers were served here then. D. I. Yulee was our lawyer, and a queer one he was, but very persistent. And what he couldn’t gain by knowledge, he gained by perseverance. If Yulee had lived and remained in Congress, he would have had our Indian War claims paid long ago. I don’t know what the matter is with Call. He is one of us and knows what we went through. We depend on him and still hope he will get our claims paid. But I have lived without the $10,000 due me for 30 years and can continue.

The county seat of Alachua County was Newnansville. It is hard to realize how large the county was. The site of the present city of Gainesville was a wilderness in which wild game abounded with little fear of molestation. There was fine grazing on the prairie, and not only wild game, but fat cattle and hogs ranged there in all that great area - from where Gainesville now stands to Tampa Bay. There wasn’t a house in Gainesville. Ocala, Micanopy, Leesburg, Sumterville and Brooksville are all of a recent date, and the large population now inhabiting that area that I had ridden over had nothing to attract my attention but wild game and even wilder savages. I would have remained on the place I had settled on the prairie if I could have secured titles, but it was embraced in the Arredondo (Spanish) grant, which had not been passed on by the courts. So I pushed on and it was a good move. I got good title to 4,000 acres of fine land, and in its sand I will be laid to final rest. I say it was a good move for in Alachua, the orange is not a success, while here without fertilizing I have raised the grove which now supports me with greater ease than the 200 slaves I once owned.

The fertility of our lands were soon noised abroad, and this part of the county was settled with first-class people from Georgia and South Carolina, men with positions and standing were recognized. Their descendants are here yet, and they stand the peers of any of the recent importations. We erected mills and built churches and school houses. Ministers and teachers came. One of the first preachers we had was the venerable editor of the Palatka Herald, who was a Methodist circuit rider, and we were all glad to see him once a month. Brother Pratt was a jovial fellow and carried the Gospel to our firesides as a pleasant message and not an anathema from the throne of an avenging God.

Among the good men I remember who vied with each other in advancing civilization were Capt. James McKay, W. F. Mayo, Judge James Geittis and O. B. Hart of Tampa, P. G. Wall, Fred E. Lykes, W. F. Mayo, and others of Hernando County. Our expectations were fully realized as to the fertility of the soil. It yielded abundantly, and we were happy and contented. Hon. Thomas P. King of Gainesville was the judge of our circuit court, for at that time we had been admitted as a state.

Those good men have passed away except for P. G. Wall and Judge King. Our old judge was good enough for us. His legs though were the smallest I ever saw, always got there and never ran away. And although the recent importations keep others on the bench, we were always satisfied when Judge King passed upon our differences, for we tried him and knew what he is made of. But a large part of our recent immigration left their country for their country’s good, and it is justice that they don’t want. They think we old fellows and our children are fools by the side of them, but we old fellows know all about each other and each other’s needs. A new order of things is on hand now. Our Negroes were freed and we were left to scuffle. We were equal to the emergency. Our lands were fertile and soon brought the fine orange groves into bearing, and I guess we have got a chapter that will run smoother.

You must excuse me. I am not as spry as I used to be. I must go and see about my sheep on the prairie. The eagles are trying to eat all my lambs, and it keeps me busy to drive them off. And besides, I can’t shoot a rifle as good as I could when I was young, although I killed two eagles the other day. Hope I will see you again next Christmas.


How Spring Hill has grown since 1967

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Deltona Corp Marketing  Materials provided by Patricia McNeese, Hernando County Planning Dept.

Spring Hill was part of a push to provide affordable housing to the masses. The Deltona Corporation developed a number of communities that provided low cost housing throughout the state of Florida including Key Biscayne, Marco Island, and the Deltona community. The Deltona Corporation was run by the Mackle Brothers who were well known real estate developers.

Spring Hill’s original birthday was held at the waterfall. Thousands attended the grand opening on April 30, 1967. The representatives of Deltona, the three Mackle Brothers: Frank Jr., Elliot and Robert cut the ribbon. On the three flag poles at the waterfall, the flags of the United States, Florida, and the Mackle Brothers were raised.
The original Spring Hill master plan had significant detail. In a time where many development consisted solely of the minimum detail, which was roads, drainage, and lots, the Spring Hill master plan contained plans for a community. The original master plan 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.

The original property used for the development had twenty (mostly spring fed) lakes throughout the property. This area has clean clear water as it is feed by the same source as Weeki Wachee Springs.


Spring Hill Drive and Commercial Way April 25, 1967 courtesy of Janet Croft

The working name of the development was Spring Lake, but as that was an active nearby town, the name of Spring Hill was chosen. Spring Hill was the name of the town that grew up around the Lykes home at the corner of Citrus Way and Fort Dade Avenue. By 1967, the town of Spring Hill was mostly historical, the Lykes Home still stands as do several cemeteries.

The original development had 28,500 platted lots which were “essentially sold out in three years” according to Frank E. Mackle III. Many of these lots we not built on until later.
The development of Spring Hill was never incorporated, so it does not have well defined borders. There is a census-designated place (CDP) that is used to monitor Spring Hill’s growth. In 2010 the census listed the population of the Spring Hill area as 98,621 people, this marked 43% growth from the 2000 census. In 1980, the census listed the population of Spring Hill as 6,468 residents.


Spring Hill Drive and Commercial Way, Google Earth

Spring Hill is noteworthy for its growth. It now contains more than half of the county’s population and many of the businesses. Just over 50 years ago Spring Hill was an idea and since then has grown by leaps and bounds.

The Hernando Sun has extensively covered Spring Hill’s 50th Anniversary. Check out our articles on Spring Hill’s founding and birthdays on our website https://hernandosun.com/.

Richloam General Store aims for designation on the National Register of Historic Places

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The Board of County Commissioners received a letter from Ruben A. Acosta, Florida Department of State, Bureau of Historic Preservation, informing the county of the Richloam General Store’s nomination for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

The nomination proposal will be in front of a review board on Thurs. Aug. 10. If the board finds that the property meets the criteria, then a formal nomination will be submitted to the Keeper of the National Register in Washington D.C. for a final decision.

