The company town of Osceola was a bustling and modern city from 1916-1940. When the company relocated to south Florida, it literally dismantled the town board by board.
Ghost Towns
Osceola Ghost Town
Hicoria, Florida went up in smoke
Hicoria went from sleepy settlement to boom town overnight in 1929. Six years later, it again retreated into obscurity.
Early Settlers of Snow Hill / Kolokee
Nestled in rural Seminole County, next to the Little Big Econ State Forest, Snow Hill's identity hangs on by a thread. A few dozen homes and a green highway sign provide the only indication of the community's long history. Early...
Maitland overpass marks the old town of Mayo
Hidden under the busy flyover intersection of Maitland Boulevard and US 17-92 are the reminders of a small town that once thrived here around 140 years ago. Mayo Avenue betrays its secret. Rudolph Gustave Mayo (August 22, 1829 - December...
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...
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...
The Lost Colony of Pabor Lake
Most people interested in the history of Highlands County have heard about the involvement Melvil Dewey (of Dewey Decimal System fame) had on the founding of Lake Placid, Florida. However, few have ever heard of the Pabor Lake Colony, which...