Hillsborough County News Stories

Julius J. Gordon's Newspaper Collection...Search for Julius J. Gordon and numerous articles and items that he has published will come up. Look for his name under Authors, click on his name, then look for the items with electronic resources. You will have to click on the red emblem that says "mets". | Various Family Articles | Pioneering on the Lower Alafia and the Settlement of Peru | St. Petersburg Times

This is a collection of Newspaper Articles that I have acquired from my trips to the Hillsborough County library.
The date following the article is the date that it ran in the Tampa Tribune.

 

• Dade City Mourns the Death of Two Citizens
  "Uncle Johnnie" and "Uncle Van," Well Known and Much Loved Old Men Pass Beyond.
  Dade City, Nov 7,-(Special)-Last week was one of mourning in Dade City. Two gentle, kind-hearted, loving old men have passed to the great beyond. J. T. Roberts, familiarly called "Uncle Johnnie," died October 24 at his home in Tampa, where he had recently moved. "Uncle Johnnie" was seventy-three years old. He moved to Florida thirty years ago from Mount Olive, Va. He is survived by a wife, two sons and five daughters. J. F. Vanzanze, "Uncle Van," died Tuesday morning at the home of J. R. Ingram, funeral services and interment at the City Cemetery Wednesday morning. Tuesday, November 3, D. A. Rhodes, who had been an invalid for months, died at his home here. His remains were accompanied by his widow to their old home, Greenville, KY.(08 Nov 1915)
• Thieves Rob M'Guire store of $500 Stock
  Plant City,Nov 7-(Special)-The big department store of Frank McGuire was broken into by thieves on Thursday night and some $500 worth of clothing, shoes, underwear, several pistols and other goods taken. So far the thieves have made a clean "getaway," but the police of the State have been notified and Chief of Police E. D. Vestel is a noted sleuth and developements are daily expected looking to the apprehension of the culprits.(08 Nov 1915)
• New City Officials in Robes in Office
  The new city officials were sworn in on Friday and assumed charge of the city government. The personnel follows: C. Root, Mayor; Jasper Evers, clerk and collector; W. L. Lowry, treasurer and assessor; E.D. Vestel, marshal. Councilmen: S. E. Mays, chairman; P. A. Merrlin, Edgar Chapman, H. A. Coleman and E. J. DeVane. Board of Public Works: J. L. Young, A. Schneider, E. W. Wiggins. The former chairman of the Council, Wm. Schneider, made a farewell address, giving the new Council some excellent suggestions and leaving with them a statement of the financial condition of the city.(08 Nov 1915)
• Peru-Hillsborough CountyThis is an excerpt from the FLORIDA STATE GAZETTEER 1886-1887.
  Population; 80, James M. Boyett, Postmaster. First settled in 1875. Situated on the Alafia River, 15 miles southeast of Tampa, the county seat and nearest bank, express and telegraph station. Has four general stores, public school, Methodist and Baptist churches. Oranges, vegetables, syrup and sugar are the principal shipments. Mails daily except Sunday. Lands sell at $5 to $200 per acre. A hotel is reported to be needed. The Alafia river would furnish good water power at this place to run mills or machinery.
  

  Prominent Citizens

• Boyett, J. J.,Justice of the Peace, notary and real estate.
• Boyett, J. M.,Postmaster and general merchandise.
• Branner, B. M.,eneral merchandise.
• Buzbee Bros., general merchandise.
• Daniels, Rev.
• Messer, Rev.
• Parrish, G. M.,general merchandise.
• Samford, A. M.,tax assessor
• Symmes, G. H.,physician
• Wells, D. C. Rev.
• Youmans, William,wagonmaker
  Farmers and Grain Planters:
• Boyett, J. J.
• Bravo, John
• Bryan, John
• Buzbee, O. H.
• Carlton, Isaac
• Hampton, A. P.
• Kicklighter, Andrew
• Ivey, N. J.
• Messer, W. W.
• Moody, Mrs. B.
• Perry, J. J.
• Simmons, M. V.
• Tanner, Nathan
• Thomas, T. G.
• Tucker, H.
• Wells, D. C.
  Vegetable and Truck Farmers:
• Buzbee, Lawrence
• Buzbee, O. H.
• Moody, Mrs. B.
  Orange Growers:
• Boyett, J. J.
• Bravo, John
• Bryan, John
• Buzbee, O. H.
• Carlton, Isaac
• Hampton, A. P.
• Ivey, N. J.
• Kicklighter, Andrew
• Messer, W. W.
• Moody, Mrs. B.
• Pelham, J. B.
• Perry, J. J.
• Simmons, M. V.
• Symmes, G. H.
• Thomas, T. G.
• Tucker, H.
• Turner, Nathan
• Wells, D. C.
  