The owners of the Richloam General Store, Eric and Donna Burkes, recently made major restorations to the building. It once again functions as a general store for the Richloam community. 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.

The assassination of Judge William Center: one of many murders after reconstruction

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Oldest portion of the current county courthouse, built in 1913 by J.F. Jenkins and Company

County Judge William Center was assassinated outside his home in Brooksville on June 4, 1879 in the early morning. According to his family and newspaper accounts at the time, Judge William Center was about to reveal who had set fire to the Hernando County Courthouse in 1877 when he was assassinated.

By noon on June 4, 1879, Center’s murder started showing up in newspaper accounts state wide, which was impressive, because Brooksville did not have the telegraph at that time. It usually took news several days to propagate. His murder was reported that day as far away as in Savannah in the Savannah Morning News.

The Hernando County Commission had offered a reward of $2,000 for information leading to the conviction of the person/people responsible for the courthouse fire. No one was ever convicted of the crime.

County Judge William Center was the secretary for the First United Methodist Church at the time of his assassination. Recently, the current secretary stumbled upon this fact and jokingly wondered how dangerous the church secretary job actually is.

Roger Landers a local historian recounted a story involving Judge Center.

“On Sunday, May 6, 1877, Arthur St. Clair performed the marriage of a mixed-race couple in Brooksville -- David James, who was black, and Lizzy Day, who was white. The marriage led to a public outcry.

“The following evening, the couple was visited by several prominent residents: Frank Saxon, James Rhodes, County Judge William Center and R.M. McIntosh. Their purpose was to advise the newlyweds of the possibility of danger. A firearm was discharged, resulting in a gunfight that left a number of men wounded, including James.

“The judge, Center, visited the couple again the next day, and assured them that the visit of the previous evening had been strictly out of concern for their safety. Center also told them that they would be safe until James’ wounds healed and they could leave town. They moved to Tampa.”

Arthur St. Clair was a major figure in reconstruction politics (when Florida was under the military control following the Civil War). Many of the people who were involved in the Confederacy were banned from holding office during this time. St. Clair held a number of offices including “voter registrar, deputy sheriff, county commissioner, captain in the state militia, delegate to the 1876 Republican state convention and three-time Republican nominee for the State House.”

St. Clair was murdered on June 26, 1877, when he was returning from a political meeting for his fourth run for the State House at Dade City (Fort Dade), when a group of men confronted him. St. Clair was shot and killed. This drew men living nearby and one of them, Henry Lloyd was also shot and killed.

Much of what we know about the 1870s in Hernando county comes from the pages of the Sunland Tribune Newspaper. The Sunland Tribune Newspaper from the 1870s has been scanned by the University of Florida and is available online. Sunland Tribune was the predecessor of the Tampa Tribune.

In August and September 1877 there were several articles in the Sunland Tribune with accounts of Mary Turner, a black woman who was reportedly with Rev. Sinclair on the night he was killed.

She said the murder of Sinclair occurred at “about 10 p.m. and through the moonlight she saw a crowd of about 20 men on horseback and armed. After they were surrounded by these men, Sinclair recognized several of them and called them by name. The men then covered their faces with their hats. Sinclair was shot, in the confusion that followed, and Mary Turner escaped.”

When asked if she had been at the coroner’s inquest,she replied that “she had and knew several of the men on the jury as being involved with the shooting.” She lived in Brooksville and would have known the men she accused. Mary Turner alleged that “Mr. Saxon, Mr. Rhodes, Mr. Center, Mr. Hennes, Mr. O’Berry, William and Robert Nicks were all involved. She claimed that George Cross had shot Sinclair.”

In July and August 1877 there were several large meetings and several resolutions passed regarding the incident. The first resolution “condemned the crime and called for diligent efforts to bring the assassins to justice.” The next resolution condemned the Ocala Star Banner and Sunland Tribune for printing fake news about the events.
On September 29, 1877, around 1am the Hernando County courthouse is destroyed by arson. The Sunland Tribune reports that all the county records were destroyed. On May 10, 1879, the Sunland Tribune reports that again around 1am another fire is set in the building which stored the records since the courthouse burned. This time some of the records were saved.

The county had enough of these shenanigans and the Sunland Tribune reports “the county commissioners have offered $1,000 reward for the perpetrators and $1,000 reward for evidence that will convict the parties of burning the court house.” This was the reward that it was said that Judge William Center was set to collect when he revealed the names of perpetrators and the evidence he had collected. Only he was killed between his house and the city where he was to reveal who had burned the courthouse.

Judge Center’s murder along with the other events led to calls to clean up the lawlessness in Hernando county. His murder was never solved.

During these years of upheaval following the Civil War and Reconstruction there were many murders. Even though the population was a few thousand there were dozens of murders over a few years in the surrounding area.

Overstreet Family: Cattle and Moonshine

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'Law men' surround captured still circa 1920's. Credit: State Archives of Florida

The Overstreet family was destined to grow and become known as “The Overstreet Gang” for their grit and tenacity, a necessary quality for survival in this time period, especially for the family businesses: cattle and moonshine.

The first Overstreet arrived in the area from Georgia in the 1850s, William Rabon Overstreet, settling in the Fort Dade area. He established a larger homestead in Dade City. William Rabon Overstreet and his brother Silas, a doctor, both fought in the Third Seminole War. (Two of their sisters were killed in a Seminole raid at their home in Madison, Georgia). William Rabon joined the Confederate Army, was injured and discharged in 1862, recovered then re-enlisted. Unfortunately, he was captured at Gettysburg in 1863, then died of malnourishment and anemia shortly after at Ft. Delaware. William left behind a wife and three young sons whose descendants would become known as “The Overstreet Gang.” The family earned this title for their grit, tenacity and their close knit structure in protecting one another in the family businesses: cattle and moonshine. Toughness was a necessity for survival in this time period and the family was able to hold their own with Brooksville’s Lykes Brothers, a major cattle family.
William’s son James Lucious, married three times and had a total of seven children. One of those children was Lawrence Preston (born 1892). Preston along with his brother Taft and Walter Overstreet confronted Charlie Lykes after the Lykes had added 50 of Preston’s cows to his herd while driving their cattle “through the woods on their way to Kissimmee,” according to Overstreet descendant Susan McMillan Shelton. This was a common practice for the Lykes family. Florida was open range for cattle and on their cattle drives, the Lykes would pick up any cattle they encountered on their way to their destination. If you weren’t tough, then your cattle would end up in the Lykes’ herd without any compensation.

