FLORIDA REGIONAL HISTORY

By  Mike Miller  Updated May 4,  2022

Each of Florida's 8 geographic regions has its own interesting history.  These pages tell you about that history and also show you the registered historic and heritage sites in that region.

Florida has 1,300 heritage sites spread out over 67 counties.  The state organizes these by theme of the site as well as the county it is located in.  Here are the 23 themes:

  • Archaeological Sites
  • Cemeteries and Mausoleums
  • Civic and Social Clubs
  • Commercial and Industrial
  • Educational Facilities and Campuses
  • Florida Main Streets
  • Gardens
  • Heritage Trails
  • Historic Attractions
  • Historic Bridges and Spans
  • Historic Districts
  • Historic Movie Theaters
  • Libraries and Archives
  • Maritime
  • Markers and Monuments
  • Municipal Buildings
  • Museums
  • National Historic Landmarks
  • Parks, Preserves, and Sanctuaries
  • Performing Arts
  • Sites of Military Significance
  • Sites of Religious Significance
  • Transportation

Click on the map below of the region whose history you'd like to know.  You will also see a complete list of that region's heritage sites.

Northwest
North Central
Northeast
central east
Central West
Central
Southwest
Southeast

NORTHWEST FLORIDA HISTORY

Northwest Florida heritage and history are all around you as you travel through miles of mainly rural country, pine woods, and some of the most beautiful sand beaches in the world.

This region includes 12 counties.  Culturally, it is more like Alabama than it is like the rest of Florida.

Northwest Florida heritage and history is evident in the many small towns that played a key part in early Florida history. 

You will see many monuments and memorials to the Old South in the form of Confederate soldier statues in town squares and in front of courthouses.

"Becalmed In The Mullet Latitudes" is a wonderful book by the late Al Burt published in 1983. 

Al was a long time Miami Herald columnist who had a deep love for Florida and a melancholy for the "old Florida" that was disappearing. 

He celebrated the Northwest Florida heritage along with other parts of rural Florida.

He identified and chronicled the disappearing old places that he 
called the Mullet Latitudes.  His name for Northwest Florida and the Panhandle was "Florabama". 

If Al were still alive, I think he'd stick with the name even though there has been a fair amount of Yankee migration into the area since he wrote his book.

Pensacola was settled by the Spanish in 1559.  It was the first European settlement in the United States.  It was a rival to St. Augustine on the Atlantic settled in 1565 on the other side of the state.

Pensacola was the first capital of Florida.  When Florida became a U.S. territory in 1821, the capital was moved shortly after to Tallahassee because it was about halfway between Pensacola and St. Augustine.

After the Spanish left and Florida became a U.S. territory, settlers from Alabama and Georgia began homesteading small farms.  In in the years before the Civil War, northern Florida was the most populated region of Florida. 

These early settlers had a lot to do with establishing Northwest Florida heritage as part of the Old South.

This part of Florida remained largely rural and remote until after World War Two.  Many houses and farms did not have electricity until after the war. 

The communities survived on farming and fishing.  Turpentine, naval stores and other timber based chemicals were important businesses in the years immediately before and after World War Two.  The pine woods also attracted lumber and paper mills.

The Congressman Bob Sikes Era Begins

The Florida panhandle had a U.S. Congressman named Bob Sikes from Crestview.  He was an expert at bringing home the bacon.

That's a good old American phrase that means he was good at getting Federal money for his Congressional District.

He had a lot to do with bringing many of the military installations to Florabama. He was in Congress from 1941 to 1979, with some time off during World War Two when he joined the military. 

He helped preserve and continue the military elements of Northwest Florida heritage.

Eglin Air Force Base was built just before World War Two near Fort Walton Beach.  It pulled the remote backwoods panhandle into the modern world.  

Eglin is the largest military installation in the United States.  The base sprawls across three counties, and is about the same size as Rhode Island. 

I took my Navy pilot survival training course in the swamps and jungles of Eglin known as the boondocks.

The base is named for Fritz Eglin, an early Army aviator who died in a plane crash.  I did not know until years later that my father is named Fritz in honor of the downed pilot. 

Eglin was my grandfather's classmate at Wabash College in Indiana.  Read more about Fritz Eglin here.

Panama City is the unofficial capital of Florabama, with Pensacola running a close second.  The Florabama beaches are known by Floridians as the "redneck riviera".  They have traditionally attracted Alabama and Georgia tourists.

Star high school football players in Florabama do not typically go to the University of Florida or Florida State University. They are more likely to sign up with the Alabama Crimson Tide or the Auburn Tigers.

The Florida panhandle has fewer "Go Gator" bumper stickers than anywhere else in the State.

A notable exception is Emmitt Smith, Hall of Fame running back for the NFL Dallas Cowboys.  Mr. Smith graduated from Escambia High School in Pensacola and went on to gridiron glory at the University of Florida.

You non-football fans may remember him from "Dancing With The Stars".

Here are 104 Northwest Florida heritage sites listed by county. County seats are also shown.  Here's a neat trick for you:

Highlight any of the sites below, then right click and it will take you to the site's webpage on the internet if one exists - they usually do.

BAY: Panama City

  1. Junior Museum of Bay County
  2. Museum of Man in the Sea
  3. Panama City Main Street
  4. SS Tarpon Underwater Archaeological Preserve
  5. St. Andrews State Park

CALHOUN: Blountstown

  1. Old Calhoun County Courthouse
  2. Panhandle Pioneer Settlement

ESCAMBIA: Pensacola

  1. Alger--Sullivan Lumber Company Residential Historic District
  2. Barkley House
  3. Barrancas National Cemetery
  4. Big Lagoon State Park
  5. British Fort of Pensacola
  6. Charles William Jones House
  7. Crystal Ice Co. Building
  8. Dorr House
  9. Escambia County Courthouse
  10. Fort Barrancas Historical District
  11. Fort George Site
  12. Fort McRee
  13. Fort Pickens
  14. Fort San Carlos de Barrancas
  15. Greater Mount Lily Baptist Church
  16. Gulf Islands National Seashore
  17. Historic Pensacola Village
  18. Julee Cottage Museum
  19. L & N Marine Terminal Building
  20. L & N Passenger Terminal
  21. Lavalle House
  22. National Museum of Naval Aviation
  23. North Hill Preservation District
  24. Old Christ Church
  25. Pensacola Historic District
  26. Pensacola Historical Museum
  27. Pensacola Hospital
  28. Pensacola Lighthouse and Keepers Quarters
  29. Pensacola Naval Air Station Historic District
  30. Pensacola Resource Learning Center and Library
  31. Pensacola Scenic Bluffs Scenic Highway
  32. Perdido Key Historic District
  33. Perdido Key State Park
  34. Plaza Ferdinand VII
  35. Saenger Theatre
  36. St. Joseph's Church Buildings
  37. St. Michael's Creole Benevolent Association Meeting Hall
  38. The Empire Building
  39. Thiesen Building
  40. USS Massachusetts

FRANKLIN: Apalachicola

  1. Apalachicola Historic District
  2. Bald Point State Park
  3. Cape St. George Lighthouse
  4. Crooked River Lighthouse
  5. Fort Gadsden Historic Memorial
  6. John Gorrie Museum State Park
  7. Ormon House
  8. Raney House Museum
  9. St. George Island State Park
  10. Trinity Episcopal Church

GULF: Port St. Joe

  1. Civic Center
  2. Constitution Convention Museum
  3. Port St. Joe Garden Club
  4. St. Joseph Peninsula State Park

HOLMES: Bonifay

  1. Ponce de Leon Springs State Park

JACKSON: Marianna

  1. Florida Caverns State Park
  2. Marianna Historic District
  3. Marianna Main Street
  4. Pender's Store
  5. Three Rivers State Park

LIBERTY: Bristol

  1. Torreya State Park

OKALOOSA: Crestview

  1. Air Force Armament Museum
  2. Blackwater Heritage Trail State Park
  3. Blackwater River State Park
  4. Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum
  5. Carver Hill Museum
  6. Destin Fishing Museum
  7. Fred Gannon Rocky Bayou State Park
  8. Ft. Walton Beach Main Street
  9. Garnier Post Office Museum
  10. Gulfview Hotel Historic District
  11. Henderson Beach State Park
  12. Heritage Museum of Northwest Florida
  13. Indian Temple Mound Museum
  14. Mainstreet Crestview Association

SANTA ROSA: Milton

  1. Bagdad Village Historic District
  2. First American Road in Florida
  3. Florida State Road No. 1
  4. Main Street Milton
  5. Milton Historic District
  6. Mt. Pilgrim African Baptist Church
  7. Naval Live Oaks Reservation
  8. Navarre Beach State Park
  9. St. Marys Episcopal Church and Rectory
  10. West Florida Railroad Museum

WALTON: DeFuniak Springs

  1. Camp Helen State Park
  2. Chautauqua Hall of Brotherhood
  3. Deer Lake State Park
  4. DeFuniak Springs Historic District
  5. Eden Gardens State Park
  6. Governor Stone-Eden State Park
  7. Grayton Beach State Park
  8. Topsail Hill Preserve State Park

WASHINGTON: Chipley

  1. Falling Waters State Park
  2. Moss Hill Church
  3. South Third St. Historic District
  4. Woman's Club of Chipley

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NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA HISTORY

North Central Florida heritage and history will be your constant companion as you travel from Monticello near the Georgia border, to Tallahassee, Gainesville and Cedar Key.

This is a rural region with small southern towns and statues of Confederate soldiers in the town squares and ancient oak trees draped with Spanish moss.

This region has some of the best college football in the United States with the Florida Gators, Florida State Seminoles and Florida A&M Rattlers.

North Central Florida hugs the Georgia border like a baby hangs onto its mother. In his book "Becalmed In The Mullet Latitudes", Al Burt named this part of the state Florgia.  

The name Florgia still fits after all of these years - half Florida, half Georgia.  

Most of the Florida natives in these counties are descended from early settlers who came down from Georgia and South Carolina after the Civil War. 

They were confederate veterans and sympathizers.  The modern descendants of these early settlers are known for their Southern Hospitality.

It's common when your visit is over for your hostess to say "Y'all come see us again, y'hear?".

