Ohio Avenue , Early 1900s
railroad bridge are still accessible in the Suwannee River State Park .
In 1859 , when the Pensacola & Georgia was being built through Suwannee County , railroad workers would rest and eat their lunches under a huge live oak tree near the center of the County . By 1861 , a railroad station had been established near the tree , and the community that sprung up around it became known as Live Oak . In 1866 , after the end of the Civil War , John Parshley moved from Ohio to Suwannee County to regain his fortunes . He soon built a sawmill and other businesses , laid out many of the downtown streets , and pushed to have the county seat moved to Live Oak . The county seat was moved from Houston to Live Oak on August 1 , 1868 . A week later , John Parshley died of malaria . The Parshleys remained a prominent family after the death of its patron , and his widow , Nancy , proposed the location for the courthouse across the street from her home . Nearly 150 years later , the land continues as the site of the Suwannee County Courthouse , built in 1904 with major additions completed in 1965 .
During the 1870s , Charles K . Dutton , formerly of New York City , and Major Henry A . Wyse operated what was probably the largest naval stores business in Florida . The demand for these stores was so large that in 1877 , shortly after George Drew became governor , all State convicts were leased to work in Suwannee County manufacturing and processing naval stores . These goods were transported to markets via the growing number of railroads and steamboats that were introduced in Suwannee County during this decade . By 1890 , dozens of communities had appeared in Suwannee County , providing a variety of goods and services to the growing population . Some of these communities , including Branford , McAlpin , O ’ Brien , and Luraville , still exist .
By the late 1800s , Suwannee County sites such as Suwannee Springs and Dowling Park attracted thousands of visitors from around the world who came to the popular resorts , spacious hotels , and healing waters of the Suwannee River . Steamboat builders such as Robert A . Ivey of Branford made profits on transporting people and goods along
2022-2023 | SUWANNEE CHAMBER IMPACT 17