However, the Overstreets were tough and they had a reputation for being so. After Preston and his kin confronted Charlie Lykes, demanding “50 new cows by Saturday,” Charlie showed up on Saturday morning at Preston’s homestead with 55 new cattle. Shelton describes the jovial scene of the cattle branding, “Several people from town came to help in the branding and partying. One of them was Robert Sumner. Preston’s wife, Lizzie, made a big supper for all. Later they all spent the night under the trees. The next morning they all returned home.”



The Overstreets took advantage of Prohibition setting up moonshine stills hidden deep in the Withlacoochee swamp lands. From the youngest to the oldest Overstreet (“Grandpa Luce” ie. James Lucious) and everyone in between played a role in the moonshine operation. The young children would act as lookouts and the older boys were decoys who would run off into the woods with the law in pursuit, so the Overstreet men were not captured. The fathers were the providers and protectors and all would be lost without them.

The family of Preston Overstreet experienced this after he was killed by Sheriff Ike Hudson’s Deputy C.C. Walker at one of his stills on the morning of Feb. 25, 1925. Three years earlier, Preston and his brother Paul had been acquitted/ found not guilty in a high profile murder of two law enforcement officers: J. V. Walters and Pasco County Deputy A. P. Crenshaw. Walters and Crenshaw had been investigating a possible store arson for insurance money and went out to a ranch along the Withlacoochee to find merchandise that may have been taken out of the store prior to the arson. The two men were attacked and killed near the U-Cross Ranch at close range when heading back to Dade City. Shotguns were used in the crime. Paul Overstreet resided at the U-Cross Ranch and “an automatic shot gun found at the home of Preston and a pistol found at the same place were placed in evidence,” reports the Dade City Banner. It was Paul, Preston and several others driving back to U-Cross Ranch that discovered the bodies and then called authorities from the home of Luce Overstreet. The Dec. 22, 1922 issue of the Dade City Banner contains a lengthy description of the entire trial in which over 30 witnesses were called.

Between the animosity felt for being declared not guilty in the murder of the lawmen and Preston’s refusal to pay “insurance money” to Deputy Walker and Sheriff Hudson (to protect his stills), tensions grew between the parties.

Shelton described the setup which ended in the deaths of Preston Overstreet and Neal Wilson. Preston had heard “the law was not to be anywhere on this side of the county looking for stills,” so he headed out to his stills on the morning of Feb. 24, 1925 with Neal Wilson.

Shelton writes, “The night before, Deputy Walker, a boy who was a Hancock, and Ike Hudson’s son, and four federal agents from Tampa had staked out Preston’s stills. The morning of the 24th, the agents had gone back to Tampa for a case there. Deputy Walker, the Hancock boy, and Ike Hudson’s son waited in the woods. Having no breakfast, Walker sent Ike Hudson to town in their car to get some food.

“Soon after he left, Preston Overstreet and Neal Wilson got to the still. Walker and Hancock were hiding in the palmettos. Preston had laid his gun down. Both he and Wilson had their backs towards Walker. Walker stood up and said, “You are under arrest.” Before they could turn around, both Preston and Neal were shot in the back. Neal Wilson fell dead. Preston was gravely wounded. They were laid on a tarp. Walker and Hancock sat down and ate the lunch that Lizzie had fixed for them while they waited to see if anyone else would show up at the still.”

The account delivered by Susan McMillan Shelton, is based on accounts from “people who were there, the Overstreet family, and the people of River Road Dade City.”
In her account, Shelton states that after delivering the bodies to the courthouse, Deputy Walker summoned the son of Deputy A. P. Crenshaw to come see the body of the man who killed his father.

The Feb. 27, 1925 issue of the Dade City Banner reported on the deaths of Preston Overstreet and Neal Wilson. In contrast to the extremely detailed investigation conducted during the trial of Preston and Paul Overstreet in the deaths of the J. V. Walters and Pasco County Deputy Crenshaw, the Dade City Banner reports that the investigation in the deaths of Preston Overstreet and Neal Wilson consisted of merely an “inquest” by Justice of the Peace R.T. McFall and a “verdict was brought in exonerating the officers of all blame.” The article concludes that Justice of the Peace R.T. McFall “empaneled a jury and held an inquest. The verdict of the jury was that Preston Overstreet and Neal Wilson came to their death at the hands of C. C. Walker, deputy sheriff, in self defense while in performance of his duty.”

The article provides the following account,

“According to the evidence brought out at the inquest the deputy sheriff and a party of Federal prohibition officers from Tampa located three stills in the woods and decided to wait for the operators to return. After waiting all night without success, the Federal officers were obliged to leave and return to Tampa, as they were witnesses in a case in Federal Court there….

“Shortly after Hudson had left, a car was heard coming and as it approached Walker told his companion to ‘get set.’ In moving into a position where he could rise quickly, Hancock’s gun — a double barreled shot gun — was accidentally discharged. The car containing Preston Overstreet and Neal Wilson, which had approached quite close to where the officers were lying in a clump of palmettos, stopped at the sound of the shot and the two men got out, with their guns in their hands, and Overstreet, who was armed with an automatic shot gun was heard to say “--------- -------- We’ll kill ‘em, G-------d, D--------n ‘em.” As the two men came closer the officer saw that Wilson was armed with a 30-30 high power rifle. Both men also carried pistols.

“When Overstreet and Wilson were in about 30 yards of the officers Walker rose up and said, “Gentlemen drop your guns, you are under arrest,” meanwhile holding his gun, an automatic shotgun in his arm. Before he had finished speaking, Wilson had fired, the bullet passing so close to Walker that he said he ‘could smell it.’ Overstreet meanwhile was making preparations to fire and Walker immediately shot him and then at Wilson, emptying his gun before he stopped. Both Overstreet and Wilson fell dead without firing a second time.”

