Page 150 - a-history-of-columbia-county-florida-(1996)-edward-f-keuchel

A History of Columbia County Florida (1996) Edward F. Keuchel 139/340

The Era of Reconstruction
No. 2, W. H. and D. N. Cone’s store at Benton; No. 3, John V.
Brown’s store (Suwannee Shoals); No. 4, K. L. Bell’s store in the
western part of the county (Bell’s Mills); No. 5, the house of
William 0. Chambliss in the western part of the county (Shal-
manezer district); No. 6, Cherry Hill Lodge in the southwestern
part of the county near the Ichetucknee River; No. 7, Mikesville;
No. 8, Brown and Hawthon’s Mill in the eastern part of the county;
No. 9, at the house of W. Carrie in the southeastern part of the
county (Cypress Branch); and No. 10, the court house in Lake
City.49
The inauguration of George F. Drew as Democratic Governor
on January 2, 1877, marked the end of Reconstruction in Florida.
At the national level the new Republican President, Rutherford B.
Hayes, agreed to withdraw Federal troops from the south in
March of 1877. Many problems remained, however, especially in
the areas of race relations. For Columbia County, though, the end
of Reconstruction heralded the beginning of a more stable period—
a period of growth and development.
The construction of a new court house to replace the structure
burned in 1874 was symbolic of the change. By today’s standards it
was not an imposing edifice. It was of log construction, and
consisted of two rooms with a porch and veranda. It was located on
the northwest corner of present Olustee Park. An open well and
watering trough was located on the north side of the building
facing what is now Madison Street. The Clerk of the Court worked
and kept his records in a small building at the corner on the west
side of North Columbia Street and Orange Street. To Columbia
Countians, such as Ambrose Hart, however, the new building was
not a small log structure but rather a “fine large structure,” and
the county seat, Lake City, was becoming a “resort.”50

“Ibid., July 26, 1877.
wHart to Mother, April 2, 1876. Letters to Ambrose B. Hart; WPA File,
“Columbia County.”
135

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