WHITE CITY
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WHITE CITY |
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NAME: White City COUNTY: Saint Lucie ROADS: 2WD GRID: 3 CLIMATE: hot and humid in summer and most of spring and fall BEST TIME TO VISIT: anytime |
COMMENTS:
In Saint Lucie County, just south of Fort Pierce at the corner of US1 and Midway Road (712). Townsite extends west to Citrus Ave. REMAINS: Jorgensen House, Captain Hammond House, White City Marketplace, scattered early 1900's homes |
| White City was founded around 1893 by a group of Danish settlers from the mid-west. The name came from "Daniel Burnham's Great White City" at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, which many of the original Danish city planners had attended. The main road thru town was also named Midway after the World's Fair main attraction. In 1894 a man by the name of Colonel Myers came to town announcing great plans for the fledgling community. He set up a land scheme, taking down payments for land parcels, as well as taking charge of resident's savings for his future bank. A short time later he disappeared, taking most of the settlers cash savings with him. Soon afterward, the big freeze of 1894-1895 destroyed all the area crops, wiping out the farmers and growers and destroying the local industry. Most of the settlers and their families left town, leaving White City a faint trace of it's original population. Years later the area began to rebuild and repopulate. In 1904 the White City Improvement Club was formed to aid the new population and protect them from bad elements such as the infamous Colonel Myers. Submitted by: Jim Pike |
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