According to relative Steve Overstreet, the law put a large price on the head of Preston’s oldest son and he was forced to hide for several years in the swamps to avoid being killed. Preston’s wife could not defend the cattle by herself with her young children and they were quickly taken by other cattle herds. The family Preston Overstreet left behind had to rely on family members to survive and often his wife and eldest daughter went hungry according to Shelton.

This story is an example of the harsh life that existed in the area less than a hundred years ago. A man is killed, his oldest son has to go into hiding, and quickly the vultures came in and took everything from his family and widow.

Men who made Towns

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Map of Benton County with the town of Augusta

The origin of many of the towns in our area can be traced back to a single family or man. Sometimes it was the first man to make the river crossing easier. The settlers from miles around would use that river crossing and merchants would come to the river crossing and sell their wares. A town would start to grow where all the people gathered. Another origin of the these towns was protection. Newly arrived settlers would want to live near a well established family, so they could gather at that house in case of attack. Sometimes the established settler family would build a church and a school to help the community. Other times they provided to space for a voting precinct and helped to organize events.

A good example of a town created by ferry across the Withlacoochee River was Pemberton Ferry. The ferry was established by the James T. Pemberton in the late 1800s. The post office at Pemberton Ferry was established on May 29, 1878. The stage coach went through the town. 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 name of the town was later changed to Croom. The town lost many of its residents do to the devaluation of phosphate caused by World War I. The end of Croom was the 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.
Another town created by a ferry across the Withlacoochee River was Istachatta. Istachatta was a little more than six miles upstream from Pemberton Ferry. The ferry there was established by Francis M. Townsend. On the 1883-84 census, Mr. Townsend was the only name mentioned in Istachatta. In 1886-87 the Florida State Gazetteer says the population had grown to 76. The stagecoach came through Istachatta which at the time was one of a few connections to the outside world. Francis M. Townsend was appointed postmaster on August 8, 1881. The population of Istachatta was listed as 116 people on the 2010 census.

The town of Spring Hill grew up around the Lykes Family Homestead. The town of Spring Hill preceded and is different than the development by the same name which was established in the 1960s. Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes was patriarch of the family and he had seven sons who would join the family business. Dr. Lykes moved into the area and established his family in cattle and citrus. The Lykes built a school in the 1850’s to educate the seven Lykes brothers and neighboring children as far away as Hope Hill.The cattle business grew and with the help of his wife Almeria Belle McKay Lykes who was from the McKay shipping family of Tampa, the Lykes became prominent in supplying cattle to Cuba. The Lykes Brothers now run a 337,000 acre cattle ranch near Lake Okeechobee. The book, A Land Remembered is said to be based in part on the Lykes Brothers story.

Masaryktown's origins can be traced to the New York City editor of a daily Czechoslovakian newspaper Joseph Josca. He wrote a column that advocated moving to warm Florida. Many of his readers were working in mines and factories in the north and read his column which extolled the virtues of moving to the warm climate and the farming. He had a number of interested Czechoslovakians and started to look for a spot to start a farming community. They formed a corporation to invest in land. The corporation found information about land available near Orlando and Brooksville. The corporation elected a committee of five men to check out the land. The Orlando land was found to be swampy, but the Hernando land they deemed acceptable, in part because there were existing orange groves in the area. The Hernando Plantation Co. as they named the corporation purchased around 10,000 acres about 10 miles south of Brooksville. This area became Masaryktown.

Some of these towns that were built around a man did not survive the death of the founder. Augusta was such a town. It is said to have been located near where old Crystal River Road terminates to the north. January 30, 1845 a post office was established in the town of Augusta with the first and only postmaster being Albert Clark. In 1845, there were four post offices in the county (Chocachatti, Homosassa, Augusta, and Fort Dade). The county Benton (Hernando County was briefly renamed Benton County from 1844 to 1850) at the time comprised an area that included most of the current Pasco, Hernando, and Citrus counties. It was split into three counties in 1887. The post office at Augusta lasted 15 years and closed on Oct. 17, 1860, shortly after the murder of Albert Clark. During those 15 years Augusta served as a precinct for elections and is listed on the census. After the murder of Albert Clark, Augusta stopped appearing on maps.

These original settlers went into the wilderness and established a place where others could follow. The families usually had some money which enabled them to build more than what they just needed to subsist. They built churches and schools, which drew more settlers nearby. As these town grew they were safer from attacks and provided more amenities. Without these founding families it would have taken longer for the county to develop.

Hernando County entries in the National Register of Historic Places

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The Chinsegut Hill Manor House is set on top of Chinsegut Hill

There are eight entries in the National Register of Historic Places for locations in Hernando County. The listing that has been there the longest is the May-Stringer House which was added on March 8, 1997. The newest listing was added a little over a month ago on October 12, 2017 and is the Richloam General Store and Post Office. In addition to those two, there are the Chinsegut Hill Manor House, William Sherman Jennings House, Judge Willis Russell House, Frank Saxon House, South Brooksville Avenue Historic District, and the Spring Lake Community Center.

The Chinsegut Hill Manor House is set on top of Chinsegut Hill which has an approximate elevation of 269 feet. When you visit Chinsegut you have views that you would expect in the mountains, it feels that you are no longer in Florida. The Hill has been home to several prominent families including the Pearsons, Ederingtons, Snows, and Robins. According to Richard J. Stanaback, the Manor house was originally constructed by Francis Higgins Ederington between 1852 and 1854. It was added onto and improved by later residents — the Snows and Robins — until it reached its present state. The National Register Information System ID for this property is 03001171. It is located at 22495 Chinsegut Hill Road in Brooksville.


William Sherman Jennings house 189- located at 48 Olive Street in Brooksville. Photo credit: State Archives of Florida

William Sherman Jennings House was the home of the Governor of Florida who was elected while living in Brooksville. The house is located on a quiet street near city hall in Brooksville. William met his future wife May Mann at her father Austin Mann’s house near Brooksville. After a courtship William and May were married on May 12, 1891 and moved into the house. They lived there until William was became Governor of Florida in 1901. After serving as governor, William and May moved to Jacksonville. The National Register Information System ID for this property is 98001252. It is located at 48 Olive Street in Brooksville.


