Mabel, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mabel, Florida
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Unincorporated community
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Eastbound SR 50 as it approaches Mabel, Florida in April 2010.
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 Mabel, Florida
Location in Florida
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| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | Sumter |
| Elevation | 98 ft (30 m) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
33597, 33514
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| Area code(s) | 352 |
Mabel is a small, quiet place in central Sumter County, Florida, United States. It's called an unincorporated community, which means it doesn't have its own local government like a city or town. Instead, it's part of the larger county. Mabel shares postal codes with nearby towns: 33597 with Webster and 33514 with Center Hill.
Where is Mabel Located?
Mabel is surrounded by different areas. To the south, you'll find the Withlacoochee State Forest, a large natural area. Linden is to the west, and Center Hill is to the north. To the east, Mabel borders Lake County.
Getting Around Mabel
The main road that goes through Mabel is State Road 50. Long ago, two different railroad lines also passed through this area. One was the Orange Belt Railway line, which stretched from Trilby all the way to Sylvan Lake. The other was a Seaboard Air Line Railroad (SAL) line, connecting Coleman to Auburndale.
Today, one of these old railroad lines has been turned into a fun path called the General James A. Van Fleet State Trail. This trail is a great place for walking, biking, and even horseback riding. The northern end of this trail is in Mabel. There used to be a bridge over the old SAL line for State Road 50, which was planned to be part of an extension of the trail. However, this extension was never built, and the bridge was taken down in the early 2010s.
Mabel's Past
Mabel started as a small community in the late 1800s. It even got its own Post Office in 1894. The town was named after the daughter of the Postmaster at the time, J.P. Phelps.
Back then, Mabel was home to about 40 to 50 people. There was a sawmill that made wooden baskets for beans and other wood products. There was also a packing house called "Maybell." Over time, the sawmill and packing house closed. People slowly started moving to nearby Linden. The Post Office in Mabel closed in 1918, and since then, Mabel has remained a quiet spot on the map.
