The City of Oak Hill is the southernmost city in Southeast Volusia County. The location is rich in early Florida history. It was the site of an Indian village called Surruque el Viejo near el Baradero de Suroc,which was seen on French cartographer Jacque Lemoyne’s map of 1564.
The Swift brothers began their business of furnishing Southern live oak timber to the US Government for their naval construction permit in 1816. They brought up to 500workers at a time with them during the winter months to work for them. The Swifts purchased land from St. Augustine all the way to Cape Canaveral. These workers would have been some of the first in habitants of Oak Hill. Their business dealings in our area ended with the Civil War.
There are land grants dating to 1803 – 1804 for the Oak Hill area. As for the first residents, some accounts tell of Henry J. Clifton coming to Oak Hill with his family in 1858 and Edward Archibald McDonald arriving in1857. During the Civil war, McDonald operated the salt works. It is generally believed the first families to settle Oak Hill came here in 1863. One family was that ofJacob Davy Mitchell who is believed to have planted the first orange grove here. The other family was that of William Williams, a black freedman. Williams became a prominent businessman in the town.
Following the war, hotels, stores, and a post office were established. A school operated by Rev. Wicks in the Congregational Church served a few white students in the morning and several black students in the afternoon. A public school for white students was constructed in the early1890’s and a prominent black freedman, Bill Williams, provided instruction and space for black students in 1901. A public school for black students was constructed in 1927.
Town leaders began forming the City charter in 1925 and in1927 the Charter was recognized and formalized by the Florida Legislature. The three man City Commission held meetingsand conducted the business of the town until 1934. This was the middle of the Great Depressionand many small municipalities throughout the country were unable to continueduring this time. Oak Hill was nodifferent. Records indicate that theCommission met in 1934 and “adjourned until called.”
A group of citizens in 1961 began a legal battle which endedwith the Charter being reactivated and Clarence Q Goodrich Jr. being electedMayor in 1963. He was the mayor for 26 years from 1963 to 1989.
Businesswise weather has always played a crucial factor in area economics, as most people were either citrus growers or commercial fisherman. Very few citizens are involved with these jobs now. Most commute between their Oak Hill home to New Smyrna or Edgewater, to the Canaveral Seashore Park, or to Kennedy Space Center.
Today, the City of Oak Hill is valiantly working towards improving its economic, environmental, and cultural standing, while preserving the richness of its history and heritage, so that residents can enjoy the changes that progress brings in these new times without losing the precious quality of days gone by.
To learn more historical information please visit The Oak Hill Museum
126 E Halifax ave Oak Hill, FL 32759
Visit their Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61552866595461