• A. Alverez, Jr., of Tampa has opened up a cigar factory here and is supplying Wauchula with some very fine cigars.(08 Nov 1915)
• The city election was held last Tuesday and passed off quietly, electing all old officers.(08 Nov 1915)
• The City Council has perfected arrangements for the construction of twelve miles of sidewalk. All property owners who wish can build their own walk, provided they do so within the next thirty days.(08 Nov 1915)
• Building operations are gradually becoming active again. The W. E. Mitchell block, containing three stores, and the H. Stanfield block, containing two stores, are now going up, and several real good bungalows have been started the past week.(08 Nov 1915)
• Henry B. Plant's Life Sounded Like Story By Horatio Alger One of America's greatest examples of Horatio Alger stories can be easily told from the life of Henry Bradley Plant, for who Plant City is named. One day is 1838 the old steam sidewheeler New York docked at the sleepy "cracker" village of Tampa. It was hot, but no hotter than the burning ambition of a young captain's boy named Henry Bradley Plant of Branford, Connecticut. Nineteen year old Henry got his start in Tampa that day by being placed in charge of a hold of goods that had to be moved from one location aboard the ship to another. He was provided a berth in the hold. The captain trusted him with responsibility, and as the venerable gentleman Plant often later told Tampa friends, "the day I left the forecastle and moved to an express room was the happiest day of my life." For this was his start-his foothold. Six years later, still with the steamship line, Plant married and go a job ashore with the express company in New Haven. Shortly afterward his business ability and ingenuity gave him the opportunity to be transferred to New York. A few years later the steamship line was absorbed by the express company, and Plant moved into an executive position. Still a few years later, in 1853 the company decided to expand its business in the South and Henry Bradley Plant was placed in charge and told to expand business through the new and booming area. When the Civil War came along the express company decided, because of Plant's popularity in the South, that it had better sell its holdings sought of the Mason Dixon line to Plant or else it would fall into the hands of the Rebels. Plant set up headquarters in Atlanta and called it the Southern Express Company. During the war, Southern railroads couldn't stand the gaff and became insolvent, and here young Plant got his foot in the railroad door. He bought up floundering railroads with the aid of wealthy and influential friends and built up a network of iron and steel that extended from Charleston, S. C., to Jacksonville and across Lower Georgia and North Florida. To carry on his railroad interest, smart, businesslike H. B. Plant organized the Plant Investment Company and offered shares to such great behemoths of wealth as Henry M. Flagler. Young Plant had the foresight to envision the day when the U.S. would do an immense business in the Latin Americas and decided to extend his railroad interests throughout Florida even into Key West, the southernmost part of the United States. Of course, like any pioneer, Plant and his associates made mistakes. Once, Cedar Key, a tiny fishing village on the west coast, had the only railroad. At the time Cedar Key railroads and land were owned by the David Levy Yulee family. They refused to sell or expand. It is said that Plant became so mad that he vowed, "One day I shall wipe Cedar Key off the map. Owls will hoot in the attics and hogs will wallow in your deserted streets." This alleged statement by energetic and angry Plant may or may not have come true, and while Cedar Key is a delightful little fishing village today and doubtless there are no owls hooting in attics nor hogs wallowing in the streets, the fact still remains that it has grown little. Henry Bradley Plant, as he grew older and gained more wealth and power, might have become a bit ruthless except for the fact that it must always be considered that Plant wanted Florida and particularly west Florida to grow. He considered the Tampa Bay area the best suited for his prime development and while it took him a decade or so to establish it, he, nevertheless gained his goal. And, his plans, his ideals, his dreams were logical. At that time, railroads were beginning to come into Florida and particularly the west coast as thick as--seemingly--the tourists come in today.
• Noted Outlaw Was Nabbed In Plant City, But Escaped. Plant City had its "bad men" a half a century ago, the same as any of Florida's blustering, fast growing cities. One of the most notable, perhaps was 27 year old Buck Brown, notorious jail breaker outlaw, and wated for attempted murder. Buck had busted out of several Georgia allabooses, and made his way early in 1911 to Florida. Because working on the railroad was a good place to hide, Buck got a job as a section hand on the Seaboard Air Line at Plant City. For a while he laid low and looked over the thriving community for a place to heist. One night after work, Buck and another section worker named Gainey got together and planned a robbery, but before they could institute the plan, Deputy Sheriff J. A. Hinton interrupted the meeting with a warrant for Gainey. Not knowing who Brown was, the sheriff let him go. Gainey, wanted for cutting a man's throat in Pierce County, Ga., confessed, but shed light on the identity of Brown. Gainey told officers that Brown was the noted outlaw, prison buster and was at that time planning to murder another railroad worker by the name of Cox, because Cox had threatened to expose him. Brown, thinking he had folled the Plant City deputy, was soon picked up in a saloon, along with Cox. There's a note of interest, perhaps, in the fact that Brown escaped again before he and two Georgia deputies reached the Florida line on the way to prison.