William Sherman Jennings house 189- located at 48 Olive Street in Brooksville as it appears today. Photo credit: State Archives of Florida

The Judge Willis M. Russell House is named for a prominent Brooksvillian who served as city clerk, property assessor, justice of the peace, and county judge. He was the son of Reverend A.M.C. Russell who was Superintendent, postmaster, mayor, and published The Southern Argus newspaper. The house is also known as the Verona House, because that was the name of the model of the house listed in the Sears Roebuck Co. Catalog. The home was shipped to Brooksville in two boxcars in 1925. The kit included precut ready to assemble materials that created a two story Dutch colonial home and a 76 page instruction book. National Register Information System ID for this property is 99000046. It is located at 201 South Main Street in Brooksville.

The Frank Saxon House is also known as Saxon Manor and is part of a popular wedding venue. It was formerly known as the Scarborough House. The house was built by Frank Saxon for his second wife Talula Victoria Hope, who was the daughter of William Hope. The Hopes were early settlers of the county and one of the founding families of Brooksville. Frank Saxon was a Confederate Civil War hero having fought with distinction for the Hernando Wild Cats. Frank went on to serve in the Florida legislature along with a several local positions including Postmaster, Chief of Police, and Clerk of Court. National Register Information System ID for the house is 98001321. It is located at 200 Saxon Avenue in Brooksville.

The May-Stringer House houses the Hernando Heritage Museum. This museum has over 10,000 artifacts related to the county’s history. The house started out as a four-room home built by John May around 1855. He died in 1858. John May’s wife, Marena, continued living there and she married Frank Saxon in 1866. Marena died in 1869 during childbirth and Frank Saxon remarried, moved, and sold the house. It was sold several times before eventually being purchased by Dr. Sheldon Stringer a relative of the Lykes Brothers. Dr. Stringer added on to the house expanding it to fourteen rooms. He practiced medicine out of the house. National Register Information System ID for the house is 97000210. It is located at 601 Museum Court in Brooksville.

Spring Lake Community Center is a stone building built in 1939 by the WPA (Works Progress Administration) of the New Deal from local materials. The building served as a gathering place for the community. It also did double duty as the cafeteria for the Spring Lake School, which has since been torn down. It is located in a hilly section of the Spring Lake Highway.

National Register Information System ID for the property is 09000843. It is located at 4184 Spring Lake Highway in Spring Lake.

Richloam General Store and Post Office was built by Sidney Brinson in 1922. The building burned in 1928 and was rebuilt that same year. The general store and post office served the Richloam area until 1936. The store was originally called “Brinson and Boyett General Merchandise” as it was joint venture between Sid Brinson and Elbert “Son” H. Boyett. The store used to be on a main road and railroad, but now it is a few miles east of 75, about a half mile south of State Road 50, down a limerock road as the roads have been reconfigured. National Register Information System ID for the house is 100001734. It is located at 38219 Richloam Clay Sink Rd. near Ridge Manor.

South Brooksville Avenue Historic District is a beautiful stretch of old Florida with large oak trees forming a canopy over the brick street. There are 17 historic buildings in this district. Some of the better known homes are the Coogler House at 133 S Brooksville Avenue, Frazee House at 302 S Brooksville Avenue, and the Maillis House at 312 South Brooksville Avenue. The National Register Information System ID for this area is 98001203. The district is located on South Brooksville Avenue, approximately from Liberty Street to Early Avenue in Brooksville.

There are several historic buildings in Hernando County that are not on this list. The first building that jumps out at you is the County Courthouse, it has been called the crown jewel of Brooksville. The Cafe Masaryktown building is another that would be on the list of historic buildings, it was formerly the Masaryktown Hotel and was built by the Cimbora family in 1925. The hotel was the first stop for Czechoslovakians moving to the area. It also played an important role for Masaryktown as community space. The Courthouse and former Hotel are Florida Heritage Sites and have historical markers. It is great to see our history being preserved for the next generations to enjoy.

‘Mama Allie’ — Lykes Matriarch

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“Mama Allie,” Almeria Belle Mackay Lykes, via International Museum of Women.

“Mama Allie,” the matriarch of the Lykes Family, mother to seven sons and one daughter, is being honored by the International Museum of Women’s Pillar Program. Almeria Belle Mackay Lykes, youngest child of Captain James Mackay Sr., a Tampa shipping and real estate tycoon and wife to Dr. Howell T. Lykes was known by her family as “Mama Allie.” In order to celebrate her contributions to her community and family, Lykes family members made generous donations to the International Museum of Women Pillar Program in her honor.  


Mama Allie’s husband, Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes, State Archives of Florida

Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes grew up in Spring Hill (Lykes Home not later development by same name), became a doctor in the late 1860’s and began practicing medicine in Columbia, South Carolina. He shortly gave up medicine and decided to move back to the Spring Hill family ranch where he got into the cattle and citrus industries. The homestead in Spring Hill, located near present day Fort Dade Ave and Citrus Way consisted of 500 acres. However, it was connections with Almeria’s family (The Mackays) that catapulted the Lykes business ventures.

Almeria’s parents, Capt. James Mackay, Sr. and Matilda Cail, were from Scotland and moved to Florida together in 1846 (nine years after they married).  


Mama Allie’s father, Capt. James Mckay, Sr. via City of Tampa

Upon moving to Tampa, Capt. James Mackay operated a general store, a sawmill and began investing in real estate. He also owned and operated two schooners, shipping cargo between Florida, Cuba and South America.

During the “Great Gale of 1848” the Mackay home in Tampa was destroyed and they had to live in tents for sometime. Mackay then acquired property in downtown Tampa and Ballast Point. In 1858, when Almeria was 5 years old, her father established a business venture purchasing and shipping large cattle herds to Cuba, which made him one of “Tampa’s wealthiest and most respected residents.”

He operated the cattle shipments out of Ballast Point. James Mackay Sr. also served on Tampa’s City Council and was elected Mayor in 1859. During the Civil War, he and his schooners played a central role in blockade running for the Confederacy as well as Tampa’s only Civil War skirmish on Oct. 17, 1863. After the Civil War he returned to his shipping business.