This land is still Georgia heritage country. Florgia is the home of the famous Florida Cracker.  When I moved to Florida almost 50 years ago, this region along with Northwest and Northeast Florida, dominated state politics.

A legislator from a lightly populated north Florida county had as much power as one representing millions of people in Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach Counties.

The entire state was controlled by these old-time southern segregationist Democrats.  About 20 of these good ole boys always voted together.  Florida history refers to these folks as "The Pork Chop Gang".  

The gang was good at bringing home the bacon to their small north Florida communities.  North Central Florida heritage and history still honors the names of these old politicians.

By the 1970's enough Yankees had moved to south Florida that the old system crumbled. The Florida legislature passed laws that apportioned seats according to population.  The old days of "one district-one vote" were gone forever. 

The balance of power shifted toward the population centers of south Florida. That's where the power remains today.

Tallahassee is the state capital and the home of the Florida State University Seminoles and the Florida A&M University Rattlers.  

Gainesville is the home of the University of Florida Gators.  An important part of North Central Florida heritage is pride in their nationally ranked football teams.

NORTH CENTRAL FLORIDA HERITAGE SITES

Here is a list of 171 North Central Florida heritage sites in the 16 counties that comprise the region.  The County Seat is also listed. Here's a neat trick for you:  highlight any of the sites below, then right click and it will take you to the site's webpage on the internet.

ALACHUA: Gainesville

  1. Acrosstown Repertory Theater
  2. Alachua County Historical Trust: Matheson Museum
  3. Anderson Hall
  4. Archer Historical Society Railroad Museum
  5. Boulware Springs Waterworks
  6. Bryan Hall
  7. Buckman Hall
  8. City of Alachua Downtown Historic District
  9. Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park
  10. Dudley Farm Historic State Park
  11. Evinston Community Store and Post Office
  12. First Methodist Church
  13. Florida Museum of Natural History
  14. Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail State Park
  15. Griffin-Floyd Hall
  16. Hawthorne Historical Museum and Cultural Center
  17. High Springs Historic District
  18. Hippodrome State Theater
  19. Historic Haile Homestead
  20. Isser and Rae Price Library of Judaica
  21. John F. Seagle Building
  22. Keene-Flint Hall
  23. Lake Pithlachocco Canoe Site
  24. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park
  25. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings House
  26. Masonic Temple
  27. Matheson Historical Center
  28. Melrose Historic District
  29. Micanopy Historic District
  30. Micanopy Historical Society Museum
  31. Newberry Historic District
  32. Newell Hall
  33. Newnansville Town Site
  34. Norman Hall
  35. Northeast Gainesville Residential District
  36. Old Florida Heritage Scenic Highway
  37. Old Gainesville Depot
  38. O'Leno State Park
  39. Payne's Prairie Preserve State Park
  40. Peabody Hall
  41. Pleasant Street Historic District
  42. River Rise Preserve State Park
  43. Rochelle School
  44. Rolfs Hall
  45. San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park
  46. Shady Grove Primitive Baptist Church
  47. Smathers Library
  48. Southeast Gainesville Residential District
  49. Thomas Center
  50. Thomas Hall
  51. University of Florida Police Department Building
  52. University of Florida Campus Historic District
  53. Waldo Historic District
  54. Women's Gymnasium

BRADFORD: Starke

  1. Call Street Historic District
  2. Camp Blanding Museum and Memorial Park
  3. Jones Rosenberg Building (Santa Fe Community College)
  4. Woman's Club of Starke

COLUMBIA: Lake City

  1. Columbia County High School Museum
  2. Columbia County Historical Museum
  3. Falling Creek Methodist Church and Cemetery
  4. Florida Sports Hall of Fame
  5. Fort White Public School Historic District
  6. Goodbread--Black Farms Historic District
  7. Horace Duncan House
  8. Hotel Blanche
  9. Ichetucknee Springs State Park
  10. Lake City Historic Commercial District
  11. Lake Isabella Historic Residential District
  12. Peacock Springs State Park
  13. T.G. Henderson House

DIXIE: Cross City

  1. City of Hawkinsville

GADSDEN: Quincy

  1. City of Quincy - Quincy Main Street
  2. Dr. Malcolm Nicholson Farmhouse
  3. E.B. Shelfer House
  4. Gregory House (Krausland)
  5. Old Philadelphia Presbyterian Church
  6. Planter's Exchange, Inc.
  7. Quincy Historic District
  8. Quincy Library

GILCHRIST: Trenton

HAMILTON: Jasper

  1. Big Shoals State Park
  2. First United Methodist Church
  3. Hamilton County Historical Museum
  4. Main Street Hamilton County
  5. Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park
  6. White Springs Historic District

JEFFERSON: Monticello

  1. Jefferson County Main Street
  2. Lloyd Historic District
  3. Lloyd Women's Club
  4. Monticello High School
  5. Monticello Historic District
  6. Monticello Opera House
  7. Wirick-Simmons House

LAFAYETTE: Mayo

  1. One of the nicest buildings in North Central Florida is the 1908 Lafayette County courthouse. It is not on the State list yet.

LEON: Tallahassee

  1. Alfred B. Maclay Gardens State Park
  2. Black Archives of Florida A & M University
  3. Blackwood-Harwood Plantations Cemetery
  4. Bloxham Building
  5. Bradley's Country Store
  6. Brokaw-McDougall House
  7. Calhoun Street Historic District
  8. Cascades Park
  9. Chaires Community Historic District
  10. David S. Walker Library
  11. Exchange Bank Building
  12. First Presbyterian Church
  13. Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College Historic District
  14. Florida Black Heritage Trail
  15. Florida Cuban Heritage Trail
  16. Florida Jewish Heritage Trail
  17. Florida Women's Heritage Trail
  18. Gallie's Hall and Building
  19. Goodwood
  20. Governor John W. Martin House
  21. John G. Riley Center
  22. Knott House
  23. Lake Jackson Mounds
  24. Lake Talqin State Park
  25. Leon Co. Training and Community Center
  26. Leon High School
  27. Los Robles Gate
  28. Magnolia Heights Historic District
  29. Miccosukee Methodist Church
  30. Mission San Luis de Apalachee
  31. Murat House
  32. Museum of Florida History
  33. Myers Park Historic District
  34. Natural Bridge Battlefield Historic State Park
  35. Old Capitol
  36. Park Ave Historic District
  37. Pisgah United Methodist Church
  38. Roberts Farm Historic and Archeological District
  39. Ruge Hall Episcopal Student Center
  40. Smoky Hollow Historic District
  41. St. John's Episcopal Church
  42. Tall Timbers Plantation
  43. Tallahassee - St. Marks Historic Railroad Trail State Park
  44. Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science
  45. Temple Israel
  46. The Columns
  47. Union Bank Building
  48. Woman's Club of Tallahassee

LEVY: Bronson

  1. Cedar Key Historical Museum
  2. Cedar Key Museum State Park
  3. Cedar Key Scrub State Preserve
  4. Cedar Keys Lighthouse
  5. Citizen's Bank
  6. Fanning Springs State Park
  7. Island Hotel and Restaurant
  8. Manatee Springs State Park
  9. Nature Coast Trail State Park
  10. Stump Pass Beach State Park
  11. Waccasassa Bay Preserve State Park

MADISON: Madison

  1. First Baptist Church
  2. St. Mary's Episcopal Church
  3. Wardlaw-Smith House

SUWANNEE: Live Oak

  1. Live Oak Police Department
  2. Suwanee County Courthouse
  3. Suwanee County Historical Museum
  4. Suwannee River State Park

TAYLOR: Perry

  1. Econfina River State Park
  2. Forest Capital Museum State Park
  3. Main Street Perry
  4. Old Perry Post Office
  5. Old Taylor County Jail

UNION: Lake Butler

  1. Townsend Building

WAKULLA: Crawfordville

  1. Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park and Lodge
  2. Fort San Marcos de Apalache
  3. Ochlocknee River State Park
  4. Old Sopchoppy High School Gymnasium
  5. Old Wakulla County Courthouse
  6. Sopchoppy School
  7. St. Marks Lighthouse

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NORTHEAST FLORIDA HISTORY

Northeast Florida heritage and history is unique and will be on your mind as you drive the beautiful beaches and old towns. 

In addition to tourism, the area also has a solid industrial base and a lot of insurance company jobs.

Jacksonville is sometimes known as "The Hartford of The South" because so many insurance companies are headquartered here.

This diverse economy means that tourism is not the only game in town.

Northeast Florida is divided from Georgia by the St. Marys River. There are 7 counties in northeast Florida. The western counties are rural, but the region is crowned by Jacksonville, one of Florida's major cities.

Jacksonville is called by some the "Capital of South Georgia" because so many of its residents come from the pineywoods farms and towns around Waycross, Baxley, Valdosta and other south Georgia communities. 

The resulting Northeast Florida heritage is southern.  Jacksonville, for example, has a Confederate Park and many memorials around town to the "Lost Cause".

Fernandina Beach is on the north end of Amelia Island. This town is the northernmost in Florida. It was booming long before Jacksonville was even on the map. 

Senator David Yulee built a railroad from Fernandina Beach to Cedar Key. This was years before Henry Flagler extended his railroad down the east coast changing St. Augustine history forever.

Fernandina and St. Marys across the river in Georgia each have thriving shrimping industries.  

Like the Floribama beaches, Fernandina Beach is also known as the "redneck riviera" for the multitudes of vacationing south Georgians. Summer is the tourist season in north Florida.

Amelia Island is one of the large barrier islands along the coast known as the Golden Isles. Cumberland Island and Jekyll Island to the north are in Georgia. They are part of this chain of isles noted for their beautiful beaches and forested sand dunes. 

State Road A1A is the main travel route from north to south on Amelia Island. You will get to take the car ferry from Ft. George Island across the St. Johns River to the fishing village of Mayport.

Amelia Island is unique in Florida history.  It is the only place in the United States to have been under 8 different flags: French, Spanish, British, American Patriots, Green Cross of Florida, Mexican, Confederate and United States. 

Northeast Florida heritage includes touches of many of these cultures.

Amelia Island Plantation is a beautiful resort and residential community. It was one of the first modern developments to be designed in harmony with nature. Like many innovative projects, the original developer went broke.

