Micanopy Historical Marker

NE Cholokka Blvd. and NE Peach Ave.. Micanopy, FL

 

 

There are 8 FloridaAntiqueTrail.com member shops and malls in Micanopy, FL.

 

 

 

Doc Hollywood Filming Locations at Micanopy, FL

 

 

 

 

 

Doc Hollywood

 

 

 

 

City Hall

706 Chokkota Blvd

Also location of a small branch of Alaucha Co. Library

 and the county office as well.

 

 

 

 

Moses Elias Levy Memorial Sign

Continuing on  Chokkota Blvd  I’d suggest that you park the car along the Blvd and walk along the historic street.  .   so you can really enjoy the old town with a bit more traditional mode—your own two feet!

 

Visiting Micanopy doesn’t take long unless you s-l-o-w down

If you’re an old movie buff (or just OLD) this town just might look familiar—and that’s because it played Grady S.C. the Squash Capital of the South in the movie

Doc Hollywood 

which was of course filmed here in the early 90’s.

On the Left across the street from city hall.

 

 

 

First Baptist Church of Micanopy

709 NE Cholokko Boulevard

 

Churches in Micanopy FL

 

 

 

Infact the rural scenery and historical town has provided a back drop to several movies—see my last blog — my previous blog (the on I did before my Halloween one)  to see a full list.  But I’d say after the Doc (Hollywood) the next most famous would be Cross Creek—which you can learn more about in that two blogs ago I just mentioned s on a tour I’ve been suggesting for my readers here in Central North Florida.

On the right, just South of City Hall is

 

 

 

 

Fire/Rescue Department

704 NE Cholokka Bvd

Where the Fire Department stands today was once the location of the

Little School House

a frame vernacular style building built in 1920 as a primary school for the town.  Later it was a “School Kitchen” proving lunches and as a meeting house for school groups (i.e. 4-H).  After the school closed the building was sold and moved to another location (I have no idea where).  And later the fire department built on the site.

 

 

East Florida Seminary – Micanopy

Micanopy has a predominant style—that frame vernacular I just mentioned—classical styles,

Victorian and Bungalow.

 

 

Cracker Houses Make Sense in Hot Climates

Then there’s a new house on the left—built in 1930’s!!!

 

 

One, if not THE most impressive houses on this street is the Herlong House with old pecan and oak trees that wrap around it—maintaining more of its hisorical dignity.

 

 

 

Past N.E. Lucky street  on left

The Herlong House began as a “Cracker Style” house in the 1940’s.   Once the Herlongs were just another modest income family of the town but that changed with trees—in their case ones that were cut down (lumber) and ones that were planted (citrus).

 

After the Fire Department building on the right there is an outdoor basket ball court which ends at NE 7th Ave.

 

 

 

On the left where 7th Ave ends on our current Blvd is the Thatcher Building which houses the history museum that we saw in previous parts of the tour

Continue south

So with their new wealth the Herlongs built a classic Revival Mansion over the original two story house.   The house you see today is not exactly what the family built as the house is now a B&B and has been a bit remodeled to accomadate its guests.

Continuing on the left

Directly across where NE  5th Ave  ends on the main street

 

 

Old Presbyterian Church

501 Cholokka Bvd.

Built in 1870 during a period of development in the town in addition to serving as a church it was also a meeting site and library.  Check out the ruby red stain glass in the eastern sanctuary 3-bays windows and its fine molding on the double front door.  It is now an Episopal church of the Mediator and used as a sanctuary.

 

 

Encyclopedia of Southern Jewish Communities – Micanopy, FL

The Herlong House has huge Roman-style columns that support a double verandah onto which some of the bedrooms open and with it’s lead-glass windows, abundant use of mahogany and maple inlaid floor.  There are 10 fire places in the 15 room mansion with it’s 12′  high celings and lots of antiques.

and here it is on the right

 

 

Herlong Mansion
Bed & Breakfast
402 NE Cholokka Blvd

It is a story of a family in the town at the turn of the 19th c.  Netty Herlong’s wife Natalie inherited—just a homestead nothing above the norm for the area, to which  the Herlongs and their 6 children moved to from North Carolina,

 

As we have said before Nettie did very well and built the current mansion, but the property remained in Natalie’s name and upon her death her children inherited equally with an understanding that the father would continue to live there which he did for 10 more years. But the children failed to keep it up–one of the siblings Inez’s husband (Fletcher Miller) was wealthy and when he passed away she bought the other five out.

She had the house fully restore but died of a heart attack on the day she moved back into it.

 

 

 

Dining With the Uninvited ‘Woman in White’

 

 

Continue on your walk down the street on the western side

 

‘

Formerly the John Jacob Bar Building/aka Micanopy Banking Co. (1906) Built by Bar in 1906  It failed in 1927 when Florida went into the Drepression a bit earlier than the rest of the USA.

For a while it housed the post office and later an antique shop with apartments in the back and upstairs.

 

Delectiable Antique Shop

112 NE Cholokka Ave

Fine jewelry and antiques.

