Counties

Highlands County

County SeatSebring
Population103,296 (2021)

Highlands County in Central Florida boasts a rich history. Originally inhabited by Seminole Indians, the area was officially established in 1923 when it broke away from DeSoto County. Known for its rolling hills, lakes, and wetlands, Highlands County has traditionally thrived on cattle ranching and citrus groves.

What happened at N*****town Knoll?

Until the 1990s, this offensively named settlement appeared on Florida maps, but its origins were lost. Until now. Warning: This article contains offensive racial slurs for historical and academic purposes. It will be kept to a minimum, but reader discretion is...

Elizabeth Haines Mansion in Sebring

The Elizabeth Haines House is one of the most impressive mansions in Sebring from the Great Florida Land Boom. Haines was the widow of wealthy businessman John Locke Haines. It was one of the first homes constructed in the Sebring...

Lorida, Florida: Origins of a Cracker Town

Many towns in Florida were started by skilled real estate developers with capitalistic dreams of striking it rich, not Lorida. Its cowboy homesteaders sought the hard country life, building their own version of Eden on the edge of the Everglades....

The Illusion of Freedom: African Americans in 1890s Florida

Despite being granted their freedom some thirty years prior, freed slaves in turn of the century Florida were still barely unshackled. Being set free (13th Amendment), granted equal citizenship (14th Amendment), and given the right to vote (15th Amendment) didn’t...

Is it Fort Basinger or Bassenger or Bassinger…?

Since just about 1837 there has been confusion over the name of the Seminole Wars fort and its sister towns on opposite sides of the Kissimmee River . Growing up, I guess I was a bit of a nerd. I...

Brighton, Florida: Ghost town that was almost a county seat

“Here will soon be one of the busiest and most populous towns in Florida,” insisted one October 1925 announcement. Another advertisement boldly proclaimed the new Highlands County settlement would “become the trading center of the greatest and most profitable truck-farming, poultry-raising...

Sebring and Avon Park Battle for County Seat

When the Florida legislature formed Highlands County from DeSoto County in 1921, it kicked off a heated campaign to decide which town would become the capital city. In the early 1900s, south-central Florida was dominated by mega-county DeSoto County, itself having...

The Marvelous Wooden Railroad

John C. Burleigh needed a steam engine for his sprawling sawmill in Avon Park, and nothing would stop him! Imagine living in frontier Central Florida in the year 1895. Without roads or mechanical equipment, you must move a 12-ton locomotive...