The annual Florida-Georgia football game is played in Jacksonville each year. It was picked because it is about halfway between Athens, Georgia, and Gainesville, Florida.  It is one of the most important pageants in Florida history.

Jacksonville offers some locational neutrality. University of Florida and University of Georgia fans get very emotional about their teams. It's like the Civil War: cousins against cousins. 

The annual gathering of the fans for this event is known as "the world's largest outdoor cocktail party".

Gator and Bulldog fans still use this moniker even though alcohol has been banned from the stadium itself in recent years.  Once you're in the stadium it's hard to tell which Cracker fan is who without the school colors.

Gators wear orange and blue, Dawgs wear red and black.

No trip to Northeast Florida is complete without a visit to St. Augustine. America's oldest continually occupied city, it is an unbelievable mixture of past and present. 

In one sense, it is as Southern as any small north Florida town. It has always been the center of commerce for the little farms in St. Johns, Flagler, and southern Duval Counties.

On the other hand, it is loaded with an eclectic combination of gaudy tourist attractions standing side by side with authentic old Spanish structures nearly 450 years old.  It is a unique place.

I first visited it in 1960 while on weekend liberty from my ship in Jacksonville. I stayed in a small boarding house.  That same boarding house is still there in 2018, but is now a trendy bed and breakfast. 

The thing about Northeast Florida heritage is that although it changes, it stays the same in many respects.

NORTHEAST FLORIDA HERITAGE SITES

Here are the 141 Northeast Florida heritage sites listed in the 7 counties of the region.  The County Seat is also listed.  Here's a neat trick for you:  highlight any of the sites below, then right click and it will take you to the site's webpage on the internet.

BAKER: Macclenny

  1. Emily Taber Public Library
  2. Olustee Battlefield Historic State Park

CLAY: Green Cove Springs

  1. Clay County Historical and Railroad Museum
  2. Green Cove Springs Historic District
  3. Memorial Home Community Historic District
  4. Middleburg Historic District
  5. Middleburg Historical Museum
  6. Middleburg United Methodist Church
  7. Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park
  8. Neighborhood Service Center
  9. Orange Park Elementary
  10. River Road Historic District
  11. St. Margaret's Episcopal Church and Cemetery
  12. St. Mary Church
  13. Winterbourne on the St. John's

DUVAL: Jacksonville

  1. Amelia Island State Park
  2. Atlantic National Bank Annex
  3. Avondale Historic District
  4. Beaches Area Historical Society and Pablo Historical Park
  5. Bethel Baptist Institutional Church
  6. Big Talbot Island State Park
  7. Buckman and Ulmer Building
  8. Casa Marina Hotel and Restaurant
  9. Centennial Hall at Edward Waters College
  10. Church of the Immaculate Conception
  11. City Hall - St. James Building
  12. Dyal-Upchurch Building
  13. El Modelo Block
  14. Elks Club Building
  15. Florida Baptist Building
  16. Florida Public Defenders' Office
  17. Florida Theatre
  18. Fort Caroline National Memorial
  19. Fort George Island Cultural State Park
  20. G. Howard Bryan Museum of Southern History
  21. Jacksonville Maritime Museum Society, Inc.
  22. Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum
  23. Kingsley Plantation
  24. Lewis Mausoleum
  25. Little Talbot Island State Park
  26. Maple Leaf
  27. Masonic Temple
  28. Morocco Temple
  29. Mount Zion AME Church
  30. Museum of City Fire of 1901
  31. Museum of Science and History
  32. Nassau Sound Fishing Pier State Park
  33. Plaza Hotel
  34. Ribault Clubhouse
  35. Riverside Baptist Church
  36. Riverside Historic District
  37. S. Atlantic Investment Corporation Building
  38. San Jose Estates Gatehouse
  39. Scenic and Historic A1A Scenic Highway
  40. Sojourner Truth Library Museum
  41. Springfield Historic District
  42. St. Andrew's Episcopal Church
  43. St. John's Lighthouse
  44. The Ritz Theatre and LaVilla Museum
  45. The Walter Jones Store and Museum
  46. Theatre Jacksonville
  47. Thomas V. Porter House
  48. Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve
  49. Title & Trust Co. of Fl. Building
  50. Village Store
  51. Woman's Club of Jacksonville
  52. Yellow Bluff Fort
  53. Yellow Bluff Fort Historic State Park
  54. Young Men's Hebrew Association

FLAGLER: Bunnell

  1. A1A Ocean Shore Scenic Highway
  2. A1A River to Sea Trail Scenic Highway
  3. Bulow Plantation Ruins
  4. Bulow Plantation Ruins Historic State Park
  5. Florida Agricultural Museum
  6. Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach
  7. Marine Studios
  8. Princess Place Preserve
  9. Scenic and Historic A1A Scenic Highway
  10. Washington Oaks Gardens State Park

NASSAU: Fernandina Beach

  1. Amelia Island Museum of History
  2. American Beach Historic District
  3. Fernandina Beach Historic District
  4. Fort Clinch
  5. Fort Clinch State Park
  6. Merrick Simmons House
  7. Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church
  8. Old Town of Fernandina Historic Site

PUTNAM: Palatka

  1. Bostwick Community Center
  2. Bronson Mulholland House
  3. Crescent City Historic District
  4. Interlachen Hall
  5. Melrose Historic District
  6. Melrose Woman's Club
  7. Mount Royal
  8. Palatka Main Street
  9. Palatka North Historic District
  10. Palatka Ravine Gardens Historic District
  11. Palatka South Historic District
  12. Palatka's Historic Union Depot
  13. Putnam Historic Museum
  14. Ravine Gardens State Park
  15. St. Marks Episcopal Church
  16. Welaka Maritime Museum

ST. JOHNS: St. Augustine

  1. Abbott Tract Historic District
  2. Anastasia State Park
  3. Bridge of Lions
  4. Castillo De San Marcos National Monument
  5. Cathedral of St. Augustine
  6. Colonial Spanish Quarter
  7. Faver-Dykes State Park
  8. Fort Matanzas National Monument
  9. Government House
  10. Grace United Methodist Church
  11. Guana River State Park
  12. Lightner Museum
  13. Lincolnville Historic District
  14. Llambias House
  15. Markland House
  16. Model Land Company Historic District
  17. Museum of Weapons and Early American History
  18. Old Jail Museum
  19. Oldest House Museum
  20. Pena-Peck House
  21. Ponce de Leon Hall
  22. Rodriguez-Avero-Sanchez House
  23. Sanchez Powder House Site
  24. Scenic and Historic A1A Scenic Highway
  25. Second Fort Mose Site
  26. Segui/ Kirby Smith House
  27. Shell Bluff Landing
  28. Solla-Carcaba Cigar Factory
  29. Spanish Coquina Quarries
  30. St. Augustine Alligator Farm Historic District
  31. St. Augustine Lighthouse and Museum
  32. St. Augustine Town Plan Historic District
  33. St. Photios Greek Shrine
  34. Villa Zorayda
  35. Walker House
  36. World Golf Hall of Fame
  37. Xavier Lopez House
  38. Ximenez-Fatio House

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CENTRAL EAST FLORIDA HISTORY

Central East Florida heritage and history is an intriguing blend of Old Florida and the high tech space age.  

The area began to attract settlers in the years immediately following the end of the Civil War in 1865.   Prior to that, it was pretty much a "no man's land".

The beginning of the space age was at Cape Canaveral in the early 1950's. The heritage is still being made with the space program in Brevard County and the racing legends at Daytona Speedway.

This heritage is shared by all 5 counties in this region. Each county has its fair share of sites that are an important part of Florida heritage and history.

Early settlements were in Ormond, Titusville, Cocoa, EauGallie, Melbourne, Sebastian and Fort Pierce.  In those early days, life revolved around the Indian River Lagoon.

Fishing provided a livelihood, and the communities were tied together by riverboat transportation in the years before the railroad.

Henry Flagler began extending his railroad south from St. Augustine, and one by one most of these little towns were served by the railroad and began to grow.

The area includes a great diversity of towns and attractions. It starts in the north with Daytona Beach and its International Speedway and world famous beaches. 

It's center is anchored by Cape Kennedy. The Space Age exists contentedly among the old Florida towns of Titusville, Cocoa and Melbourne.

CENTRAL EAST FLORIDA HERITAGE SITES

Here is a list of 141 Central East Florida heritage sites listed by county. The County Seat is also listed.  Here's a neat trick for you:  highlight any of the sites below, then right click and it will take you to the site's webpage on the internet.

BREVARD: Titusville

  1. Alma Clyde Field Library of Florida History
  2. American Police Museum and Hall of Fame
  3. Barton Avenue Residential District
  4. Brevard Museum of History and Science
  5. Cape Canaveral Air Force Station
  6. Central Instrumentation Building
  7. Cocoa Main Street
  8. Cocoa Village Playhouse
  9. Community Chapel of Melbourne Beach
  10. Crawlerway
  11. Downtown Melbourne Association
  12. Grant General Store
  13. Headquarters Building
  14. Hotel Mims
  15. Indian River Lagoon Scenic Highway
  16. Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex
  17. LaGrange Church and Cemetery
  18. Launch Complex 39
  19. Launch Complex 39, Pad A
  20. Launch Complex 39, Pad B
  21. Launch Control Center
  22. Liberty Bell Memorial Museum
  23. McLarty Treasure Museum
  24. Melbourne Beach Pier
  25. Missile Crawler Transporter Facilities
  26. Old Haulover Canal
  27. Operations and Checkout Building
  28. Porcher House
  29. Press Site--Clock and Flag Pole
  30. Rockledge Drive Residential District
  31. Sebastian Fishing Museum
  32. Sebastian Inlet State Park
  33. St. Gabriel's Episcopal Church
  34. St. Joseph's Catholic Church
  35. St. Luke's Episcopal Church and Cemetery
  36. Titusville Commercial District
  37. Valencia Subdivision Residential District
  38. Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum
  39. Vehicle Assembly Building, High Bay and Low Bay

