Alachua

Walking Map of the Historical Area

1. TRAXLER-HIRSCH HOUSE
This house was the home of Earl D. Traxler, an officer of the First National Bank and the son of William H. Traxler. Built in the 1920's, this is now the home of Gunter Hirsch.

2. HARRISON-JOHNSON HOUSE
James Harrison, owner of a farm supply store on Main Street, built this house in the early 1900's. It is now the home of Mrs. C.T. Johnson.

3. FIRST UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
The church was organized in 1822 in Newnansville, and eventually built a frame building there. With the rise of the new com-munity of Alachua, and the decline of Newnansville, the Methodists, after lengthy debate, built a white frame church on this site in 1898. In 1910 a fire destroyed the church and parsonage. The congregation used the Baptist facilities until 1913 when this red brick church, with stained glass windows, was completed. The church proudly claims "Oldest Methodist Church in Florida."

4. BELL-RIST HOUSE
This two-story farm house was built by the Dell Family, then purchased and remodeled by E.N. Bell, Alachua builder and developer, about 1920. This was the Bell family home for many years. The house has been restored and is now the home of Sally Rist.

5. FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH
The Presbyterian Church of Alachua organized in 1907. For the first decade the congregation met in homes until the wooden Baptist Church building was purchased and moved to this site. In 1952 the present sanctuary was con-structed. Several additions to the facilities have been completed since then.

6. BAPTIST CHURCH
Organized September 17, 1897, the monthly services were held in the schoolhouse. In 1902 the first church was constructed on this site. After a two-year fund drive, a yellow brick church was erected. The old frame building sold to the Presbyterians. In 1973 this sanc-tuary replaced the previous building.

7. BUSINESS DISTRICT-South Main Street
This group of commercial buildings were built near 1900. The two-story brick structure with the Romanesque arches over the windows was originally a farmers' cooperative. During he 1920's it served as a garage. It contains a large walk-in vault. Today it is Wayne Tanner's Alachua Feed Store. The Masonic Lodge uses the second floor for meetings. The white, one-story building was M.F. Eddy grocery store for many years. The remaining structures were W.H. Sealey's drygoods store with separate sections for men's and women's clothing, and a millinery shop.

8. CIGAR FACTORY - COMMERCIAL HOTEL -COLVIN BUILDING
Built originally as a cigar factory early in the 20th century, it was remodeled in the late 1920's as a hotel, serving business travelers for several years. It is now owned by Elden and Sue Colvin.

9. ALACHUA WOMEN'S CLUB
Originally called the Alachua Improvement Club, it was organized in 1912 with the object-ive of improving the schools. Members met in homes until this native stone building was con-structed with WPA labor in the early 1930's.

10. SEALY - ROTHSEIDON HOUSE
W.H. Sealey, who had the dry goods business in the store buildings one block south, lived here for many years. The house was built near 1900. Sealey may not have been the original owner. It is now the home of J.and W. Rothseidon.

11. WILLIAMS - LeROY HOUSE
This large frame house with the three-story tower on one corner and fish scale shingles on the dormers and tower, was built near the turn of the century by Furman E. Williams. He was postmaster from 1897 to 1907 and a founder of the Bank of Alachua. A nephew, H.N. LeRoy, who lived with the Williams and served in the bank, later inherited the house. A daughter, Blanche LeRoy, owns the home.

12. FUTCH HOUSE
This residence was built in the early 1910's for I.S. Futch. Mr. Futch, with his brother, had a furniture store on N. Main Street in the building immediately north of the old theater. In recent years the house has been used as a rental property.

13. BANK OF ALACHUA
The first bank in Alachua, this structure was built in 1904 by Furman Williams. H.M. LeRoy was an officer in the bank. It fell victim of the depression and closed its doors in 1931. Later, W.T. Roberts used the structure as a funeral home. It has housed several other businesses over the years.

14. MIZELL - STEPHENS - STEVENS HOUSE
This home, shaded by two trees in the front, was built by J.T. Mizell, an Alachua builder. There is evidence to indicate that the house was built prior to 1904. The piping of an acetylene gas lighting system is still in this house. About 1918 it became the residence of Frazier Stephens, a prominent merchant. It is presently the residence of George Stevens.

