PANHANDLE PIONEER SETTLEMENT

By  Mike Miller May 5, 2025

Panhandle Pioneer Settlement is a living-history museum in Blountstown, Florida. It recreates rural life in the Florida Panhandle from the 1820s to 1940s.

The site includes 18 historical buildings on five acres. These structures form a farm community.

Visitors can explore pioneer life through guided tours, events, and hands-on classes. The settlement aims to preserve and share the region’s history. 

Willard and Linda Smith founded the settlement in 1989. They wanted to save pioneer traditions. Buildings were moved from Calhoun County to Sam Atkins Park.

The collection includes homes, a school, a church, and a general store. Many artifacts came from local families. The Shiloh Schoolhouse, built around 1886, showcases early education.

The F.B. Sexton Cabin, from 1872, highlights simple pioneer living. The settlement reflects the area’s farming and timber roots.

It honors the legacy of early settlers like those guided by Seminole Chief John Blount. 

The settlement is at 17869 NW Pioneer Settlement Rd., Blountstown, FL 32424, in Sam Atkins Park. It’s an hour northeast of Panama City.

Store and tour hours are Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm Central Time. Individual guided tours are also offered. Call (850) 674-2777 to schedule.

Check their website for events like Pioneer Day or Folk Life Days. The general store sells handmade gifts and cold drinks. 

• The settlement has three types of log cabins: round, split, and dovetail.  

• The Altha Calaboose, built in 1927, was a jail for minor crimes like unlicensed horse trading.  

• The Honey House is Florida’s oldest, once located in Lola, Florida.  

• Blacksmithing classes are the most popular offering.  

• The Frink Gymnasium, from 1940, hosts weddings and reunions.  

• Annual events include hog butchering and syrup-making demonstrations.  

• The general store’s handcrafted knives have duck-head handles.

PANHANDLE PIONEER SETTLEMENT WEBSITE

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