INDIAN RIVER: Vero Beach

  1. City Hall - City of Sebastian Offices
  2. Driftwood Resort
  3. Indian River Citrus Museum Heritage Center
  4. Indian River County Courthouse
  5. Indian River Lagoon Scenic Highway
  6. Laura Riding Jackson Home Preservation Foundation
  7. Maher Building
  8. Main Street Vero Beach
  9. Marion Fell Library
  10. McKee Botanical Garden
  11. Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge
  12. Pueblo Arcade
  13. Royal Park Arcade
  14. Spanish Fleet Survivors & Salvors Camp Site
  15. Vero Beach Railroad Station
  16. Vero Beach Woman's Club

OKEECHOBEE: Okeechobee

  1. Kissimmee Prairie Preserve State Park
  2. Okeechobee Battlefield

ST. LUCIE: Fort Pierce

  1. Arcade Building
  2. Cresthaven
  3. Fort Pierce Inlet State Park
  4. Fort Pierce Magnet School of the Arts
  5. Fort Pierce Site
  6. Ft. Pierce Main Street, Inc.
  7. Heathcote Botanical Gardens
  8. Moores Creek Bridge
  9. Old Fort Pierce City Hall
  10. St. Lucie County Historical Museum
  11. St. Lucie Village Historic District
  12. UDT Seal Museum
  13. Urca de Lima

VOLUSIA: Deland

  1. African American Museum of the Arts
  2. All Saints Episcopal Church
  3. Amos Kling House
  4. Bethune-Cookman College Historic District
  5. Black Heritage Museum
  6. Blue Spring State Park
  7. Bulow Creek State Park
  8. Canaveral National Seashore
  9. City Island
  10. Connor Library History Museum
  11. Coronado Historic District
  12. Cypress Street Elementary School
  13. Daytona Beach Bandshell
  14. Daytona Beach Partnership
  15. Daytona Beach Surfside Historic District
  16. DeBary Hall Historic Site
  17. DeLand Hall
  18. DeLand Memorial Hospital Museums
  19. DeLand Naval Air Station Museum
  20. DeLeon Springs State Park
  21. Dickinson Memorial Library and Park
  22. Downtown DeLand Historic District
  23. Dunlawton Ave Historic District
  24. El Pino Parque Historic District
  25. Fred Dana Marsh Museum
  26. Gamble Place Historic District
  27. Grace Episcopal Church and Guild Hall
  28. Halifax Drive Historic District
  29. Halifax Historical Museum
  30. Holly Hill Municipal Building
  31. Hontoon Island State Park
  32. Howard Thurman House
  33. Jackie Robinson Ball Park
  34. Lake Helen Historic District
  35. Lippincott Mansion
  36. Main Street DeLand Association
  37. Mary McLeod Bethune Home
  38. Moulton Wells House
  39. Museum of Arts and Sciences and Center for Florida History
  40. New Smyrna Beach Historic District
  41. New Smyrna Museum of History
  42. New Smyrna Sugar Mill Ruins
  43. Nocoroco
  44. Orange City Town Hall
  45. Ormond Beach Community Enrichment Center
  46. Ormond Beach Main Street, Inc.
  47. Ormond Beach Woman's Club
  48. Pioneer Settlement for the Creative Arts
  49. Ponce de Leon Inlet Light Station
  50. Port Orange F.E.C. Railway Freight Station
  51. Rogers House
  52. Ross Hammock Site
  53. S. Cornelia Young Memorial Library
  54. S.H. Kress and Co. Building
  55. Seabreeze Historic District
  56. Seabreeze United Church
  57. Seminole Rest
  58. South Beach Street Historic District
  59. South Peninsula Historic District
  60. Southern Cassadaga Spiritualist Historic District
  61. Southwest Daytona Beach Black Heritage District
  62. Spruce Creek Mound Complex
  63. Stetson University Campus Historic District
  64. Sugarmill Botanical Gardens
  65. Thursby House
  66. Tomoka State Park
  67. Turtle Mound
  68. U.S. Post Office
  69. West DeLand Residential District
  70. White Hall - Bethune-Cookman College
  71. Woman's Club of New Smyrna

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CENTRAL FLORIDA HISTORY

Central Florida heritage and history begins with the early native Americans who dwelled in the area 12,000 years ago. 

Central Florida felt the impact of three separate wars between the United States and the Seminole Indians.  These wars were:

First Seminole War:        1816-1819

Second Seminole War:   1835-1842

Third Seminole War:      1855-1858

The forts built during the Seminole wars gave their names to many of the settlements in Central Florida.  Fort King is now Ocala, Fort Gatlin is now Orlando, Fort Pierce is still Fort Pierce.

Fort Drum, Fort Christmas, Fort Ogden, Fort Meade and other old forts are now either small villages or just place names in Florida history.  They are still a large part of Central Florida heritage.

Many of the early settlers in Central Florida were pioneers who came down from Georgia and the Carolinas after the Civil War. The next big wave of people came after World War Two. 

The first settlers began arriving in Central Florida in the years just after the final Seminole War in 1858 through the end of the Civil War and Reconstruction in 1877.

These early Florida residents were the ancestors of the Florida Cracker.

Many of the pioneers began to homestead and start ranches in the prairie lands around Kissimmee, St. Cloud, Orlando and Ocala. 

In later years, they and other settlers planted citrus.  Central Florida was the citrus and cattle capital of the world during the "Golden Era" of 1875 to 1895.

The area led the world in citrus production until several freezes and epidemics of citrus canker devastated the groves and pushed the operations further south.  

At one time Kissimmee was connected to the Gulf of Mexico near Fort Myers by a navigable waterway. 

Ships traveled along the Kissimmee River to Lake Okeechobee and west through the Caloosahatchee River.  Kissimmee was a large port with many passenger and freight ships stopping by on a regular basis.

Cattle and citrus were shipped out to ports around the world.

The Central Florida heritage of the cowboy is still very evident today in St. Cloud and Kissimmee.  The annual Silver Spurs rodeo event is still a huge happening in these Central Florida Cracker towns.

The rural nature of Central Florida began to change when Martin Marietta built a huge defense plant in Orlando in the 1950's. The next big change was the development of Canaveral Air Station and Kennedy Space Center in Brevard County. 

These two projects had major impacts on Orlando's population.  These huge endeavors are now part of Central Florida heritage.

The biggest changes of all came when Walt Disney World opened in October 1971.

The population boomed and so did the traffic problems. The success of Disney encouraged other competitors to join in the fun and profit. 

Central Florida is now the location of the largest theme parks in Florida. Florida travel for most tourists includes visits to Walt Disney World, Universal Studios Florida and SeaWorld.

Central Florida heritage and history takes place in 9 counties that sprawl along the high sand ridge that is Florida's spine.  This ridge was the beach in ancient times, and its surface is made of old rolling sand dunes. 

This large region starts between Ocala and Gainesville in the north, and extends south to the citrus country around Lake Placid and Sebring.

Ocala's rolling hills and pastures are known for producing some of the finest thoroughbred horses in the world. A wonderful Central Florida travel experience is to drive among the horse farms that surround Ocala.

The center part of this region, around Orlando and Clermont, was the citrus capital of the state until a big freeze changed things forever.

Devastating freezes in Central Florida in the early 1980's destroyed many thousands of acres of groves. These old grove lands have been replaced in many cases by modern subdivisions.

Florida history has abundant examples of ghost towns that thrived until their underlying resources were gone.  Citrus and cypress boom towns are two examples. 

Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, SeaWorld and the other attractions transformed the area around Orlando into the sun and fun capital of the world.

Although Central Florida thrives on tourism, it is also the agricultural center of Florida. 

Oranges, grapefruit, tangerines, watermelon, peppers, tomatoes, celery and watercress are all grown in this area along the ridge and in the adjacent flatlands and valleys.

Not so far south of Orlando you can still see cowboys at work in the vast pastures that range all the way down to Holopaw, Yeehaw Junction and beyond. 

These cowboys are a living reminder of Central Florida heritage.

Even with the population explosion around Orlando, the rural regions south of Kissimmee and St. Cloud still enjoy some of the quietest places in Florida.

Orlando straddles I-4 and is the central anchor to the fast growing I-4 corridor. It is the major city in Central Florida.  Since it is near the center of the State, many Floridians think it should be the state capital instead of Tallahassee.

US-27 is a major north-south four lane highway that meanders along the ridge part of the region. This is where some of the major citrus groves are located.

The major tourist attractions in Orlando put a tremendous traffic load on I-4 and US-27.  There are plenty of back roads in Orange County and surrounding counties that will help you avoid the traffic. 

Don't be afraid to explore and learn more about Central Florida heritage.

CENTRAL FLORIDA HERITAGE SITES

Here is a list of 182 Central Florida heritage sites listed by county. The County Seat is also listed.  You can use the Google search feature to find out more about each of these sites.  The way the search feature works is you highlight the item on the list, then right click your mouse and it gives you a link to Google for the item.  Try it, you'll like it.

