The History of Freedtown
Throwback to the Great Freeze here in Florida. The crazy history of back-to-back freezes of 1894–1895 that destroyed the majority of states citrus production. It destroyed over 3 million boxes of oranges plus the orchards they came come. The temperatures got down to 14 and 27 degrees!
But that’s not all, here in Pasco County some towns even vanished off the map because of it. One of those towns was known as “Freedtown.”
Down Bozeman Road off of Fort King, a town with a special history was born. In 1866 founded by Benjiman Baisden, freed slaves created the Freedtown settlement of 200 acres south of Lake Buddy.
1869 was a time of reconstruction. The United States was only four years out from the Civil War. The freedman’s bureau which was a newly formed government organization, were helping these newly freed slaves acquire land.
The town flourished and several families moved to the settlement during those days. There was a school formed for black children, a church, a cemetery, and shops.
This was a citrus boom-town. Citrus crops flourished… in fact reports show by 1880 the orange grove had “borne him three crops within a year.” The citrus industry was booming all across the Florida at the time.
By 1890, the Freedtown settlement had grown considerably. Several families called the land their home. Children were born there, raised there, and have passed away there. The people were absolutely thriving and then the unexpected happened.
December 27, 1894 is the day Florida froze. This was that Great Freeze. It dropped to nearly 24 degrees… then it warmed up for a couple of months before round two hit. Round two was a killer, it was 22 degrees in Tampa, 10 degrees in Ocala. People were ice skating on ponds in Tallahassee. A year later, the freezes struck again. A repeated cycle no was one ready for.
Overnight, as the commissioner of agriculture said, by morning’s mist, most of the economy of Florida is gone. Freedtown was one of those loses, the crops were killed off and nearly everyone left. Some headed two miles to Dade City.
Today you can see the plaque that alongside the road to remember this part of Pasco County History.
But that’s not all, here in Pasco County some towns even vanished off the map because of it. One of those towns was known as “Freedtown.”
Down Bozeman Road off of Fort King, a town with a special history was born. In 1866 founded by Benjiman Baisden, freed slaves created the Freedtown settlement of 200 acres south of Lake Buddy.
1869 was a time of reconstruction. The United States was only four years out from the Civil War. The freedman’s bureau which was a newly formed government organization, were helping these newly freed slaves acquire land.
The town flourished and several families moved to the settlement during those days. There was a school formed for black children, a church, a cemetery, and shops.
This was a citrus boom-town. Citrus crops flourished… in fact reports show by 1880 the orange grove had “borne him three crops within a year.” The citrus industry was booming all across the Florida at the time.
By 1890, the Freedtown settlement had grown considerably. Several families called the land their home. Children were born there, raised there, and have passed away there. The people were absolutely thriving and then the unexpected happened.
December 27, 1894 is the day Florida froze. This was that Great Freeze. It dropped to nearly 24 degrees… then it warmed up for a couple of months before round two hit. Round two was a killer, it was 22 degrees in Tampa, 10 degrees in Ocala. People were ice skating on ponds in Tallahassee. A year later, the freezes struck again. A repeated cycle no was one ready for.
Overnight, as the commissioner of agriculture said, by morning’s mist, most of the economy of Florida is gone. Freedtown was one of those loses, the crops were killed off and nearly everyone left. Some headed two miles to Dade City.
Today you can see the plaque that alongside the road to remember this part of Pasco County History.