LAWTEY
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LAWTEY |
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NAME: Lawtey COUNTY: Bradford ROADS: 2WD GRID: 2 CLIMATE: Fine BEST TIME TO VISIT: Anytime |
COMMENTS:
Hwy 301 South. Make sure that you slow down to the legal limit since Lawtey is now a nationally infamous speed trap. The limit goes from 65 MPH to 45 MPH. REMAINS: Many old late 1800's Mansions. Some are renovated others are left to ruin. Farmers Market, Kelly General Store, & Old Train Depot |
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The small town of Lawtey owes its existence to the dreams of 30 Chicagoans who in 1877, came south to find a better life under the warm Florida sun. Captain Thomas Burrin had established a sawmill on 18,000 acres. Burrin donated 220 acres of land for a town and to sell additional acres for $5.00 an apiece. The name Lawtey was the son-in-law of one of the new residents. In 1885, 250 people lived in Lawtey wich now boasted a school house, several stores, and a cotton gin. 82 acres of Orange trees was the current crop. Later Strawberries was the main crop until the depression when the towns economy died. Lawtey, at this time, was inhabited mainly by wealthy northeners who avoided mingling with the town's "crackers". Most of the Chicagoans saw the later settlers of Lawtey as outsiders and resisted any efforts to incorporate them in the community. Some of the wealthier Chicagoans built stately homes during this time of wich some are pictured here. The early 1900's saw the introduction of a violent element to Lawtey, and shooting scrapes became common. Those residents who dared venture out after dark often took along company in the form of a gun. Rival gangs vied for power in Lawtey, and murders were frequent. The town economically never recovered from the depression. Today's town budget depends on the speeding tickets written by the "Silver Bullet", the local Sheriff. Other than that the town is virtually a ghost town or at least semi-ghost. Submitted by: Mike Woodfin
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