Almeria and Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes probably met during one of Lykes’ business ventures to Tampa. They were married in 1874 and resided on the Lykes Spring Hill homestead for over 20 years. They are well known for building their own school house to educate their 8 children as well as children in the surrounding area. The Lykes children were introduced to the family business at a young age. A member of the Lykes family,  Susan L. Mueller, writes in A Lykes Family History, that the children were each given two or three heifers to raise.


The Lykes Schoolhouse in the original Spring Hill in Brooksville.

In 1879, Almeria purchased from her family, their block in the center of Tampa. Dr. Lykes built the Almeria Hotel on this property in 1886. Hampton Dunn, a noted journalist and publisher wrote a piece on the Almeria Hotel circa 1960 called, “TAMPA’S FIRST ’SKYSCRAPER’ STILL STANDS.” Sadly, it does not appear to be standing any more.  Dunn writes,

“When this little fishing village blossomed into a town, back in the 1880s, the center of the community was the intersection of Franklin and Washington streets, several blocks south of the present heart of the city.

Along with a new railroad and a new humming industry, cigar making, the area got a new “skyscraper” in 1886. It was the beautiful three-story brick building housing the Almeria Hotel. It was built by Dr. Howell Tyson Lykes, a wealthy physician and cattleman of Brooksville who contributed much to the progress of Florida in his lifetime. The hotel was completed on Oct. 29, 1886, and was given the doctor’s wife’s name. She was Almeria Belle McKay, daughter of famed Tampa shipmaster and exporter, Captain James McKay, who Dr. Lykes married in 1874.

In fact, the new Almeria Hotel was erected on the birthplace of Mrs. Lykes. The Almeria was for years one of Tampa’s leading hostelries. The building was the third brick structure in the city, and the first three-story “skyscraper.”

When it was built, sand streets and wooden sidewalks served the center of town. In later years, the hotel operated as the Tampa Hotel. In 1947, the building became the operating headquarters for the vast Lykes Brothers, Inc. industrial and financial empires. The firm continued from here until 1968 when it moved to the old Hillsboro Hotel.”
During the 1880’s Dr. Lykes built his fortune by shipping his cattle to Cuba. He purchased the Ballast Point property from James Mackay Jr. in 1886, the same year as construction began on the Almeria Hotel.

Following multiple frosts in 1895, which destroyed a good portion of the Lykes citrus trees, Almeria and Dr. Lykes moved from Spring Hill to Tampa permanently. It was also an important move to prepare their sons to take over the family business. In 1900, Mama Allie’s two eldest boys, Fred and H.T. started Lykes Brothers, Inc., establishing an office in Havana, Cuba. Soon all of her boys were involved in the business. Mama Allie lived to see the beginning of the Lykes Brothers empire which grew to encompass multiple industries including citrus, cattle, meat packing, juice production, natural gas, banking and insurance. She passed away in 1926 at the age of 73.

To learn more about the International Museum of Women, go to: http://exhibitions.globalfundforwomen.org/


THE BROOKSVILLE RAID

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SATURDAY, SUNDAY, JAN, 20-21, 2018 10 AM

A re-enactment of the 1864 raid of federal troops into the interior as the Union forces attempted to destroy Confederate salt works. Activities include shopping on Suttler’s Row, Battalion Drills, the Ladies’ Tea, Brooksville Raid Battle Re-enactment, and Sunday at 1:30 is the Grand Review. Suggest bringing a chair for your comfort. The Raid is held the 3rd weekend in January every year. This is the largest Civil War reenactment in Florida with over 1500 reenactors and their families. There will be 28 cannons, 60 horses, and over 50 sutlers. The public is invited to tour, at no additional charge, the authentic confederate and union camps and actually see how they lived and what it was like during the Civil War. We also have kettle corn, old time root beer and you can’t leave without having a FRY BREAD. All animals must be on a leash. Camps open: 9:00am with the Presentation of Colors. Adults, $8.00; Youth age 6 - 12, $4.00; under age 5, free; Boy Scouts in uniform, free. Contact 352-799-0129 / www.brooksvilleraidreenactment.com

The location is on Hwy. 50 West at the Sand Hill Scout Reservation

The Unexpected Find

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Toby Benoit is a best selling novelist and professional outdoorsman with thirty-five years of experience guiding and outfitting for big game all across America.   Toby is a renowned archer and turkey hunting expert who manufactures custom game calls and is a regular judge at NWTF sanctioned turkey calling events across the Southeast.

by TOBY BENOIT: OUTDOORSMAN

Being a hunter and an all-around outdoorsman, I spend a lot of time off the beaten-path, out in the wilds and it leads me to some interesting sites. I’ve found lots of lost treasures out in the wilderness, such as one I found while poking around an abandoned homestead on the Upper Hillsborough Wildlife Management Area. I found an old, mold crusted Mason Jar, the lid long ago having rusted away, which contained a few dozen glass, “Cat’s-Eye” marbles.

Nothing much was left of the old home, except a small bit of crumbling chimney and an old orchard of citrus trees, still producing some soured fruit. The wild hogs had been in the area heavily and were obviously eating of the soured fruit as it fell from the trees, so I found me a comfortable seat nearby the chimney remains and settled in to wait on the hogs. After making myself comfortable, I was in the process of knocking an arrow when I saw the edge of the jar protruding from beneath a fallen stone from the chimney.

I pulled it out of the ground there beneath the stone and spent the rest of that afternoon imagining a young boy carefully hoarding his treasured marbles, carrying that old jar with him for after school marble shoots and gathering with the other boys after Sunday school or church picnics.



Marbles; a great game all but lost to our recent generations. I recalled playing marbles as a kid in the seventies and listening to my grandfather talk of marble games that would last all day long back when he was a boy in the nineteen-twenties.

I can still hear the pride in his voice as he told me more than one Sunday he had walked home from the church yard with more marbles than anyone and how he would trade his hard-won marbles with other boys for a stick of licorice or a handful of peppermints.