 

 

 

         Otis Feaster Building

Corner Cholokka Bvd and Seminary Blvd

Rising 3 stories when it was built in 1903—it was the pride of the town.  Here you found a general store on the groundfloor which was a center of the community for both supplies and the latest gossip—maybe community information?

 

The 2nd floor was more official for communication—it held a telephone company.

And the third for entertainment:   opera, plays, and Chautauqua events.

 

 

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Dailey Building

210 Cholokka Blvd.

Built 1925 by a Doctor—I.A. Dailey.  Originally it held a drugstore (complete with soda fountain, white marble counter and mirrored cabinet) and doctor’s office

Today it’s home to:

The Shop

Where you’ll find unique gifts and decorated vignettes throughout the store for entertaining and creating a fun and cozy space.

 

While the upstairs has been made into apartments.

The Town of Micanopy encompasses 1.03 square miles near the Alachua-Marion County line in rural north-central Florida between Gainesville (home of the University of Florida) and Ocala (the horse capital of the world). Micanopy’s 669 residents occupy 300 residences. The beautiful southern community was named for Seminole Chief Micanopy (ca.1780-1849).

Home

 

Alachua County avoids Hurricane Ian’s worst

 

 

 

Mountain Garage

Built in 1913 by JR Mountain, this has been describe as an “early architecture reflecting the age of the automobile.”  It has is a simple commerical style of stucco and brick and was originally a garage and filling station.  it later served  as a bus station (into the 1940’s).

Mott-May Buidling

Next Door to the Garage

at 214 Cholokko

 Built in 1900 by N.B. Mott somewhere around 1900, in a Gothic Revival by a commerical architect.  It has a double front door and tall display windows (it is said that these doors were built particularly high to service a second story business–a undertaker who needed the heights to permit the unloading of coffins.)  Downstairs it was a general store for over 70 years, and then an antique shop for another 20.  It was most recently the Mott-May Gallery, but it is my understanding that the gallery is now permanently  closed.

Cholokka Boulevard, Micanopy’s main street is Old Florida at its best, lined with huge oak trees draped in Spanish moss and historic storefronts. You might  begin your day with coffee and baked goods from Mosswood Farm Store and Bake House then working your way up the street, making sure to take the time to treasure hunt for unique gifts, books, antiques and more.                      Discover Micanopy 

 

 

Micanopy, Florida facts for kids

 

 

 

 

Restaurants in Micanopy

The area in and around Micanopy, the oldest inland town in Florida, has been inhabited by people for more than 1,000 years, according to research and historical records. The Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto found a Timucua Indian village near the town in 1539. An Indian burial site, believed to date from around 800 A.D., is located in the Micanopy Native American Heritage Park. Some artifacts such as pottery found on property in Micanopy indicate the area was first occupied around 1500 B.C.           Micanopy fort

 

 

 

                                                      National Register of Historic Places received SEP 28
Inventory — Nomination Form

Cross over Ocala Street at a safe location

and then follow  Ocala Street to the right 

Turn Left on Division and on to Smith

The Micanopy Historic Cemetery was founded by Micanopy physician, HL Montgomery, in the early 1800s with land later being deeded to the cemetery trustees in 1897. With over 100 Veterans interred in the cemetery, the earliest burial is dated 1826, although there are many ancestors that lived in the 1700’s laid to rest here. Besides being a final resting place for loved ones, the Micanopy cemetery, in its central location on Smith Street, is also a contemplative place to walk and visit for Micanopy residents. The Cemetery was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1983.

Micanopy Cemetery Association

 

 

 Micanopy Cemetery. Photo: P Marlin 2018

Micanopy, Florida: Its Early Residents, History, & Cemetery

 

Micanopy Historic Cemetery

This is the town’s first cemetery with its earliest burials in 1826.  Graves of early settlers and families of the community are here, there are 19th c tablet form grave stones, obelisks and fine examples of VIctorian sculpture as well as simple wooden or marble head stones.  It is also  covered with great oaks, dogwoods and azaleas.

 

As Micanopy’s Cemetery Runs Out Of Space, Seminole Battleground May Prevent Expansion

Herlong Mansion Bed and Breakfast–Haunted Places 

Now there’s more history houses and   see, stores to visit and the like in Micanopy—I just wanted to give you some highlights of the area to get you interested—hope I have.

So that is Micanopy, a town that has retained its rural appeal.  It has less than a thouand people….giving it a nice rural town feeling.

 

 

The history and beauty of Micanopy, Florida

Just a few miles south of Gainesville, the town has retained a quiet ambiance. And it only get busy when the town closes main street for The Micanopy Fall Festival.

 

 

Micanopy vacation rentals

So that’s (finally) it for my north Central Florida Adventure…..you can return any way you want and remember 441 runs thru the area (north and east of town) as does I-75 (west of town) so you should be able to reach most areas of Florida and beyond by taking one of these.  Hope you have a need to see these areas and towns of this part of Florida now—-so get out there and find some fun in the REAL FLORIDA.  If you’re headed south you might want to stop (on 441) at McIntosh which is on your way and allows you to see a bit more of small town and historic Florida.

 

 

Micanopy Florida