HARDEE: Wauchula

  1. Main Street Wauchula
  2. Paynes CreekHistoric State Park

HIGHLANDS: Sebring

  1. Archbold Biological Station
  2. Avon Park Depot Museum
  3. Avon Park Historic District
  4. Highlands County Courthouse
  5. Highlands Hammock State Park
  6. Kenilworth Lodge
  7. Old Lake Placid ACL Railroad Depot
  8. Old Sebring Seaboard Airline Depot
  9. Sebring Downtown Historic District
  10. Sebring Fire Station
  11. South Florida Community College Museum of Florida Art & Culture

LAKE: Tavares

  1. Antique Boat Museum
  2. Bowers Bluff Middens Archaeological District
  3. Clermont Main Street, Inc.
  4. Clermont Women's Club
  5. Clifford House
  6. Eustis Historic Museum
  7. Eustis Main Street, Inc.
  8. Ferran Park and the Alice B. McClelland Bandshell
  9. First United Methodist Church
  10. General James A. Van Fleet Trail State Park
  11. Holy Trinity Episcopal Church
  12. Kimball Island Midden Arcaheological Site
  13. Lake County Courthouse
  14. Lake Griffin State Park
  15. Lake Louisa State Park
  16. Lakeside Inn
  17. Lee Educational Center
  18. Leesburg Downtown Partnership
  19. Mote-Morris House
  20. Mount Dora Chamber of Commerce
  21. Mount Dora Lodge # 238, F&AM
  22. Royellou Museum
  23. Women's Club of Eustis

MARION: Ocala

  1. Belleview City Hall
  2. Citra United Methodist Church
  3. Coca Cola Bottling Plant
  4. Don Garlits Museum of Drag Racing and Museum of Classic Automobiles
  5. Dunnellon Boomtown Historic District
  6. Dunnellon Main Street
  7. Kerr City Historic District
  8. Lake Lillian Neighborhood Historic District
  9. Marion County Museum of History
  10. Marion Hotel
  11. McIntosh Historic District
  12. McPherson Government Complex
  13. Mount Zion AME Church
  14. Ocala Amtrack Station
  15. Ocala Historic Commercial District
  16. Ocala Historic District
  17. Old Fessenden Academy Historic District
  18. Orange Springs Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery
  19. Rainbow Springs State Park
  20. Ritz Historic Inn
  21. Silver River Museum and Environmental Education Center
  22. Silver River State Park
  23. Tuscawilla Park Historic District
  24. West Ocala Historic District

ORANGE: Orlando

  1. Albin Polasek House and Studio
  2. All Saints Episcopal Church
  3. Annie Russell Theatre
  4. Apopka Historical Society
  5. Cal Palmer Memorial Building
  6. Carroll Building
  7. Central Florida Railroad Museum
  8. Cornell Fine Arts Museum
  9. Eatonville Historic District
  10. Fort Christmas Historical Park
  11. Griffin Park Historic District
  12. Harry P. Leu Gardens
  13. Holocaust Memorial Resource and Education Center of Central Florida
  14. Knowles Memorial Chapel
  15. Lake Eola Heights Historic District
  16. Lower Wekiva River Preserve State Park
  17. Maitland Art Center
  18. Maitland Historical Society and Museums
  19. Moseley House
  20. Nehrling Gardens and Museum
  21. Ocoee Christian Church
  22. Old Orlando Railroad Depot
  23. Orange County Regional History Center
  24. Rock Springs Run State Reserve
  25. Rogers Building
  26. Ryan Brothers, Inc.
  27. St. George Greek Orthodox Church
  28. Tinker Building
  29. Tosohatchee State Reserve
  30. Wekiwa Springs State Park
  31. Well'sBuilt Museum of African American History and Culture
  32. Windermere Town Hall
  33. Winter Garden Downtown Historic District
  34. Winter Garden Historic Residential District
  35. Winter Park Historical Association and Museum
  36. Withers-Maguire House Museum
  37. Woman's Club of Winter Park
  38. Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts

OSCEOLA: Kissimmee

  1. Desert Inn
  2. First United Methodist Church
  3. Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Hall
  4. Kissimmee Historic District
  5. Old Holy Redeemer Catholic Church
  6. Osceola County Courthouse
  7. Osceola County Historical Museum and Pioneer Enrichment Center
  8. St. Cloud Main Street, Inc.

POLK: Bartow

  1. Auburndale Chamber - Mainstreet
  2. Babson Park Woman's Club
  3. Bartow Downtown Commercial District
  4. Baynard House Museum
  5. Beacon Hill-Alta Vista Residential District
  6. Christ Church
  7. City of Lake Wales
  8. Clay Cut Centre
  9. Cleveland Court Elementary School
  10. Community Service Center of N.E. Polk County
  11. Davenport Historic District
  12. Dixieland Historic District
  13. Downtown Bartow
  14. Downtown Haines City Commercial District
  15. Downtown Winter Haven Historic District
  16. Dundee Depot Museum
  17. East Lake Morton Residential District
  18. First Baptist Church
  19. Florida Air Museum
  20. Florida Citrus Showcase
  21. Florida Southern College Architectural District
  22. Fort Meade Historic District
  23. Frostproof City Hall
  24. Frostproof Historical Society and Museum
  25. Grand Hotel
  26. Haines City Main Street
  27. Henley Field Ball Park
  28. Historic Bok Sanctuary
  29. Homeland Heritage Park
  30. Interlaken Historic Residential District
  31. Lake Kissimmee State Park
  32. Lake Mirror Promenade
  33. Lake of the Hills Community Club
  34. Lake Wales Art Center
  35. Lake Wales Commercial Historic District
  36. Lake Wales Historic Residential District
  37. Landmark Baptist College
  38. Lawton Chiles Middle Academy
  39. Main Street Winter Haven, Inc.
  40. Mobile Museum of Polk County
  41. Mountain Lake Estates Residential District
  42. Mulberry Phosphate Museum
  43. Munn Park Historic District
  44. North Avenue Historic District
  45. Northeast Bartow Residential District
  46. Oates Building
  47. Old Lake Wales City Hall
  48. Pinewood Estate
  49. Polk County Historical Museum
  50. Polk Theatre and Office Building
  51. Pope Avenue Historic District
  52. Roosevelt Academy
  53. South Bartow Residential District
  54. South Lake Morton Historic District
  55. St. Mark's Episcopal Church
  56. The Depot: Lake Wales Museum and Cultural Center
  57. Water Ski Hall of Fame
  58. West Area Adult School
  59. Winston Elementary
  60. Winter Haven Heights Historic Residential District
  61. Woman's Club of Winter Haven

SEMINOLE: Sanford

  1. Bradlee-McIntyre House
  2. Florida Hotel
  3. Geneva Museum and Historical Society
  4. Geneva School House and Rural Heritage Center
  5. Helen Stairs Theatre for the Performing Arts
  6. Longwood Historic District
  7. Museum of Seminole County History
  8. Nelson and Company Historic District
  9. Sanford Commercial District
  10. Sanford Main Street, Inc.
  11. Sanford Museum
  12. Sanford Residential Historic District
  13. Seminole County Student Museum, Center for the Social Studies
  14. St. James AME Church

SUMTER: Bushnell

  1. Dade Battlefield Historic Memorial
  2. Dade Battlefield Historic State Park

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CENTRAL WEST FLORIDA HISTORY

Central West Florida heritage and history begins with the early native Americans who dwelled in the area 12,000 years ago.  

Most of these ancient tribes disappeared after the arrival of the Spanish in the 1500's.

Florida history is full of articles about Henry Flagler and his extension of the Florida East Coast Railway from St. Augustine all the way down to Key West. 

Henry Plant is not as well known to Florida history, but he had a similar impact on the development in this other coast of Florida and he is an important part of Central West Florida heritage and history.

Tampa was a small fishing village on the Hillsborough River when Plant's railroad came to town in the 1880's.  He built the Tampa Bay Hotel between 1888 and 1891.

The hotel was designed to surpass all other grand winter resorts. At a cost of $3 million, the 511-room giant rose to a flamboyant height of five stories, surrounded by ornate Victorian gingerbread and topped by Moorish minarets, domes and cupolas.

During the Spanish American War, the U.S. Army used the facilities as a staging area for the invasion of Cuba.

Among the soldiers who stayed there was future American president Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders.  Florida history and American history quite often intersect like this.

The Tampa Bay Hotel is now the home of the University of Tampa and the visible centerpiece of Central West Florida heritage .

In addition to Tampa, Central West Florida heritage and history includes the populated areas of St. Petersburg, Clearwater and Sarasota.

This region of Florida has 8 counties, ranging from rural Desoto County to Hillsborough and Pinellas Counties. Some of these are the most rural and culturally southern areas remaining in the state.

It is also known as the western part of the I-4 Corridor. Tampa, Orlando and Daytona Beach are all growing toward each other along this corridor.

Some day it will probably all resemble one big city just as south Florida does along I-95 from West Palm Beach to south of Miami.

Central West Florida is a very urban region with large populations in Tampa and St. Petersburg. With Busch Gardens in Tampa and with Orlando only an hour or less away, this area is also a rival to Miami and Orlando in the Florida tourism industry. 

Like Central Florida, the region also has vast agricultural operations. Groves and farms predominate in the eastern part of the region away from the coast.

Central West Florida heritage is culturally diverse. The northern and eastern counties are rural and more southern. Brooksville has a statue of a confederate soldier in front of the City Hall.

Cowboys with Stetson hats and hand rolled cigarettes can still be found around town in Arcadia.

Central West Florida heritage in Tampa includes the Cuban cigar industry that flourished here more than 100 years ago.

Ybor City, named after Cuban cigar king Vicente Martinez Ybor, is a working neighborhood with fine lodging and restaurants.

The southern part of Central West Florida -Sarasota, Bradenton and Venice - is culturally more like the American midwest than the rest of Florida. Cattle and farm fields sprawl across the landscape.

Before the interstate highways, US-41 fed transplants into west coast Florida from Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Ohio, Illinois and Minnesota. Their New England counterparts took US-1 down the east coast to Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade Counties.

My grandparents retired to Venice in 1962. They drove down from Indiana in their beat up 1953 Chevy BelAir. US-41 was the way they came.

I guess my Hoosier grandparents were part of Florida history. I guess we all are because the State has changed so fast and most of us Floridians are from someplace else.

Until recent years, it was rare to hear a New York or Boston brogue in Central West or Southwest Florida. That all changed after the completion of I-75 and I-95.

The completion of those major interstate highways made it easier for people up north to escape the snow and drive to either coast.

The New England brogue is now showing up in Central West Florida. The Midwestern twang is also now more common in East Central and Southeast Florida than before the new interstate highways.

Florida has always been the melting pot of the United States. That is the Central West Florida heritage as well.

Fishing is a Central West Florida heritage that binds people together from all parts of the world. Each region of Florida has its own best fishing spots, both fresh and salt water.

The beach communities west of St. Pete are staging points for a lot of great charter fishing.

CENTRAL WEST FLORIDA HERITAGE SITES

Here is a list of 225 Central West Florida heritage sites listed by county. The County Seat is also listed.  Here's a neat trick for you:  highlight any of the sites below, then right click and it will take you to the site's webpage on the internet.

