Avoca, Florida facts for kids

Avoca is an unincorporated community in Hamilton County, Florida, United States.

Geography

Avoca is located at latitude 30.578 and longitude -83.027 and its elevation is 118 feet. Surrounding state roads include State Road 150 and State Road 390. The surrounding US Highway is Highway 129. A map of the community can be found here.

Avoca by Charles A. Tuten Sr. Hamilton County Historian. Member of the Hamilton County Florida Historical Society. "Hamilton County, Its History and Its People" Southern Heritage Press.

You could say my house in Jasper is in Avoca (2015). I live on a piece of land that was a part of Pete Miller's farm, which was once part of the Miller Plantation in the 1850s. Avoca was a turpentine/farming community for many years. Farming and plantation operations created the small community and Turpentine maintained it later. In 1916 it was a prosperous community located in our Hamilton County Florida around the junction of CR 150 and US HWY 129. Hebron Cemetery supported the community and Church was held at Bakers Mill. Miller’s Crossing was a few miles from Avoca. L.E. Miller had a substantial plantation farm there and housed the commissary or general store where Boots (Brogans), Jeans, mostly overalls, Georgia knits (socks) and hickory striped shirts were sold and nearly uniform wear in the area. Calico Dresses and high topped shoes were there for the women folk as well as “Homespun” cloth to make underwear and sheets. Foodstuffs of sugar, rice, grits, and soda crackers (the famous cracker barrel around a pot bellied stove comes to mind), chewing tobacco, “Brown Mule and Apple” in a large case stood at the front of the store. There were NO packaged cigarettes sold (called “ready rolled” by locals) in that day but corn cob pipes and pipe tobacco was there. Huge 60 gallon drums of home brew beer, kerosene, vinegar, nails, cane syrup… coupled with oil lamps, and lanterns all hung or stood throughout the store. Pots, pans, and washtubs could be purchased as well…candy in big wooden kegs included licorice, peppermint sticks, sugar teats, and those huge 6” ginger cookies (notched around the edge). Hunting supplies and ammunition was there too. The community had several schools in a four to five mile area….and in 1915 consolidating schools became a common and necessary reality. Leigh school (named in honor of Philemon Leigh), unpainted, two windows in front, a well under a huge oak tree, covered with streamers of Spanish moss, with a sandbag swing tied to very high limb by a steel cable gave the children a playful “recess”. The girls enjoyed a “two hole” outhouse in the back rear of the school while the boys used the “outhouse” oak thicket across the road; it was called “Down South”. Mrs. Chloe McCall Horton rang the morning bell to the excitement of the students…in that day most all children loved school. Ms. Helen McCall was the teacher, later Ms. Audra Adams. The school was later named “Progress” (included Leigh School, Dry Branch School, and McBranch School)….enlarged to two big rooms and eight windows to each side, a library in the front and outside stood two new 4-hole outhouses! Children came from growing families such as the Cowarts, George Smiths, and the Duncans. Richard Duncan married Lily Hill, daughter of Ed Hill (father of Clarence Hill and grandfather of Billy Hill. The Morgans, The Johnnie Stephens, The Joe Hunters, The Joneses, and the Deloaches (Tap Deloach was an early pioneer), The Will Jackson’s, and the Webbs. Avoca was in the ninth district in those days and was a grand place to live.By Charles Anthony Tuten Sr.

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