MABEL
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MABEL |
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NAME: Mabel COUNTY: Sumter ROADS: 2WD GRID: 3 CLIMATE: hot in summer, moderate to cold otherwise BEST TIME TO VISIT: Anytime |
COMMENTS:
Mabel is right on State Road 50 at the east Sumter County line. Today its main claim could be that it's the north end of the General James A. Van Fleet State Trail, which begins in Mabel and runs 29 miles south along an old Seaboard Airline Railroad path down to Polk City. REMAINS: old barns and farmlands, metal vats |
| Mabel began in the late 1800's, receiving a Post Office in 1894. The town was named after the daughter of Postmaster J.P. Phelps. This was a small community of 40-50 people, with a sawmill that made bean hampers (wooden fruit baskets) and other wood products. There was also a packing house called "Maybell". The sawmill and packing house closed as the residents slowly migrated to nearby Linden. The Post Office closed in 1918 and Mabel has remained a quiet spot on the map ever since. Submitted by: Jim Pike |
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