CITRUS: Inverness

  1. Crystal River Archaeological State Park
  2. Crystal River Indian Mounds
  3. Fort Cooper
  4. Fort Cooper State Park
  5. Historic Hernando School
  6. Homosassa Springs Wildlife State Park
  7. Museum of Citrus County History - Old City Hall
  8. The Old Courthouse Heritage Museum
  9. Withlacoochee Trail State Park
  10. Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins
  11. Yulee Sugar Mill Ruins Historic State Park

DESOTO: Arcadia

  1. Arcadia Historic District

HERNANDO: Brooksville

  1. May-Stringer Heritage Museum
  2. South Brooksville Avenue Historic District

HILLSBOROUGH: Tampa

  1. 22nd Street South Redevelopment Corp.
  2. Alafia River State Park
  3. American Victory Mariners Memorial and Museum Ship
  4. Bay Isle Commercial Building
  5. Camp Bayou Nature Preserve
  6. Centro Asturiano de Tampa
  7. Cigar Maker's House Museum
  8. Cracker Country at the Florida State Fairgrounds
  9. Downtown Plant City Commercial District
  10. Downtown Plant City Historic Residential District
  11. Egmont Key State Park
  12. El Centro Espanol of Tampa
  13. El Circulo Cubano de Tampa
  14. El Pasaje Building
  15. Federal Building US Courthouse
  16. Floridan Hotel
  17. Fort Foster
  18. Glover School Site
  19. Grand Central District
  20. Hampton Terrace Historic District
  21. Hillsborough River State Park
  22. Hillsborough State Bank Building
  23. Historic Turkey Creek High School
  24. Hutchinson House
  25. Hyde Park Historic Districts
  26. Kress Building
  27. Little Manatee River State Park
  28. Main Street Zephyrhills, Inc.
  29. Masonic Temple # 25
  30. North Franklin Street Historic District
  31. North Plant City Residential District
  32. Old Lutz Elementary School
  33. Old Schoolhouse
  34. Old Tampa Free Public Library
  35. Old Union Depot Hotel
  36. Pioneer Village Museum
  37. Plant City High School Community Center
  38. Plant City Union Depot
  39. Plant Hall at University of Tampa
  40. Quintilla Geer Bruton Archives Center
  41. Ruskin Women's Club
  42. Seminole Heights Residential District
  43. St. James House of Prayer Episcopal Church
  44. Standard Oil Service Station
  45. Taliaferro House
  46. Tampa Bay History Center
  47. Tampa City Hall
  48. Tampa Heights Historic District
  49. Tampa Police Memorial
  50. Tampa Theatre
  51. Tampania House
  52. Union Railroad Station
  53. West Tampa Historic District
  54. William E. Curtis House
  55. Ybor City Historic District
  56. Ybor City Main Street
  57. Ybor City Museum State Park
  58. Ybor Factory Building

MANATEE: Bradenton

  1. Anna Maria Island Historical Museum
  2. Beth Salem
  3. Braden Castle Park Historic District
  4. Bradenton Beach Scenic Highway
  5. Bradenton Carnegie Library
  6. Cortez Historic District
  7. De Soto National Memorial
  8. Family Heritage House
  9. First Manatee County Courthouse
  10. Florida Gulf Coast Railroad Museum, Inc.
  11. Gamble Plantation Historic State Park
  12. Lake Manatee State Park
  13. Madira Bickel Mound State Archaeological Site
  14. Manatee Village Historic Park
  15. Midway Subdivision Historic District
  16. Palmetto Historic District
  17. Portavant Temple Mound at Emerson Point Park
  18. Robert Gamble House/ Judah P. Benjamin Confederate Memorial
  19. Seagate
  20. Shaw's Point Archaeological District
  21. South Florida Museum
  22. Whitfield Estates -- Broughton Street Historic District
  23. Whitfield Estates Lantana Avenue Historic District
  24. Women's Club of Palmetto

PASCO: Dade City

  1. Amtrack Station
  2. Baker House Museum
  3. Church Street Historic District
  4. Downtown Dade City Main Street
  5. Greater New Port Richey Main Street, Inc.
  6. Hacienda Hotel
  7. Jeffries House
  8. Pasco Fine Arts Council and Center
  9. Pioneer Florida Museum and Village
  10. St. Leo Abbey Historic District
  11. Werner-Boyce Salt Springs State Park
  12. West Pasco Historical Society Museum and Library
  13. Zephyrhills Depot Museum
  14. Zephyrhills Downtown Historic District

PINELLAS: Clearwater

  1. Alexander Hotel
  2. Anclote Key Lighthouse
  3. Anclote Key State Park
  4. Andrews Memorial Chapel
  5. Arcade Hotel
  6. Belleview-Biltmore Hotel
  7. Boone House
  8. Caladesi Island State Park
  9. City Hall and Tarpon Springs Performing Arts Center
  10. City Hall Annex
  11. Clearwater Main Street Joint Venture
  12. Cleveland Street Post Office
  13. County Courthouse and Administration Building
  14. Don Ce Sar Resort and Spa
  15. Downtown Largo Main Steet Association
  16. Duchess
  17. Dunedin Historical Society
  18. First United Methodist Church of St. Petersburg
  19. Florida Holocaust Museum
  20. Florida International Museum
  21. Fort De Soto Batteries
  22. George N. Cretekos
  23. Green-Richman Arcade
  24. Gulfport Historical Museum
  25. Harbor Oaks Residential District
  26. Historic Sunken Gardens
  27. Honeymoon Island State Park
  28. John C. Williams House
  29. Johnson Building
  30. Jungle Prada Mound Park
  31. Kelly Hotel
  32. Louis Ducros House
  33. Moccasin Lake Nature Park
  34. Mount Olive African Methodist Episcopalian Church
  35. N.K. Symi
  36. Old Belleair Town Hall
  37. Old Palm Harbor Main Street
  38. Old Tarpon Springs City Hall
  39. Palm Harbor Historical Museum
  40. Panama Canal Museum
  41. Pass-a-Grille Historic District
  42. Pinellas County Historical Museum
  43. Renaissance Vinoy Resort
  44. Roser Park Historic District
  45. S.H. Kress and Co. Building
  46. Safety Harbor Mound at Philippe Park
  47. Safety Harbor Museum of Regional History
  48. Safford House
  49. Science Center of Pinellas County
  50. Snell Arcade
  51. South Ward School
  52. St. Nicholas III
  53. St. Nicholas VI
  54. St. Petersburg High School
  55. St. Petersburg Lawn Bowling Club
  56. St. Petersburg Museum of History
  57. St. Petersburg Public Library
  58. St. Petersburg Woman's Club
  59. Studebaker Building
  60. Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks at Dodecanese Blvd
  61. U.S. Open Air Post Office
  62. Union Academy
  63. Weedon Island Preserve

SARASOTA: Sarasota

  1. African American Culture Center
  2. American National Bank Building
  3. Appleby Building
  4. Armada Road Multi Family District
  5. Bay Haven School of Basics Plus
  6. Bee Ridge Woman's Club
  7. Belle Haven Executive Suites
  8. Blackburn Point Bridge
  9. Burns Court Historic District
  10. Ca' d'Zan - John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art
  11. Caples'-Ringlings' Estates Historic District
  12. Christy Payne Mansion
  13. City Waterworks
  14. Colson School of Art
  15. Crisp Building
  16. Crowley Museum and Nature Center
  17. DeMarcay Hotel
  18. Dr. C.B. Wilson House
  19. Eagle Point Historic District
  20. Edgewood Historic District
  21. El Patio Hotel
  22. F.A. DeCanizares House
  23. Florida Studio Theatre
  24. H.B. William House
  25. Harding Circle Historic District
  26. Historic Spanish Point
  27. Indian Mound Park
  28. Johnson Chapel Missionary Baptist Church
  29. Johnson Schoolcraft Building
  30. Lemon Bay Woman's Club
  31. Miakka Schoolhouse
  32. Municipal Auditorium - Recreation Club
  33. Myakka River State Park
  34. Oscar Scherer State Park
  35. Osprey Archaeological and Historic Site
  36. Osprey School
  37. Phillippi Estate Park
  38. Rigby's La Plaza Historic District
  39. S.H. Kress Building
  40. Sarasota County Courthouse
  41. Sarasota Herald Building
  42. Sarasota High School
  43. Sarasota Opera House
  44. Sarasota Times Building
  45. Southside Elementary School
  46. U.S. Post Office - Federal Building
  47. Venezia Park Historic District
  48. Venice Archives and Area Historical Collection
  49. Venice Main Street, Inc.
  50. Warm Mineral Springs
  51. Worth's Block

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SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HISTORY

Southwest Florida heritage and history begins with the early native Americans, the Calusa, who lived in the area 12,000 years ago. 

Many of the early settlers in this area were cattlemen, ranchers, farmers and fishermen who came here from other parts of Florida.

Thomas Edison put southwest Florida on the map.

Southwest Florida history certainly began before Edison and his cronies took up residence in Fort Myers.  And there was a little bit of action down in Naples and Everglades City before Barron Collier came along. But not much.

The history of Southwest Florida is one of transformation because these men came to the area.  Thomas Edison loved Southwest Florida, and spent 40 winters at his home in Fort Myers.  

His buddies Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone also had places in Fort Myers, and the three of them collaborated on many business ventures.  Edison worked on many of his major inventions in Fort Myers.

In the early days of Fort Myers, Edison offered the city free electricity for all of the streetlights if the city would pay for the lights.  The city council turned down Edison's offers because they were afraid the streetlights would keep the cows awake at night.

Southwest Florida heritage and history has been impacted simply by the fact that these three famous men chose to winter here.  It gave the area tremendous national publicity.

Southwest Florida history covers some pretty diverse ground.  You will find old Florida country towns with a cattle heritage, and some fantastically rich towns.

Back in the 1920's Naples was reported to have 26 millionaires and 22 rum runners. Those were the days of Prohibition, and fast boats made the run from Cuban and the Bahamas to Naples.

Barron Collier came along and changed Southwest Florida history and his family is still part of Southwest Florida heritage.

He was not as famous as Edison, Ford and Firestone, but he was a man of action and a self-made advertising millionaire.  The State of Florida had been wanting to build a road connecting Naples to Miami, but didn't have the money to pull it off.

Collier became the solution to the problem.

He had purchased huge tracts of land in Southwest Florida. His first major purchase was in 1906, when he bought Useppa Island south of Boca Grande pass. The Collier Inn on Useppa is still an Old Florida masterpiece.

Collier saw the value of connecting Southwest Florida with the east coast of Florida. He worked a deal where he would finance the construction of a road from Naples to Miami.

