The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1914-05-17
BOMBAY, COUNTY SEAT
OF HOLMES COUNTY, FLA.
Thriving Little City That is
Keeping Step With March
of Progress.
Growth Rapid and Substan-
tia1 Without Semblance
of a Boom.

The town of Bombay, county seat of
Holmes county, is situa ed on the P.
&c A. division of the L. & \.
east of Pensacola. in the southern
portion of the county. The popula
ton of Bombay is estimated at 1900
and the town is laid off symetrically
IN length. Bombay is sixteen miles
south of the Alabama line and
but a mile inside the southern
line of Holmes county, forty miles dis
tant from st. Andrews bay, on the gulf
coast. The town has WaterwOrks
and sewerage, two strong banks--the
only ones, by the way in Holmes
county-a public library established
and maintained by the ladies of the
town, three churches, two drug stores
cotton gin, big saw mill and stores of
every description. Water for the res
idents is secured from deep artesian
wells and the analysis of the water
shows 1t to be as pure as any in the
state of Florida The only newspaper
published in Holmes county is located
at Bombay and is editor. E. A. Will
Hams,. is one of the most optimistic
of the county's hundreds of boosters"
The town of Bombay is in the center
of a rich agricultural section, the
northern portion of Washington Coun-
ty being tribu ary and is the shipping
point for large quantities Of naval
1neT6 are several large tuf-
pentine stills in the vicinity, employ
ing hundreds of men and the mill of
the Bombay Lumber Company, inside
the limits OF the town gives employ
ment to over 100.
Town Growing Rapidly.
,%onifay has grown rapidly during
thel past four or five years, and the !
growth has been substantial. Scores |
of new residences and store buildings
have been erected and others are I'M
der construction, and all are equal |
to those of which much larger towns |
boast. The Lindsey office building. |
the ground floor of which is occupied |
by the Holmes County bank and the F.,
Bombay Hardware Company, is one of
the best office buildings in West Flor |
Ida and the store buildings in the
business section of the city are above
the average. A new Baptist church, to
cost completed In the neighborhood of
$4,000 is now in course of construc-
ton and a large brick building for
business purposes is being erected in
the center of the business section. Bon
ifay has one of the best hotels along
the line of the P. & A division of the
of the Louisville and Nashville rail ;
road. Hotel Eureka, owned and OPP
Grated by n. A. Miller. A large addi-
ton to the hotel with large rooms, all
connected with bath, was construct
ed during the past year, and this is
well patronized by the travelling pub
lie.
improvements Planned.
A movement Is under way looking
to the esta blishment of a fertilizer
factory in the town of Bombay. and
That this will DE successful is almost
a foregone conclusion as there is a
heavy demand for this product in the
vicinity of the town and the people OF
Holmes county are firm believers in
the gospel of patronizing home in
d stry. A board of :rLAe is in pro .ss
Of organization, and when this work
has been completed the fame Of
Holmes cou lty VIII 1e spread broa l. |
cast. Citizens Of me town are 2oTo
sldering the erection of $S0,uG0
school build As and. only recently
contributed a large sum for the IL
pose of building two miles of good
roads as a 1emonstrauon TO the PSI
J le of the county. IreN ius to an eles-
tin which resulted IN the issuance Il
$4,000 in bonds for good roads. MIR
r. gorge Black. of Black, Ala. who
owns the cotton gin at Bombay en-
poets, in the near future, to install an
electric lighting plant and an ice fac
tory in connection with the sin, and
plans to that end are now under way. !
The property on which the gin stands, |
an entire city block, was purchased
by the citizens and donated to Mr.. |
Black, in consideration of the estab- !
hshment of a ginnery in the town.
The town of Bombay has number /
of unusually beautiful homes, sew
SEul Ol WHICH are ltluSAld III tlAiS
edition. Among these worthy of eS-
pecial mention. of which photographs
were not secured, is the residence of
II. J. Miller, father of many of the moss
prominent residents of Holmes Coun-
ty. Mr.. Millers place is constructed
in the bungalow style. with porch all
around. and is surrounded by beau
tiful garden in which are number
OF Satsuma, peach and other fruit
trees. E. o. Creel, residiU- just out
side the town limits. TO the east, has
a fine place of about 100 acres, with
beautiful residence, good barns and
pecan grove. Mr.. "reel has con-
structed a quarter OF a mile of good
road in front of his place at his own
expense, and has lined the roadway
with shade trees. The postmaster, NJ. .
NJ. Owens owns fine two story resi- /
6ence in the highest ror ion of the I!
town and but short distance away !
DR. c. b. Marshb"rn is preparing 10
erect a fine brick bungaIow.
Town Government
The town of Bonifav is incorporate :
and is governed : a mavor and town
council of five. c. r. Mathis is mayor,
A. w. Weeks president of the council
and A Seasons, w. c. Afford. c. 3.
Mashburn and w. L. Seasons are
members of the body. All of these gen
tlemen are among the leaders in the
work of building up Bombay anG
Holmes county and their manage
rnent of municipal affairs reflects |
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