Florida, Hendry County, LaBelle
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In 1895, prominent landowner and cattleman Captain Francis A. Hendry (1833-1917) platted a townsite at LaBelle, which was first settled as a center for cattle and citrus industries. A post office, general store, school, and a church were eventually built, and LaBelle became the first town and commercial center in what became Hendry County. Although Hendry is credited with settling LaBelle, E.E. Goodno (1858-1936), who purchased Hendry’s former land holdings in 1903 and financed many of the town’s first improvements, is recognized as the “Father of LaBelle.” LaBelle’s historic business district extends along and near Bridge Street from the Caloosahatchee River south to Hickpockee Avenue. At one time, both sides of the street were lined with commercial establishments, some of which feature living accommodations on the second floor. Sadly, many early downtown buildings were destroyed in a 1928 fire, but some have survived, including the Poole Store (1911), First Bank of LaBelle (1925), and the Royal Poinciana/Newcomb Bakery (1911-1912 -– one of the buildings constructed for both commercial and residential use). The Downtown LaBelle Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
(Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 10 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
In 1895, prominent landowner and cattleman Captain Francis A. Hendry (1833-1917) platted a townsite at LaBelle, which was first settled as a center for cattle and citrus industries. A post office, general store, school, and a church were eventually built, and LaBelle became the first town and commercial center in what became Hendry County. Although Hendry is credited with settling LaBelle, E.E. Goodno (1858-1936), who purchased Hendry’s former land holdings in 1903 and financed many of the town’s first improvements, is recognized as the “Father of LaBelle.” LaBelle’s historic business district extends along and near Bridge Street from the Caloosahatchee River south to Hickpockee Avenue. At one time, both sides of the street were lined with commercial establishments, some of which feature living accommodations on the second floor. Sadly, many early downtown buildings were destroyed in a 1928 fire, but some have survived, including the Poole Store (1911), First Bank of LaBelle (1925), and the Royal Poinciana/Newcomb Bakery (1911-1912 -– one of the buildings constructed for both commercial and residential use). The Downtown LaBelle Historic District is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
(Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers) Includes location, directions, 10 photos, GPS coordinates, map.
Orange & Alexandria Railroad roundhouse, formerly located near Duke and South Henry Streets. Engine named after Brigadier General Herman Haupt, Chief of Transportation, U.S. Military Railroads during the Civil War. Mathew Brady photograph after 1863. Courtesy Library of Congress.
It was along this shoreline, named Steamboat Point in 1851, and extending from 500 feet west of Third Street to the Foot of Second at Townsend, that the most able shipbuilders of the times built and repaired every type of vessel, from the largest class of “floating palace” riverboats and ferryboats designed to carry railroad cars, down to brigantines and yachts. Shipbuilders, John North, Henry Owens, Patrick Henry Tieman, and H.B. Tichenor made Steamboat Point famous from 1851 to 1868 as the place to haul out vessels on marine railways for caulking, coppering, and below water repairs. At a time when San Francisco depended totally on sea and river lanes for all the necessities and luxuries of life, as well as her communications with the world, the shipwrights of Steamboat Point built and maintained her watercraft at their boatyards and this narrow beach.
In 1852 you would have been standing on a bluff overlooking the narrow beach just below that followed the approximate line of King Street. First accurately charted by the U.S. Coast Survey topographical engineers in 1852, the shoreline was named Steamboat Point after the boatyards on the beach. All of the land that you can see on the bay side of King Street is man-made, created by filling the bay. Massive timber cribbing was built to hold large rocks, and thousand of cubic yards of the city’s sandhills and rubble were dumped on top. The construction of the seawall beyond and beneath the foot of King Street and the Embarcadero in 1905 fixed the line of the present shoreline.
This marker consists of six plaques arranged in a 2 X 3 pattern. The top left plaque is the title plaque and may contain some text. The top right plaque displayed an arrow which points in the direction of the named street. Other plaques contain biographical information on the person for whom the street is named, appropriate quotation(s) and relevant illustrations, cast in bronze.
This marker consists of six plaques arranged in a 2 X 3 pattern. The top left plaque is the title plaque and may contain some text. The top right plaque displayed an arrow which points in the direction of the named street. Other plaques contain biographical information on the person for whom the street is named, appropriate quotation(s) and relevant illustrations, cast in bronze.
This marker consists of six plaques arranged in a 2 X 3 pattern. The top left plaque is the title plaque and may contain some text. The top right plaque displayed an arrow which points in the direction of the named street. Other plaques contain biographical information on the person for whom the street is named, appropriate quotation(s) and relevant illustrations, cast in bronze.
The original Goshen Mills consisted of a three-story brick merchant mill and a smaller frame grist mill. The facility was constructed after 1737 by Ignatius Pigman to serve this small farming community. It relied on water supplied by the Goshen branch, which flows into the Great Seneca Creek. Water-powered wheels turned the four flour mill stones that converted local wheat and corn crops into finished products such as flour and meal for consumption. By 1800 when Edward Crow managed the property, there were 44 mills in Montgomery County, of which 7 were located on the Seneca Creek and its tributaries. To distinguish his mills from other competition, Crow advertised that the facility had materials on hand to construct a saw mill and identified the presence of a rich copper mine on the surrounding acreage. Crow sold the mills in 1803 to Samuel Robertson, who resided at Fertile Meadows. Operations continued at the mills under the Riggs family until 1890, when a fire destroyed the then outdated milling complex.
This marker consists of six plaques arranged in a 2 X 3 pattern. The top left plaque is the title plaque and may contain some text. The top right plaque displayed an arrow which points in the direction of the named street. Other plaques contain biographical information on the person for whom the street is named, appropriate quotation(s) and relevant illustrations, cast in bronze.
This marker consists of six plaques arranged in a 2 X 3 pattern. The top left plaque is the title plaque and may contain some text. The top right plaque displayed an arrow which points in the direction of the named street. Other plaques contain biographical information on the person for whom the street is named, appropriate quotation(s) and relevant illustrations, cast in bronze.
The town was named after Dr. E. Darwin French who explored the area in 1860 giving his name to the falls, canyon, and wash. First recorded mine, the Promontorio, was discovered by Rafael Cuervo October 1876. Darwin was the center of activity of the New Coso Mining District. By 1877 three furnaces were in operation. The greatest producing mines were the Christmas Gift, Defiance, and Lucky Jim. Recorded production of the disrict between 1875 and 1951 was 5,914 oz. gold; 7,630,492 oz. silver; 117,566,900 lbs. lead; 52,124,942 lbs. zinc; 1,489,396 lbs. copper.
Cerro Gordo discovered by Mexicans in 1865 was at $17,000,000 Inyou's wealthiest mineral producer. Silver, lead, xinc, water and supplies all went by mule train, tram. The "Bessie Brady" boat across Owens Lake and Remi Nadeau mule teams to build the Pueblo of Los Angeles.
From Colonial times until the late 19th century, taverns occupied almost every crossroad and trading center. They were the center of life for rural communities. This is where mail was received, goods were traded, travelers slept, newspapers were read, and local news shared – as well as where hard liquor was imbibed.
In 1975 William Julius “Judy” Johnson became the first Delawarean elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame. During his career, 1921 through 1936, Johnson was considered the best third baseman in the Negro Leagues. In 1935, Johnson served as captain of the Pittsburgh Crawfords, a team that also featured Hall of Famers Satchel Paige, Oscar Charleston, Josh Gibson and Cool Papa Bell. Later he served as a scout for the Philadelphia Athletics, the Philadelphia Phillies, and the Milwaukee Braves. This house, where Johnson and his wife Anita lived for 55 years, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places.
