Duval Street, Now John Hale Park, Early 1900s
Finegan. It was the largest Civil War battle in Florida. Remains of the earthworks at the 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 the scenic Suwannee River, touting honeymoon suites and ecotourism long before the word existed. This surge in tourism, coupled with the expansion of various businesses, made Live Oak the fifth-largest city( and largest inland city) in Florida in 1905. An idea of Suwannee County’ s status in Florida can be shown by the likes of Thomas Dowling, W. J. Hillman, and George E. Porter, who were some of the very first automobile owners in the entire state. Suwannee County was also producing a great portion of Sea Island cotton harvested in the United States. This phenomenal growth slowed due to the destruction of the cotton crop by boll weevils, opening of coastal resorts further south, and a realization that the waters of the local springs did not have all the claimed health benefits.
The Advent Christian Village, often touted as Florida’ s first retirement community, was founded in 1913 on the banks of the Suwannee River at Dowling Park for orphans and“ old and worn out preachers”. Centered on land donated by Thomas Dowling for an Advent Christian campground, the Village received its first orphans in 1913 and its first retirees in 1914. The Advent Christian Village, greatly expanded, continues today as a progressive retirement center with all the opportunities of a small town, including stores, restaurants, medical services, churches, a library, and fire rescue services.
By the 1920s, Suwannee County was one of the largest producers in Florida of tobacco, cotton, peanuts, corn, hogs, and pecans. Suwannee County had some political firsts during this decade. Cary Hardee became the first governor of Florida from Suwannee County in 1920. During his tenure, Florida had huge growth that led to the formation of several new counties, including Hardee County named in his honor. Hardee established a state highway system, the state park system, erected several state memorials, and ended the convict lease system. In 1924, Live Oak elected the first female mayor south of the Mason-Dixon Line after universal suffrage. Mrs. Ruby Strickland had formerly served as postmistress of Dowling Park, and she would serve two terms as mayor of Live Oak.
The Great Depression began in 1929, and impacted
2026-2027 | SUWANNEE CHAMBER IMPACT 17