The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-06-16
SILVER SPRINGS ON A BOOM

Silver Springs has long enjoyed the
distinction of being one of the most
attractive spots in Florida for tourists
from the north, as well as for Florida
pleasure seekers.
1t is only within the past few years,
however, that this pretty hamlet has
taken on modern business airs. With
in this time several of the largest
sawmills in the state have moved
there, and the former quiet of the
place has been turned into a veritable
hive of industry and bustling business
place.
Messrs. E. P. Rentz and sons, Jack
and James, have within the past few
weeks purchased the milling interests
of the Marion County Lumber Com
pany, and are now operating the big
plant under the firm name of E. P.
Rentz & Sons, and it is under the di-
rect management of Mr.. Jack RentZ.
The facilities of the large plant are
constantly being added to, though at
present they turn out everything in
the way of lumber that enters the
building of a house, from the rough
lumber to the finest mouldings made
Some idea of the vast amount of lum-
Der turned out from this mill may be
gained when it is known that they en-
ploy four locomotives to haul timber
from their immense forests, within a
radius of twelve or fifteen miles of
the plant. They employ in the neigh
borhood of two hundred men, and
these, with their families, of them.
selves make up quite respectable
sized town. With the constantly in
creasing output of this mill alone the
town is bound to grow to one of con-
siderable Importance on the Florida
map. The spring run, connecting as
it does with the Oklawaha and St.
Johns rivers, makes Silver Springs an
especially desirable location for a dis
tributing point for heavy freights for
this part of the state, and it is bound
to come into it's own before a great
while.
Since the property at the head of
the spring has come into possession
of the Messrs. Carmichael they have
erected a handsome pavilion right
over the water, with plenty of bath
houses, etc. They have also just pur
chased a number of steel motor and
row boats, which they keep for hire,
and it is no longer difficult to Sc
cure facilities for taking a trip down
the run to the Oklawaha river and
other points of interest in the vicin-
ity. Mr. J. L. Smoak has charge of
this enterprise. About four miles
oown the run the Messrs. Carmichael
have one of the prettiest as well as
most profitable farms in this part of
the state. Besides large crops of all
kinds of farm products they have been
very successful in raising fine breeds
of poultry, horses, cattle and hogs, for
which that section seems to have been
especially designed.
Many Ocalians have their private
launches at Silver Sprigns, and late
any afternoon may be seen great num-
bers of them running up and down
this magnificent stream
A large office and commissary build
ing will shortly be erected on the
block north of the Brown house byi
Messrs. E. p Rentz & Sons, which
will add much to the appearance of
this section of the town.
The people of the community are
we'll supplied with the necessaries o.
life by two general merchandise es-
Establishments, those of Goolsby &
Goolsby and w. E, Tydings & Co.
With the natural advantages that
surround the town of Silver Springs
she is bound to come to the front as
an important interior town.