I thought of the boy whom had once owned these old “Cats-eyes” and how fond he must have been of them to have hidden them so carefully beneath the old chimney of that homestead.
I have cleaned the jar and its contents, found a new lid for it even and it rests now on my mantle, near my own chimney.

And once, I found a grave....

I was scouting some new property I had just received permission to hunt and fish on along the banks of the Withlacoochee River. While I topped a high ridge overlooking the river, I found a small graveyard with broken and missing markers from the 19th century.

The markers were mostly hidden amongst weeds growing beneath a canopy of moss laden live oaks. Beauty berry, poison ivy, poke weeds and thistle were abundant and growing upwards through a mess of rotting, fallen limbs. One grave marker, very or

nately inscribed stone, beneath a century and a half of dirt and mildew, happened to catch my eye. It was the marker of Alva H Peters, Co. H, 5th Fl Cavalry, CSA.

I copied down the names and dates on the stones which I could make out and sat at the computer last night scouring old census records and such in order that I might find out who these people were. Alva, the young soldier, was just seventeen when he passed away. His was not a combat death, but one of many due to exposure to the elements in a harsh and severely unforgiving land; these Florida Swamps. The cause of death, only a single word of description; “exposure”.

He came to Florida with his family in 1852, from Georgia. His father Leonard and mother Salle, rest nearby. I could only see their names after removing quite a few weeds and vines. Also there, rest other members of the family including little Susan; the first Peters to be born in Florida in 1854. She passed away from fever at the tender age of six. It’s amazing how much you can learn on the internet these days!

I learned too, that the 240 acres I wandered was only a small part of the original 1,620 acres the family homesteaded and farmed. Their income was meager, but they were self-sufficient in their farming practices and lived well. Their homes and histories are long lost to us, but for just a little while, they lived again, at least in my mind.

The weeds are pulled away and the markers are once again visible. It’s not much; but I hope they know.

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February: Most Historic Month?

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by ADON TAFT GUEST COLUMNIST

It could be said — with a lot of evidence — that February is the most significant month in American history.

Granted, it’s hard to argue against July, in which the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress in 1776, as the most important month.

Or you might say September is the key month in our history because of the adoption of our Constitution in that month in 1787.

But the great number of historic events in February is pretty persuasive.

Obviously, it is Black History Month in which includes the birthdays of such abolitionist and civil rights leaders as former slaves Frederick Douglas in 1818 and Harriet Tubman, of “underground railroad” fame, in 1838; W.E.B. DuBois in 1868, the Harvard-trained historian and sociologist who was one of the founders of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in February of 1909; and Rosa McCauley Parks, in 1903, the courageous seamstress whose bus-seat protest in Montgomery, AL, brought Dr., Martin Luther King into prominence in the Civil Rights movement.

In addition, we celebrate the birthdays of probably our two greatest presidents — George Washington and Abraham Lincoln — in February. But two other presidents, William Henry Harrison and Ronald Reagan, also share that birthday month. And that’s just for starters.

Going back to our beginnings, the first public school was founded in Boston in February of 1635. Among other February events of note:

Five of 27 amendments to the Constitution — including the 15th in 1870 giving former slaves the right to vote - were ratified by the states in February. That same month that year they ratified the 16th authorizing the income tax.

Other amendments (only 26 of them actually apply since the 21st amendment repealed the 18th prohibiting the possession or sale of alcoholic drinks) approved in February are the 11th in 1795 protecting states from lawsuits by nonresidents; the 22nd in 1951 limiting a president to two terms; and the 25th in 1967 setting the process for selecting a temporary successor to a president who dies or becomes incapacitated in office.

Although it was ratified in August of 1920, it was February of 1922 that the 19th amendment giving women the right to vote was upheld as constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Three states — Massachusetts in 1788, Oregon in 1859 and Arizona in 1912 — joined the union during February and we acquired from Spain in 1819 what now is Florida and from Mexico in 1848 the territory that eventually became seven other states (beside Arizona) while another, Texas, seceded from the union during this month in 1861.

Could February be the month a historic compromise on Immigration reform and a border wall is agreed to by President Donald Trump and a Congress divided by left and right hardliners?

(Adon Taft was for 48 years a reporter for The Miami Herald. He taught Social Studies at Miami-Dade Community College. Now retired, he lives in Brooksville, FL, and can be reached at adontaft@gmail.com.)

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‘Deep State,’ ‘Fake News,’ Are Not New

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Portrait of George Washington by Rembrandt Peale circa 1850

Adon Taft for 48 years was a reporter and editor for The Miami Herald and taught social studies at Miami-Dade Community College. He lives in Brooksville, FL, and can be reached at adontaft@gmail.com.


Adon Taft

The idea of a “deep state” and “fake news’ is not new with the Trump administration. It began with critics of our first president, George Washington, whose birthday anniversary we celebrate Feb. 19.

And, revered around the world now even more than in his day, the “father of our nation” once again faces disparaging remarks from the “politically correct” media and protests from some in high places.

During his presidency, the man who led the American army to victory in the Revolutionary War, presided over the Constitutional Convention, served as a vestryman and warden in his church was called “treacherous,” “inefficient,” author of “ostentatious professions of piety” who “discharged the loathings of a sick mind” by journalists such as Benjamin Franklin Bache, William Duane and others at the General Advertiser and Aurora newspapers in New York.

Philip Freneau, a translation clerk under Thomas Jefferson at the State Department (later to head the opposition Republican party), was the source of much of the scurrilous information— some authored by Jefferson himself — fed to the press.

Bache even republished letters widely known to be forgeries written during the war for liberty “to prove the want of claim in Mr.Washington either to the gratitude or confidence of his country.”

The intervening years have seen the broad admiration for the successful Virginia farmer and surveyor who served wisely in that colony’s House of Burgesses and the Continental Congress grow to the status of icon for the standard he set as the leader of the new government.

However, the intensifying atmosphere in recent months of the political correctness of the past few years threatens the reputation not only of Washington and the other founders but heroes from as far back as Christopher Columbus and as recent as Dr. Martin Luther King.

(King, Columbus and Washington are the only three individuals honored with one each of the 10 federal holidays we celebrate.)

