NARCOOSSEE

NAME: Narcoossee
COUNTY: Osceola
ROADS: 2WD
GRID: 3
CLIMATE: hot in summer, moderate to cold in winter
BEST TIME TO VISIT: anytime
COMMENTS: Just north of Saint Cloud. Small resident population. From 441/SR500 take Narcoossee Road, past the Runnymede townsite (ghosttown), to the corner of Jones Road.
REMAINS: old citrus plant, various old houses
Narcoossee was begun in the late 1800's as a settlement by E. Nelson Fell, on a huge tract of land on the shore of East Lake Tohopekaliga. The town name comes from the Creek Indian word for Bear. English settlers began to arrive in 1883, drawn by newspaper advertisements extolling the virtues of the area and its citrus groves, promising an annual income of $10,000 once the groves matured. In 1888 the St. Cloud & Sugar Belt Railway (later renamed the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad) came thru the town area, expanding the citrus shipping possibilities and improving the local economy. Construction of the Saint Luke And Saint Peter Church began in 1892, it's completion delayed until 1898 by a bank failure. In 1910, Fell acquired title to 144 square miles in Indian River County, founded the town of Fellsmere, and took many of the Narcoossee settlers with him. The community disbanded, leaving only a handful of residents. In 1930 the church was dismantled and moved to St. Cloud. Submitted by: Jim Pike


Narcosse
Courtesy Jim Pike


Narcosse townsite
Courtesy Jim Pike

Narcosse
Courtesy Jim Pike


Narcoossee Lawn Tennis Club, 1898. 
Courtesy of the Florida Archives


Narcoossee H.E. Page General Store 1900s.  Courtesy of the Florida Archives


Grading a street in Narcoossee, 1914. 
Courtesy of the Florida Archives


Narcoossee train depot, 1915. 
Courtesy of the Florida Archives


St Luke & St Peter Church, moved to Saint Cloud, 1930's. 
Courtesy of the Florida Archives

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