Eric Musgrove: Contributor
This week, we will continue the second of several articles quoting from a 1905 newspaper article about Suwannee County and, especially, Live Oak.
“Live Oak, the county seat of Suwannee county, is an industrial city, its most distinguishing feature being its manufacturing plants. The stranger within her gates is greeted by the busy hum of machinery, the never-ending buzz of saws and the heavy traffic noticeable everywhere.
“The county court house is the source of a very pardonable pride to not only the people of Live Oak, but the entire country. It is situated about the center of the city. The large square on which it stands contributes to its excellent appearance. It is built of gray pressed brick and finished on the outside with beautiful designs in stucco. The interior has marble wainscoting and floors. The different offices are well appointed and conveniently furnished. The second story has a large and handsome court room, the main auditorium and galleries having a seating capacity of about six hundred. Complete with the furnishings the building cost $42,500.
“The county officials form a very able body of men, and their hearty support of all measures for the development of the county’s resources reflect the progressive spirit of the population at large. The personnel is as follows: J. N. Conner, county judge; J. W. Bryson, clerk of the circuit court; J. H. Rickerson, sheriff; A. D. Hemming, tax assessor; J. N. Meeks, tax collector; Prof. J. E. Wood, superintendent public instruction. Col. A. Lee Humphreys, a prominent lawyer, is chairman of the Board of Commissioners.
“The question of hard roads has been taken up by the Commissioners, and a road-building machine is now at work on the hard road which is to connect Live Oak and Suwannee Springs, a distance of seven miles. As soon as this is completed roads in other directions will be built until an entire system of hard surface roads will cover the county.
“Probably the greatest factor in the wonderful progress and business activity of the city is its manufacturing industries, which have caused many to settle here. The census of 1890 gave Live Oak a population of only 1,600. The city now enthusiastically claims six thousand; a growth of almost a thousand a year.
“Chief of these industries is the manufacture of lumber. Two large sawmills, turning out rough lumber, and two large planing mills daily send out hundreds of thousands of feet of lumber to the Northern markets. The largest of these mills is owned and operated by the Dowling Lumber and Naval Stores Company, a two-million-dollar stock company. The stockholders are citizens of Live Oak and have considerable interest in the growth of the city. Thomas Dowling is the president of this corporation, R. L. Dowling, vice-president, and O. D. McFarland secretary. R. W. Bennett is the head of the office force of this extensive business.
“Another large plant, The Live Oak Manufacturing Company, with Col. Geo. E. Porter as president, manufactures dressed lumber, operates the electric light plant and ice manufacturing plant. This mill has a large capacity and is busy all the time. Electric power is used for all the machinery. The electric light plant is equipped with machinery suited to the present and future needs of Live Oak in this respect. The city is well lighted, and a large portion of the manufacturing plants use electric power altogether. Geo. E. Porter, Jr., is secretary and treasurer of this company, and looks after the business of the plant, while Edward Porter is thoroughly conversant with all the machinery and electrical appliances, and has this part of the plant under his supervision. The ice plant has recently been increased and now has a capacity of twenty tons.”
Next week, I will continue with this fascinating 1905 newspaper article.
Eric Musgrove can be reached at ericm@suwgov.org or (386) 362-0564.