Italia, Florida facts for kids
Italia is a special place in Nassau County, Florida, United States. It's called an unincorporated community, which means it's a small area that doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. Italia is recognized as a Florida Heritage Site because of its important history.
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Where is Italia?
Italia is located in Nassau County, Florida. It's about 20 miles north of the big city of Jacksonville. You can find it on a map at these coordinates: 30°36′59″N 81°43′02″W / 30.61639°N 81.71722°W.
The Story of Italia
Italia was started in 1882 by a businessman named William MacWilliams. He was born in Ireland. Italia was built along the Florida Transit Railway. This was a train track that went from Fernandina on the Atlantic coast all the way to Cedar Key on the Gulf of Mexico.
Bricks and Trains
The owner of the railroad, a former Senator named David Yulee, asked MacWilliams to build a factory in Italia. This factory would make bricks. Senator Yulee even promised to buy the first million bricks! Bricks made in Italia were used to build homes and businesses in Fernandina and other places in northeast Florida.
A Growing Village
Soon, Italia became a busy little village. It had a train station, called a depot, where trains stopped. It also had a post office where people could send letters and a general store where they could buy supplies. MacWilliams kept working to help the village grow. Some Italian families even moved to live in Italia.
In 1883, Nathan Levan built a mill that made wood shingles. These shingles were used for roofs on homes and businesses. Another person, Andrew J. Higginbotham, built a sawmill to cut wood. By 1885, Italia was a thriving village with over 300 people. They came from different states like Georgia, South Carolina, Maryland, and Pennsylvania. There were also a few Italian families from New England.
How Italia Got Its Name
William MacWilliams named the place "Italia" because of a popular campaign at the time. This campaign promoted Florida as "America's Italy." It was called this because Florida has a warm climate and a shape like a peninsula, similar to Italy.
New Industries and Changes
In 1905, Thomas J. Shave moved from Georgia and built a turpentine still. This was a place that made turpentine, a product from pine trees. Within five years, turpentine became the main product made in Italia. Shave later sold the turpentine still to Joseph P. and Frederick H. Higginbotham. They were the son and grandson of the first sawmill owner.
Italia's most important asset was always the railroad. The trains carried the bricks, lumber, shingles, turpentine, and rosin (another product from pine trees) to different markets where they could be sold.
The End of an Era
The biggest problem for Italia happened in the 1920s. The railroad tracks were changed. Instead of going through Italia, the trains were sent on a different route from Callahan to Gross. This meant Italia was bypassed by the railroad.
Without the trains, the businesses in Italia could no longer easily send their products to market. They were forced to close or move to better locations. In the 1930s, a new highway, State Route 200, was built through Italia. It followed the old railroad path. However, it was too late to help Italia's economy.
Today, Italia is one of many "ghost towns" in Florida. These are places that were once busy but are now mostly empty. But since the 1990s, Italia has been officially recognized as a Florida Heritage Site.
