Eric Musgrove

Few and far between are the communities that have not seen some catastrophe in their history. Like many older towns whose first generation of buildings were constructed of wood, Branford has seen its fair share of major fires. Today we’ll talk about a bad year for the town: 1922.

By 1915, Branford had been in existence for more than 30 years. After growing in population and stature, some citizens had very high aspirations. An editorial in the Suwannee Democrat from December of that year noted, “An optimist, writing in the Suwannee Herald of Branford, expresses the belief that Branford will be the capital of Florida within ten years, and the Metropolis of the south. We had fondly hoped to see the capital located at Live Oak, but if Branford is going to grab it, we give up. That Branford town is a good, live one. It wants only the best and goes after what it wants, and there seems no chance to beat it in the race. We give up brother, and will be content to have the capital at Branford, just so it comes to Suwannee County, where it belongs.”

Although this never came to fruition, it is worth noting that as far back as Florida’s territorial period prior to 1845, legislators were looking at a location near Branford as the possible capital. However, repeated flooding in the area near the Suwannee, Santa Fe, and Ichetucknee Rivers area made them hesitate to move from the more elevated city of Tallahassee.

Branford continued to thrive despite no real move to transfer the capital. The Branford Lumber Mill, one of the town’s largest employers, was sold to the Dowling family in 1918. The transaction included the sawmill, commissary, lumber, railway, and rolling stock, which together were sold for $125,000 (well more than $2 million in present dollars). Two years later, the Dowling Lumber Company sold its interests in the sawmill, along with its timber property in Lafayette County, for approximately $500,000 in cash ($6.2 million today). The sawmill and its associated structures continued under new management, remaining a primary source of employment and income for the town.

In 1921, reports showed that Branford’s population had doubled in only 10 years, and the citizens of the thriving community were calling for electricity in order to add to their charm. This appears to have been completed rather quickly. Unfortunately, disaster struck the town the following year, undoing much of what had been accomplished.

In a May, 1922 Suwannee Democrat article, it was noted, “Word was received at Live Oak Monday afternoon that the big mills at Branford were burning.

“The local fire department was called on for assistance, but could not get a train in time to be of any use, so Chief Haddon and Alderman B. F. Winderweedle took an auto loaded with 700 feet of hose and made the run in about 35 minutes.

“When they got to Branford they found that the pumping station, which was located in the mill, was beyond use, and the hose was useless.

“A bucket brigade was formed, water was hauled from the river, and the fire was thus prevented from burning down adjacent buildings and the entire town.

“Building after building caught fire, but the brigade fought heroically and extinguished each.

“Most of the business places had begun moving their stocks out, and all kinds of merchandise was carried into places of safety.

“The hardware store had a good stock of buckets and tubs which aided in saving the town.

“The mill, planing mill, and a large quantity of lumber was consumed. The total loss will exceed a hundred thousand dollars, it is estimated.

“The fire, it is supposed, originated in the fuel house where shavings, sawdust, and refuse dumped by the blower, from a spark.

“It is not known if the mill will be rebuilt, but if not, it will prove a terrible blow to Branford.”

A week later, the Suwannee Democrat discussed the situation in Branford after the big fire:

“The recent fire at Branford which destroyed the big lumber mill, planing mill, and power station was a terrible blow to that thriving little city. The fire did not only destroy more than $100,000 worth of property, but paralyzed the business of the town, which was dependent to a great extent upon the wages of the mill employees.

“With unemployment where they had formerly good wages to disburse, these people are in a position to call for our deepest sympathy. The merchants find business stagnated and the outlook dark. We certainly sympathize with our neighbor town and its residents and hope and trust the company will rebuild its mill there.”

Unfortunately for Branford, this would not be the last major fire in the community that year.

Join me next week as we continue to discuss the disastrous year of 1922.

Eric Musgrove can be reached at ericm@suwgov.org or 386-362-0564.