It wasn't until 1923 that he was able to start construction on the Naples to Miami section. In return for Collier's road building efforts, the State created Collier County out of the southern part of Lee County in 1923.

It was the location of most of his vast land holdings. The descendants of Barron Collier still are the largest private land owners in Collier County.

Collier's road was named Tamiami Trail. It is that segment of US-41 that connects Tampa to Miami.  It is the highway that finally opened southwest Florida travel to the rest of the state.  It led to the discovery of southwest Florida by the people moving to Florida.

Of the 8 rest areas with lodging and restaurants that Collier built along the Trail, only one survived into modern times.  It was a dilapidated old wooden building at Monroe Station, a lonely outpost many miles east of Naples.  A fire took it down in 2016.

According to Wikipedia, the Tamiami Trail took 13 years to build.It cost $8 million and used 2.6 million sticks of dynamite in its construction. The Tamiami Trail officially opened on April 25, 1928.

Unlike the east coast of Florida, and even Tampa, Southwest Florida did not participate in a big way in the 1920's real estate boom that finally collapsed in the aftermath of the two killer hurricanes.

The 1926 Miami hurricane, and the one that followed in 1928, put a crashing stop to the frenzied land boom on the east coast.

In the years that followed, Southwest Florida remained one of the quietest and least known areas of the state.  Southwest Florida heritage and history - at least in the twentieth century - reflect the American mid-western culture more than any other area of the state. 

Although many mid-westerners stopped in Tampa and Sarasota, it seems more of them kept pressing southward to Fort Myers and Naples.  

Today, Southwest Florida is a vast region of beaches, high rise condominiums and wealthy golf course communities.

It stretches from the white sand beaches of Englewood in the north to the marshy fishing villages of Everglades City and Chokoloskee Island in the south.

There are more golf courses in Southwest Florida than you can shake a putter at. The area also has great fishing and boating.

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA HERITAGE SITES

Here is a list of 75 Southwest Florida heritage sites listed by county. The County Seat is also listed.  Here's a neat trick for you:  highlight any of the sites below, then right click and it will take you to the site's webpage on the internet.

CHARLOTTE: Punta Gorda

  1. A.C. Freeman House
  2. Blanchard House
  3. Charlotte High School
  4. El Jobean Post Office and General Store
  5. Florida Adventure Museum of Charlotte County
  6. H.W. Smith Building
  7. Old First National Bank of Punta Gorda
  8. Praise Tabernacle Church
  9. Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot
  10. Punta Gorda Residential District
  11. Punta Gorda Woman's Club

COLLIER: Naples

  1. 5th Ave. South Association
  2. Bank of the Everglades
  3. Big Cypress National Preserve
  4. Captain John Foley Horr House
  5. Collier County Museum - Naples
  6. Collier-Seminole State Park
  7. Delnor-Wiggins Pass State Park
  8. Fakahatchee Strand Preserve State Park
  9. Historic Smallwood Store
  10. Immokalee Pioneer Museum at Roberts Ranch
  11. Keewaydin Club
  12. Monroe Station
  13. Museum of the Everglades
  14. Naples Depot Civic and Cultural Center
  15. Naples Historic District
  16. Naples Nature Center
  17. Palm Cottage
  18. Plaza Site
  19. Tamiami Trail Scenic Highway
  20. Teddy Bear Museum of Naples

GLADES: Moore Haven

  1. Moore Haven Downtown Historic District
  2. Moore Haven Residential Historic District

HENDRY: LaBelle

  1. Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum
  2. Captain Francis A. Hendry House
  3. Clewiston Inn
  4. Clewiston Museum
  5. Clewiston Theatre
  6. Downtown LaBelle Historic District
  7. Forrey Building and Annex
  8. Old Hendry County Courthouse

LEE: Fort Myers

  1. Alva Elementary School
  2. Boca Grande Community Center
  3. Boca Grande Lighthouse Museum
  4. Bonita Springs Elementary School
  5. Buckingham School
  6. Cape Coral Historical Museum
  7. Cayo Costa State Park
  8. Don Pedro Island State Park
  9. Downtown Fort Myers
  10. Dunbar Community School
  11. Edison and Ford Winter Estates
  12. Edison and Ford Winter Estates
  13. Edison Park Elementary School
  14. Fort Myers Beach Elementary School
  15. Fort Myers Downtown Commercial District
  16. Gasparilla Island State Park
  17. Historic Railroad Depot
  18. J. Colin English Elementary School
  19. Koreshan State Historic Site
  20. Koreshan Unity Settlement Historic District
  21. Lovers Key State Park
  22. Mound Key State Archaeological Site
  23. Murphy Burroughs House
  24. Museum of the Islands
  25. Old Lee County Courthouse
  26. Randell Research Center at Pineland
  27. Sanibel Lighthouse and Keepers Quarters
  28. Schoolhouse Gallery
  29. Southwest Florida Museum of History
  30. Terry Park Sports Complex
  31. Tice Elementary School
  32. Useppa Island Museum
  33. Whidden's Marina
  34. Williams Academy Black History Museum

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SOUTHEAST FLORIDA HISTORY

Southeast Florida history has been shaped by many cultures and characters.  Thousands of years ago, the Tequesta tribe of Indians lived on Biscayne Bay in what are now Miami-Dade County and south Broward County.

A few of the original Tequesta Indians were in Southeast Florida including some populations along the Florida Keys. Most of these ancient tribes disappeared by the middle of the 1700's.

After that, Bahamians were among the earliest settlers in Southeast Florida. Many of them became the first citizens of what is now Coconut Grove in Miami. 

The Indians and Bahamians contributed to what is now Southeast Florida heritage.

If the north Florida regions are also known as Florabama and Florgia, then Southeast Florida could be called lower New York or northern Havana or Floracuba.

Modern immigrants from the New England states and Latin and Central America give the region its diverse flavor. You can enjoy a New York Pizza, an Argentinian steak, and a Jamaican beef patty and never leave your friendly neighborhood shopping center. 

This makes Southeast Florida heritage among the most diverse in the country.

Without the Standard Oil Company, Southeast Florida heritage and history would be entirely different. Henry Morrison Flagler was John D. Rockefeller's partner in that giant firm.

Flagler sold out to Rockefeller and moved to Florida in 1885. He was rich, but like Colonel Sanders he wasn't the kind of man who considered retirement.

His first Florida venture was to build the giant 540 room Ponce de Leon Hotel in St. Augustine. This magnificent building is now the home of Flagler College. The hotel opened in 1888 and was a huge success.

Flagler saw the potential in developing the entire Florida coast south of St. Augustine. He went to work creating what he would refer to as the "American Riviera".

The development of Southeast Florida began in earnest when Flagler began to push his Florida East Coast Railway to the south from St. Augustine.

His railroad created Florida history town by town as it marched south. Each town has its share of Southeast Florida heritage brought to it by Henry Flagler.

Before the railroad pushed southward, Southeast Florida was as remote as any place in the United States. Transportation between the coastal communities was by shallow draft boats and paddle wheel steamers.

Flagler's destination was Palm Beach. That's where he planned to end his railroad.

When the railroad made it to Palm Beach in 1894, he built the 1100 room Royal Poinciana Hotel and a couple of years later the Breakers Hotel.

The Royal Poinciana was the largest hotel in Florida history at the time.  At the same time, he developed West Palm Beach as a community where the hotel workers could live.

Flagler might have been content to stop the railroad in West Palm Beach. He didn't have a high opinion of Florida south of Palm Beach. An unusual weather event made him change his mind. 

In 1894 and 1895 the Palm Beach area suffered severe freezes. The area down south that now includes Miami did not get the freeze. 

Julia Tuttle owned a trading post on the Miami River. The town of Miami didn't even exist yet.

Tuttle had been trying to convince Flagler to run the railroad south to her area. An old Florida history book says that Julia sent Henry an orange blossom to show him that Miami did not suffer a freeze.  

Whether the story is true or not, something convinced Mr. Flagler to extend his railroad to Miami. And the rest is Southeast Florida heritage and history.

Later, when he was in his eighties, he pushed on across the Florida Keys and terminated his venture in Key West. Development followed the railroad, and Southeast Florida was transformed.

Palm Beach became the playground of the rich and famous. Fort Lauderdale and Miami expanded west and created some of the first large planned communities.

Miami grew from Julia Tuttle's trading post at the mouth of the Miami River to become the virtual business center for Latin America.

Northerners from New England followed US-1 down the east coast of Florida. Many fell in love with the palm studded coast and decided to stay. 

During World War Two, Miami Beach hotels were converted to military barracks. Many of the soldiers and sailors who trained in Miami Beach came back to paradise after the war ended.

Fidel Castro and his communist revolution succeeded in Cuba, and huge waves of Cuban refugees escaped to Miami in the early 1960's. They transformed Miami into a great Latin City. 

Castro's loss is Miami's gain.  The Latin flair is evident today in the music, festivals and cuisine that are Miami's trademarks.

The people in the Florida Keys march to their own drummer. Maybe that's because it was a series of isolated islands until Henry Flagler changed it all.

Flagler's Florida Overseas Railroad road had been an engineering marvel. The railroad tied the Keys to the mainland for the first time when it was completed in 1912.

Flagler did not live long enough to see his masterpiece completely destroyed by the Labor Day hurricane of 1935.

After the hurricane, the old railroad bridges and track beds became US-1, known in the Keys as the Overseas Highway.  Key West still remained, literally, the end of the road.

Early natives of the Florida Keys were originally descended from the Loyalist pioneers of the Bahamas. Many of the family names in Key West and Monroe County are the same as the ones in Abaco, Bahamas.

Before the railroad, keys residents made their livings fishing and "wrecking". Wrecking involved salvaging ships and materials that grounded on the rocky waters around the Keys.

The natives of the lower Keys were always known as conchs, named after the mollusk that was abundant in the waters of Florida and The Bahamas.

That's pronounced "konk", like a konk in the head. Not "conch" like a fat man's paunch.

The Conchs tried to secede from the United States in 1982. They did not succeed in seceding. Many Conchs in recent years have migrated north to Ocala, Gainesville and other rural Florida areas.

There are many back roads in Southeast Florida that are worth traveling. Although most of them are in urban areas, some of them haven't changed much in the past century.

