The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-03-03
Girardville, Pa, Feb. "a, 1911


Ocala Banner that Mr. w. p. Moor
man of Grahamville was in Ocala on
February 18th and said that it was
the fifty-third anniversary of his first
arrival in Ocala. While l dislike to
do so, feel that must call him down.
He was either romancing or must
have gotten his dates mixed. He must
have meant sixty-three years ago.
My father took up his residence in
Ocala fifty-five years ago last Decem-
Der, and / was old enough to remem-
Der the town as it was then, and have
very vivid recollection of it. There
was no log court house, but that struc-
ture was a very creditable frame
building, which had been built about
five years earlier. 1t was perhaps as
imposing structure as any court
house in the state at that time The
log hotel Mr. Norman mentions was
not there fifty-three years ago. 1t
must have been earlier. The Ocala
House stood on the identical spot it
now occupies It was a two and a
half story frame building. 1t was
erected by Mr. Josiah Paine more
than sixty years ago. The weather
boards were rived out of cypress
trees in the Oklawaha river swamp
with the old-style fro very similar
to those used for making shingles in
our boyhood days.
There were eight stores in Ocala
fifty-three years ago. They were all
frame buildings, mostly two stories.
the upper stories being used pTinci-
pally for offices. There was also a
stone Jail, and a number of very good
frame dwellings. The Methodists and
Baptists had frame church edifices;
the former had gallery on two sides
and one end of it was for negro wor-
shippers. The East Florida Seminary
was then located in Ocala. It was a
frame building, constructed in the
shape of the letter T, and quite a
number of scholars were in attend
ance from different parts of the state.
Besides the main building there were
two other smaller buildings, one be-
ing used for music and art, and the
other as a recitation room.
Mrs Pyles built her very imposing
residence in 1855. 1t was afterwards
owned by Mrs. Fannie r. Gary, and
destroyed by fire not many years ago.
| remember also that there was a
tannery, saddlery, shoe shops, wheel
rights, blacksmith shops, and similar
enterprises.
There were a great many beautiful
forest trees, mostly oak, hickory and
The court house square
was adorned with number of state
ly, indigenous trees, and Mr.. Paine
had row of water oaks in front of
the Ocala House, which he planted
after building the hotel, and they
were one of the noted features of the
town, and attracted the admiration of
tourists at that time.
! never heard of the Indian that Mr.
Moorman says was buried under the
big live oak tree that stood in front
of the Court Pharmacy. The old GEM
etery had been laid out and was then
in use, and do not see why an Indian,
though a chieftain, should have been
given these extraordinary honors. In
deed. there were no Indians in Ocala
or Marion county as far back as six
ty-five years ago, for my father settled
on the shores of Lake Harris at that
time, and the Indians had been driven
from that part of the state several
years before. He passed through
Ocala and settled where Yalaha is
now. Lake Harris hod no name known
to the white man, and was supposed
to have been a part of Lake Griffin.
He discovered that it was separate
lake, and it was afterwards named
for him by government surveyors.
When father settled there pumpkins
were still growing in the Indian fields
in that vicinity.
The only means of transportation
then was mail passenger stage from
Palatka to Tampa, three times a week,
and after railroad was built to
Gainesville there was a stage to Ocala
three times week. The freight was
brought up the Oklawaha river from
Palatka to silver Springs on barges
propelled with long poles. and all the
cotton, sugar, syrup and other pro