JEROME
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JEROME |
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NAME: Jerome COUNTY: Collier ROADS: 2WD GRID: 4 CLIMATE: hot and humid most of the year, mild to cold in winter BEST TIME TO VISIT: anytime, however the area is contaminated |
COMMENTS:
Approximately 15 residents. From I-75 head south at State Road 29 intersection, Jerome townsite is about 10 miles down the road (has a town sign) REMAINS: unknown, possible building or mill remains |
| Jerome began in the 1920s as a sawmill and logging town, with the CJ Jones Lumber Company operating an extensive business there. Thousands of tons of raw and treated wood were cut and shipped out by train along the Atlantic Coastline Railroad to points north up to the Hendry County Line. In 1956 a fire destroyed the lumber mill, spilling large vats of creosote which contaminated the groundwater. The CJ Jones lumber mill closed in 1957, and the creosote spillage insured that no new people or businesses would come to town. (lawsuits are still ongoing over the illnesses and deaths of many mill workers and residents due to creosote water contamination) Submitted by: Jim Pike |
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