• Miss Lilla Dormany, 89, Remembers Life As It Was Lived In Plant City In 1884. Eighty nine year old Miss Lilla Dormany, who has lived in this area all of her life, glanced down memory land and described the fledgling town of Plant City as it was back in 1884. The business section, which was then located on Haines St., boasted about five tin shacks, she related. The sandy streets were mere wagon trails and the few sidewalks were fashioned of boards. Miss Lilla is the eldest of eight children born to John Dormany and his wife, Sara Walden Dormany. The couple married in South Georgia and settled on a farm at Turkey Creek. The family moved to Plant City in 1884 when Miss Lilla was a teenage girl. The youngest child, the late L. G. Dormany, was the first baby born here after the town was incorporated, according to his sister. In addition to Miss Lilla Dormany, two other children are living, including Mrs. E. L. Lyons of Lithia and a brother, W. B. Dormany who lives at Maxey's Corner just west of here. The Dormany children attended school in a small house near the site of the present Burney School and Miss Minnie Shannon was the teacher. "Young people had better times in those days than they do now," miss Dormany stated. "We enjoyed square dances, hay rides and the thrill of watching the trains go through town. We walked and there were no automobiles to wreck." She recalled that Dan Robinson's home was the headquarters for the young people. When the yellow fever epidemic struck this little town in 1888, the Dormany family, like so many others, moved away. The Dormanys went to Springhead to escape the dread disease and Miss Lilla described that community as "really in the country in those days." She said she was frightened of snakes every time she had to go to the spring for water. Despite the family's precautions, Miss Lilla's father died of the yellow fever after they returned here. In remembering life in Plant City during those early pioneer days, she told of some "firsts." This long-time resident said that Jonah Yates was the first mayor; a Dr. McCall the first physician; John Mooney the first town marshall; Bob Speir the first city clerk; Capt. Bivins the first lawyer; and E. S. Tyner the first post master. Miss Lilla and her late sister, Miss Angie, maintained a millinery store here for 20 years, catering to the fashionable ladies of that era. A few of the hats were factory made but most were made by hand. A "trimmer" from Atlanta came to the store each spring and fall and fashioned creations from braid, lace, ribbons and plumes, using a wire base. Miss Lilla recalled that every woman wore hats in those days and even little girls. She made bonnets for girls out of imitation forget-me-nots and ribbon.
• Banishing Cows and Saloons Was Wished. A story appearing in the issue of The Courier dated Jan. 3, 1913 lists New Year's wishes for Plant Citians for the city. The article follows: The Courier man applied his finger to the public pulse this week by taking a pad and recording the off-hand answers made to the following questions addressed to a few citizens taken indiscriminately as they were met on the street. "What would be your New Year's wish for the city of Plant City or what civic reform or municipal improvement do you consider as the thing most to be desired?" the answers given below ere submitted by the following named citizens: J. A. Pearce-"Above everything else, good streets and a general cleaning up process." H. H. Root-"That the cows may be eliminated from the streets." Dr. O. S. Wright-"Abolish the city government." William Schneider-"That our citizens may bury selfishness and all pull together for the common good." P. A. Merrin-"That the saloons may be removed from our midst and the streets of the city be paved." G. B. Wells-"Bonds for municipal improvements." M. E. Moody-"That the saloons may be removed from around the union station and a city park established." F. M. Loomis-"Banish the saloons and give us a sewerage system." Col. J. L. Young-"A revival of the Board of Trade and an up to date school building." Dr. Alsobrook-"A city council with back bone enough to put the liquor license up to $1,500 and then clean up the city." E. E. Moyse-"A mayor and council to assist in managing the affairs of the city." John T. Lowe-"The present form of municipal government abolished and a commission government substituted." Mayor Herring-"I desire to see the installation of a adequate sewerage system, the main streets paved with brick, the ACL freight depot removed, concrete paving around the union station, more and larger street lights and better sidewalks.