Summerfield, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Summerfield, Florida
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Post office of Summerfield, FL
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 Summerfield, Florida
Location in Florida
Summerfield, Florida
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Florida |
| County | Marion |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code(s) |
34491, 34492
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| Area code(s) | 352 |
Summerfield is a small community in Marion County, Florida, United States. It's known as an unincorporated community. This means it's not a city with its own local government, but it's a place where people live and work together.
You can find Summerfield close to where two main roads, US 301 and County Road 475A, meet. It's also part of the larger Ocala area, which is a group of towns and communities near the city of Ocala.
Contents
A Look Back in Time
Summerfield has had its own post office since 1885. This means mail has been delivered here for a very long time! The community got its name from Colonel Adam G. Summer. He was a local person who owned a lot of land and raised cattle.
How Summerfield Got Its Name
In 1856, a man named Colonel Adam G. Summer moved to Marion County, Florida. He settled on a huge piece of land, about 1,400 acres, which was known as Watula. This area was also called Long Hammock.
Colonel Summer was very interested in farming and animals. He worked hard to improve his livestock, especially cattle. He even brought in new types of cattle from other countries. In 1860, he imported six special Brahman calves all the way from the East Indies. He also brought in other animals like Bremen geese and beautiful horses.
By 1866, his farm had fifty high-quality Brahma cattle. After the Civil War, Colonel Summer did something special. He gave each of his former workers a piece of land and a small house. This helped them start new, independent lives. These families settled in a wide area around Summerfield. Sadly, Colonel Summer passed away in 1866.
From Watula to Whitesville
After the Civil War, Charles H. White came to Florida. He settled in the same Watula area. Mr. White became the postmaster and opened the very first general store. This store was located where the Methodist Church of Summerfield stands today.
The community started to grow. It had a school, a blacksmith shop, a sawmill, and even a cotton gin. There was also a church, a telegraph office, and a place to ship goods. People bought land for about $10 an acre. They grew crops like cotton, oranges, and different vegetables.
In 1873, the name of the community changed from Watula to Whitesville. This was done to honor Charles H. White, who had done so much for the area. Whitesville was located a little west of where Summerfield is now, near Summers Lake.
The Railroad's Impact
In 1880, a railroad company wanted to build tracks through the land north of Whitesville. But the landowner, Fletcher Fink, said no. Because of this, the railroad decided to build its tracks a bit further east. This was a big deal because the railroad chose not to build a station in Whitesville.
Instead, a new station was built two miles east, and it was named Like Weir. This decision made things harder for Whitesville. About ten years later, a smaller track was built to connect this new station directly to Lake Weir at Weirsdale.
However, things changed again for Whitesville. In 1887, a decision was made to build a new railroad station right in Whitesville. This new station brought more people to the area, including settlers from other states like the Carolinas, Georgia, and Alabama.
By 1888, the community decided to change its name once more. In honor of Colonel Adam G. Summer, the founder who had done so much for the area, Whitesville became known as Summerfield.