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA HERITAGE SITES

Here is a list of 259 Southeast Florida heritage sites listed by county. The County Seat is also listed.  Here's a neat trick for you:  highlight any of the sites below, then right click and it will take you to the site's webpage on the internet.

BROWARD: Fort Lauderdale

  1. African American Research Library and Cultural Center
  2. Bonnet House
  3. Bryan Building
  4. Cap's Place
  5. Croissant Park Administration Building
  6. Dania Beach Main Street, Inc.
  7. Deerfield Beach Elementary School
  8. Flamingo Gardens
  9. Fort Lauderdale Antique Car Museum
  10. Graves Museum of Archaeology and Natural History
  11. Hollywood Boulevard Historic Business District
  12. Hollywood Woman's Club
  13. Hugh Taylor Birch State Park
  14. International Game Fish Association Fishing Hall of Fame and Museum
  15. International Swimming Hall of Fame
  16. James D. and Alice Butler House Museum
  17. John U. Lloyd State Park
  18. Link Trainer Building
  19. North New River Canal Lock #1
  20. Nyberg-Swanson House
  21. Oakland Park Elementary School
  22. Old Davie School Historical Museum
  23. Old Deerfield School Museum
  24. Old Dillard High School
  25. Old Fort Lauderdale Museum of History
  26. Pioneer House
  27. Plantation Historical Museum
  28. Pompano Beach Historical Society Museum
  29. Sample McDougald House
  30. Seminole Okalee Indian Village and Museum
  31. South Florida Railway Museum
  32. SS Copenhagen
  33. Stranahan House

MARTIN: Stuart

  1. Court House Cultural Center
  2. Elliot Museum
  3. Historic House of Refuge
  4. Jonathon Dickinson State Park
  5. Lyric Theatre
  6. Maritime and Yachting Museum of the Treasure Coast
  7. Savannas Preserve State Park
  8. St. Lucie Inlet Preserve State Park
  9. Stuart Heritage Museum
  10. Stuart Main Street

MIAMI-DADE: Miami

  1. Alamo Building Museum
  2. Alfred I. Dupont Building
  3. Anderson's Corner
  4. Anhinga Trail
  5. Arch Creek Historic and Archaeological Site
  6. Atlantic Gas Station Building
  7. Bay of Pigs Museum
  8. Bay Shore Historic District
  9. Beth Jacob Social Hall and Congregation
  10. Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park
  11. Biscayne National Park
  12. Black Archives -- Overtown
  13. Black Archives, History and Research Foundation of South Florida
  14. Black Heritage Museum
  15. Boca Chita Key Historic District
  16. Brickell Mausoleum
  17. Brickell Point Site
  18. Cape Florida Lighthouse
  19. Capital Building
  20. Central Baptist Church
  21. City Hall
  22. City National Bank Building
  23. City of Miami Cemetery
  24. Congress Building
  25. Consolidated Bank Building
  26. Coral Castle
  27. Coral Gables City Hall
  28. Coral Gables Congregational Church
  29. Coral Gables Elementary School
  30. Coral Gables Merrick House
  31. Coral Gables Police and Fire Station
  32. Coral Gables Woman's Club
  33. Cuban Museum of Arts and Culture
  34. Dade Commonwealth Building
  35. Dade County Courthouse
  36. Dade Federal Savings
  37. Dade Heritage Trust Headquarters
  38. David W. Dyer Federal Building and US Courthouse
  39. Deering Estate at Cutler
  40. Douglas Entrance
  41. Entrance to Central Miami
  42. Everglades National Park
  43. Fairchild Tropical Garden
  44. Fire Station No. 2
  45. Fire Station No. 4 Building
  46. First Coconut Grove Schoolhouse
  47. Florida East Coast Railway Locomotive #153
  48. Florida Pioneer Museum
  49. Freedom Tower
  50. Fuchs Bakery
  51. Gesu Church
  52. Glenn H. Curtiss House
  53. Gold Coast Railroad Museum
  54. Greater Bethel AME Church
  55. Greater Homestead/ Florida City Chamber of Commerce
  56. Gusman Center for the Performing Arts
  57. Hahn Building
  58. Half Moon
  59. Halissee Hall
  60. Harry Hurt Building
  61. Hialeah Park Race Track
  62. Hialeah Seaboard Airline Railway Station
  63. Historical Museum of Southern Florida
  64. Holocaust Documentation and Education Center, Inc.
  65. Homestead Main Street
  66. Ingraham Building
  67. International Fine Arts College Historical Costume Museum
  68. J & S Building
  69. Jay I. Kislak Foundation
  70. Lyric Center
  71. MacFarlane Homestead Historic District
  72. Miami Beach Architectural District
  73. Miami City Hall
  74. Miami Edison Middle School
  75. Miami Fire Museum, Inc.
  76. Miami Senior High School
  77. Miami Springs Pharmacy and Museum
  78. Miami Women's Club
  79. Miami-Biltmore Hotel
  80. Mount Zion Baptist Church
  81. Neva King Cooper School
  82. Old Spanish Monastery
  83. Old US Post Office and Courthouse
  84. Oleta River State Park
  85. Opa Locka Bank Building
  86. Opa Locka Railroad Station
  87. Palm Cottage
  88. Performing Arts Center of Greater Miami
  89. Plymouth Congregational Church
  90. Ralph M. Munroe House
  91. S & S Restaurant and Deli
  92. Shark River Slough Archaeological District
  93. Silver Palm Schoolhouse
  94. South River Drive Historic District
  95. Southside Elementary Bilingual School
  96. St. John's Baptist Church
  97. Sweeting Homestead at Elliot Key
  98. The Barnacle Historic State Park
  99. The Kampong: The National Tropical Botanical Garden
  100. The Wolfsonian
  101. Trinity Episcopal Cathedral
  102. US Car #1 - Ferdinand Magellan
  103. Venetian Causeway
  104. Venetian Pool
  105. Vizcaya
  106. Walgreen Drug Store Building
  107. Wings Over Miami Military and Classic Aircraft Museum
  108. Women's Club of Coconut Grove

MONROE: Key West

  1. African Queen
  2. African-Bahamian Museum and Resource Center
  3. Audubon House and Tropical Gardens
  4. Bahia Honda State Park
  5. Bat Tower
  6. Carysfort Lighthouse
  7. Donkey Milk House
  8. Dr. Joseph Y. Porter House
  9. Dry Tortugas National Park
  10. East Martello Gallery and Museum
  11. Ernest Hemingway House
  12. Florida Keys Memorial
  13. Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary
  14. Florida Keys Scenic Highway
  15. Fort Jefferson National Monument
  16. Fort Zachary Taylor
  17. Garden Key Lighthouse - Fort Jefferson
  18. George Adderley House
  19. Indian Key Historic State Park
  20. John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park and Reserve
  21. Key West Historic District
  22. Key West Lighthouse Museum and Keeper's Quarters Museum
  23. Lignumvitae Key Archaeological and Historical District
  24. Lignumvitae Key Botanical State Park
  25. Little White House
  26. Loggerhead Key Lighthouse
  27. Long Key State Park
  28. Mel Fisher Maritime Heritage Society and Museum
  29. Museum of Art and History at the Custom House
  30. Oldest House Museum
  31. Overseas Highway and Railway Bridges
  32. Pigeon Key Historic District
  33. San Carlos Institute
  34. San Jose Shipwreck Site
  35. San Pedro Underwater Archaeological Preserve State Park
  36. Shark River Slough Archaeological District
  37. The Armory
  38. The Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail
  39. Turtle Kraals Museum
  40. US Naval Air Station
  41. USCG Cutter Duane
  42. USS Alligator
  43. West Martello Tower and Garden Center
  44. Western Union Schooner
  45. Windley Key Fossil Reef Geological State Park

PALM BEACH: West Palm Beach

  1. American National Bank Building
  2. Ann Norton Sculpture Gardens
  3. Black Historical Preservation Society of Palm Beach County
  4. Boca Raton Fire Engine No. 1
  5. Boca Raton Historical Society Museum and Gift Shop
  6. Boca Raton Old City Hall
  7. Boynton Beach Woman's Club
  8. Boynton School
  9. Cason Cottage Museum
  10. Central Park Historic District
  11. Chesterfield Hotel
  12. Children's Museum, Inc.
  13. Clematis Street Historic District
  14. College Park Historic District
  15. Comeau Building
  16. Count de Hoernle Pavilion
  17. Count de Hoernle Pavilion
  18. Count de Hoernle Pavilion
  19. Creations Pop Culture Museum
  20. Delray Beach Cultural Loop
  21. Delray Beach Historical Society
  22. Dixie Court Hotel
  23. DuBois Pioneer Home
  24. El Cid Historic District
  25. Ferndix Building
  26. Flamingo Park Historic Residential District
  27. Florida Power and Light Historical Museum
  28. Grandview Heights Historic District
  29. Guaranty Building
  30. Gulf Stream Hotel
  31. Hatch's Department Store
  32. Henry Morrison Flagler Museum
  33. Historic Old Town Commercial District
  34. John D. MacArthur Beach State Park
  35. Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse
  36. Lake Park City Hall
  37. Little Red Schoolhouse
  38. Loxahatchee River Historical Museum
  39. Milton Myers American Legion Post #65
  40. Molly S. Fraiberg Judaica Collections, S.E. Wimberly Library
  41. Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
  42. Museum of Polo and Hall of Fame
  43. Museum of the City of Lake Worth
  44. Northwest Historic District
  45. Old Lucerne Historic Residential District
  46. Old Northwood Historic District
  47. Old Pahokee High School
  48. Old Palm Beach Daily News Building
  49. Old School Square Cultural Arts Center
  50. Palm Beach Maritime Museum
  51. Palm Beach Mercantile Company
  52. Paramount Theatre Building
  53. Professional Building
  54. Robert and Mary Montgomery Armory Art Center
  55. S.D. Spady Cultural Arts Museum
  56. Sandoway House Nature Center
  57. SD Spady Cultural Arts Museum
  58. Seaboard Coastline Railroad Passenger Station
  59. Sundy House
  60. The Breakers
  61. Via Mizner
  62. Yesteryear Village and Blink Glisson Historical Museum

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