The Weekly Tallahasseean., 1901-08-01
WAKULLA COUNTY.

CrawfOrdville, Fla, July 27.-Wa-
kulla county, though the smallest
county in area of square miles, is one
of the most prosperous, considering
that agriculture is the chief industry
of her people, in the State.
Whilst several good saw mills are
running, one or more in each section
of the, county, and doing a paying bus
iness, the leading industry is agricul-
ture. Very little attention is given to
growing cotton; five hundred bales
would be a fair estimate made per
year,
The farmers long since have con-
cluded that too many contingencies
surrounded this "Old King from
planting time to market, hence they
have abandoned him and have for
many years turned their attention to
planting grain and provision crops,
and poultry raising. Therefore, while
these honest SONS of toll do not rank
with the money lenders" they make
plenty, are comfortably situated, have
peaceful and quiet homes, and are con-
tented and happy.
Principally, the lands of this county
are high hummOck and pine, and very
fertile, producing fine crops of corr,
sweet potatoes, pindarS and sugar
cane.
! In the extent of stock raising, while
many cattle are annually shipped out
side the local market, and a few large
herds ne owned by citizens, Wakulla
could challenge any county to "shON
] down" on hogs. 1t would be a task
/ to find any citizen in Wakulla engaged
in any occupation who does not raise
meat enough to do him. and some te
spare" ...... ~ .-.-
Another wonderful industry is the
lIsh and oyster trade Many thousands
| of barrels of fish and oysters are AM
nually shipped from the waters of heI
Gulf coast. Over seven thousand
wagons visited the seine fisheries last
fall and winter in quest Of fish. This
4 is about the average annually. They
come from adjoining counties and
Southern Georgia. frequently, at these
fisheries twenty-five thousand mullet
are. caught at one haul of the seine
A fishery is a valuable property, and a
considerable revenue is realized by
the owner. The average price of a
fishery as $500.00, if purchasable.
Whilst the population of this county
does not increase as rapidly as some
others in the State, owing to the fact
her resources have never been adVer-
tised, and immigrants can't see her on
the map, her increase being solely
home raised" the financial condition
of her citizens is better than the aver
age In 1890 the taxable properly OF
the county was S4O8,945. In 1900, ten
years afterwards, she had increased to
$512, ,536; showing her people home
people, to be one hundred and three
thousand five hundred and ninety-One
dollars better off. This does not in
clude the sum of $1,000 assessed for
the line of railroads, but the property
of her citizens.
| This is not a county of towns, but
of villages and farms. Hilliardsville.
Arran, SOpchOppy and Ashmore are
| flOurishing new villages, each with its
turpentine and saw mill, situated on
the c., T. & G. r. R., have good
schools. CrawfOrdVille has several
handsome residences, and a fine new
court house, built Of good, heart pine
! lumber, go feet square, three stories
high, containing four large rooms on
the first floor for county offices; the
second floor has three rooms, court
room, the judges and jury rooms. The
third floor has three neat rooms, well
adapted for Offices. The roof is built
with four gables, with large cupOla,
projecting high on top, and the build
ing is one Of the most presentable
court houses in this circuit.
In ante-bellum days this old Spanish
town of st. Marks was the business
town of Middle Florida. All the cot
ton grown in Middle Florida and
Southern Georgia was shipped from
this port. Not many miles from st.
Marks, on the ST. Marks River, can
still be seen the once thriving town OF
Newport, noted for it's sulphur springs.
Many people visit them as the mecca"
for the afflicted. Many wonderful cures
in former days were pronounced by in
valids who drank and bathed in these
medicinal waters. In the good days
before the war this town, too, like st.
Marks, did an immense business. Her
population in 1859 numbered $500, and
it is said that more mercantile busi-
ness was carried on there than any
other town in the State, and it was no
uncommon sight to count forty for
eign sea-going vessels at her wharVes.