15. PIERCE - BISHOP - KELLEY HOUSE
This two-story home was built by Leroy Pierce, Alachua merchant, in 1898. It was the home of Dr. James Bishop, the only physician in Alachua for many years and father of Howard Bishop, Alachua County educator. In the 1920's it was the home of M.F. Eddy, who own-ed the grocery store to the south on Main Street. It is now the home of Mr. and Mrs. Gilder R. Kelley. 16. CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT - S. Main Street, West Side
These commercial buildings all date from the early years of the 20th century. The two-story Stringfellow building housed the first telephone office for Alachua on the second floor. The next north at one time was Mrs. Fugate's Cafe. The structure toward the Florida Avenue corner was C.A. Williams' store.

17. CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT - South Main Street, East Side
This group of buildings are also part of Alachua's commercial heritage. The two-story structure, built by Leroy Pierce, was later D.S. Water's dry goods store. Next door was J.E. Harrison's seed and feed store and then a grocery store owned by Mr. Fugate in the 1920's.

18. CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT I - North Main Street
On the N.W. corner of Florida Avenue is the first home of the First National Bank of Alachua, organized in October of 1907. Bank officers were Dr. J.C. Bishop, president; C.A.. Williams, vice president; and G.W. McCall, formerly cashier of the Bank of High Springs, cashier. This bank is still serving Alachua. The other buildings all date from the early 1900's and were for many years the heart of Alachua's commercial activities.

19. CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT II - North Main Street
These buildings were also early 20th century buildings. The wrecked theater building had been a dry cleaning establishment before it became a movie house. The next building housed the I.S. Futch furniture store in the 1920's. At the alley was H.N. Harris' grocery about the same time period.

20. CENTRAL BUSINESS DISTRICT III - North Main Street
Of the same time period as the rest of the stores on N. Main, these stores have served as grocery, dime store, and a funeral home.

21. FIRST BRICK STORE BUILDING
This one-story brick building, on the east side of N. Main Street, was built in 1898, and is purportedly the first brick store constructed in Alachua. A number of businesses have occupied this building, including a jewelry store in the 1920's and a restaurant in the 1930's. Purchased by his father in 1937, David F. Bush presently has a clothing store in the south half. Mrs. E.M. Rooks owns the north side.

22. FUTCH - STEPHENS - RICKLES HOUSE
The restored home was built early in the cen-tury by Oliver Futch, a furniture dealer. After Mr. Futch's death, his widow married C.F. Stephens, an Alachua merchant. It is now the home of the Gary Rickles family.

23. DELL - DANSBY HOUSE
This was the home of Simeon C. Dell who was the postmaster of Alachua from 1905 to 1913 and from 1922 to 1934. It became the home of George Dansby in the 1930's. His son, H. Scott, resides here now.

24. WILLIAMS - HARRISON HOUSE
Built before the turn of the century, the well--kept house originally was located on Main Street. The home of Charles Williams, a mer-chant, it was moved to this site in 1908. It later became the home of Dr. Rufus Joiner, a phar-macist, who had a drug store on the southwest corner of Main Street and Florida Avenue. It became the home of Mr. and Mrs. D. Ray Harrison in 1961.

25. DOWNING - REVIERE HOUSE
This farm house built prior to 1880 was the home of a Mr. Downing who owned much of the land which is now Alachua. It became the home of William Oscar Reviere in the early 1900's. Mr. Reviere had a cotton gin. His daughter-in-law, Mrs. Oscar C. Reviere, cur-rently resides in this house.

26. NEWNANSVILLE CEMETERY
The Methodist Church adjoined this cemetery. Many of Alachua County's pioneers are interred here. The grave of Samuel Pyles, whose date of birth, March 4, 1788, is the earliest date of birth of any person buried in Alachua County.


This information has been researched and compiled by the Alachua County Historical Commission, and sponsered by the Alachua County Commission as part of the Alachua County Historical Tour Series (1986)