Last summer, when protests erupted throughout the nation against statues, flags and other symbols of the Confederacy, the controversy expanded to anyone — no matter what outstanding things they had accomplished or what community customs were at those times — who had owned slaves.

Angela Rye, a CNN political commentator and former executive director of the Congressional Black Caucus, called for the removal of all public statues of and monuments to Washington and Jefferson. Demands for changing the name of Chicago parks and removing statues honoring Washington and Andrew Jackson came from Bishop James Duke. And students at the University of Texas signed petitions urging removal of statues of Washington and Jefferson from the campus.

Perhaps surprisingly, in October even the church Washington helped found and where he served on the vestry symbolically turned its back on the president who frequently spoke about and often acted upon his faith.

At age 11, after the death of his father, George became the leader of daily family devotions which promoted familiarity with the Bible and the Anglican Prayer Book. By the time he was in command at Fort Necessity just 11 years later, he led his men in religious services on Sundays.

Often as a general of the Continental Army and as president he called the nation to prayer both for guidance and help and for thanksgiving. And in his farewell address to Congress as he left the presidency, he warned:

“Let us with caution indulge the supposition that morality can be maintained without religion. Whatever may be conceded to the influence of refined education on minds of peculiar structure, reason and experience both forbid us to expect that national morality can prevail in exclusion of religious principle.”

His tombstone at Mount Vernon is inscribed with a Biblical phrase from John 11:25 expressing Washington’s belief. It is a well known quote from Jesus Christ: “I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, he shall live.”

Yet the plaque bearing merely the words “In Memory of George Washington” which had been on the wall beside the altar of his home church in Alexandria, VA, since 1870 was removed, along with a similar one on the other side of the altar in memory of Robert E. Lee. The reason:

“The plaques in our sanctuary make some in our presence feel unsafe or unwelcome,” explained church leaders in a letter to the congregation.

Apparently Americans today are not as brave and strong-hearted as our forbearers.

Graham Legacy Is World-Wide

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Billy Graham, April 11, 1966

Adon Taft, retired, was a reporter for The Miami Herald for 48 years. During the 37 years he was the religion editor he won numerous awards including the Supple Memorial Award, the top prize in the field of the reporting of religion news. He now lives in Brooksville, FL.


Adon Taft

While Billy Graham will be remembered around the globe for preaching — in person during his famous stadium crusades as well as by radio, television, books, movies and other media — to more people throughout the world than anyone in history into the 21st century, he leaves special memories in Florida where he had many close ties.

Long term, his impact probably will stem from lesser known activities. All, like his crusades and other well known evangelistic efforts, stemmed from a genuine love of people and commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ that prompted nearly everything undertaken by him and his unusually effective organization.

Having watched Billy (he didn’t like the title “Dr.” Graham given to him by others because he had numerous honorary degrees) and his team up close and personal at work and at play during my nearly four decades as religion editor of The Miami Herald, I, along with others, can testify to the down-to-earth and up-front nature of his faith and personality. To be present at his team’s private, lengthy, pre-service prayer sessions was a revelation.

The lanky North Carolinian got his start preaching at the Florida Bible Institute in Palm Harbor (which relocated in Dunedin and became Trinity College). He frequently returned to the state to preach -- first as part of the Youth for Christ organization and then with his own ministry -- in churches, auditoriums and stadiums from the Panhandle to Miami. He spoke to lay meetings, religious and business conventions, and international gatherings. He vacationed at various South Florida spots and visited daughter Gi Gi Tchvidjian and her family in Coral Springs.

As he grew from a somewhat brash, fast talking, flashy dressing, dogmatic fundamentalist pulpiteer to a more dignified, conservative evangelical but ecumenical religious statesman, Billy hobnobbed with presidents, kings and queens, Communist dictators and business tycoons, often carrying messages back and forth between those who in public were at arm’s length. Yet he retained his common touch.

Billy’s personal integrity, a trait found in all the close associates he chose, spared him from the sexual and financial scandals that plagued some other big-name evangelists. Members of his team held to their rule never to be alone with a woman other than their own wives or female relatives.

The executive committee of his board was made up of prominent businessmen.
Although some family members served on the larger board of directors, none was on that committee. He himself was on a regular pastor’s salary since 1952 and the royalties from his numerous books went into a trust fund that made donations to various ministries, colleges and charities.

His example led to the formation, in 1969, of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) requiring members to provide annual independent audits to the public. That restored some credibility to the genre.

In addition to his headline-making crusades on five continents (even behind the Iron and Bamboo Curtains), Billy personally engaged in reconciliation efforts to bring together Protestants and Catholics in Ireland, Christians and Hindus in India, blacks and whites in the United States and South Africa. As part of those latter efforts, early on he included two black men, Howard Jones and Ralph Bell, as associate evangelists in his organization and insisted on integrated crusades wherever he went around the world.

He also placed black ministers Tom Skinner and Ralph Abernathy on the program of the U.S. Congress on Evangelism he financed in Minneapolis in 1969 when 5,000 delegates from 93 denominations took part just as 1,300 evangelists, theologians, and denominational leaders from 104 nations had done in 1966 at the World Congress on Evangelism in Berlin which his group had organized and financed.

Thousands more young evangelists— men and women, up to half of whom had never before been outside their third world countries or had little or no formal theological training — were able to attend similar gatherings, at the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association’s expense, in Amsterdam (that one alone at a cost of $21 million), Bangkok, Manila and various other places of Asia, Europe, Africa and Latin America. Altogether, there were nearly 100 such 3 to 10-day gatherings involving some 50,000 evangelists from nearly 100 countries.

Among other little known activities, the BGEA over the years gave hundreds of thousands of dollars to support organizations such as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Campus Crusade for Christ, Young Life, and others. The organization’s World Emergency Fund since 1973 gave something like $100,000 a year for disaster relief all over the world.

Billy also had a hand in the establishment of the Fuller Theological Seminary and the creation of the Gordon-Conwell Seminary. He established the School of Evangelism at Wheaton College, his alma mater. His organization founded Christianity Today magazine, the most widely circulated Protestant periodical.

Truly, there is much for which Billy Graham will be remembered.

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