Hosford, Florida

Hosford, Florida
Unincorporated community
Old Wesleyan Methodist Church
Hosford Show map of Florida Hosford Show map of the United States
Coordinates: 30°23′12″N 84°47′53″W
Country	United States
State	Florida
County	Liberty
Area [1]
• Total	4.972 sq mi (12.88 km^2)
• Land	4.972 sq mi (12.88 km^2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0 km^2)
Elevation	121 ft (37 m)
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	629
• Density	130/sq mi (49/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Area code	850
GNIS feature ID	284329[2]

Hosford is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Liberty County, Florida, United States.^[2] Its population was 629 as of the 2020 Census.^[1] It is located at the junction of State Road 20 and State Road 65. Hosford has a post office with ZIP Code 32334.^[3] It has one school, Hosford Elementary School and Jr. High School, and a public library, Jimmy Weaver Memorial Public Library. Hosford is the site of a Georgia-Pacific mill.

History

Hosford, Florida was originally known as Coe's Mill.^[4] It was founded in 1859 and was named for the Coe family.^[5] One member of the Coe family, Katherine, married Robert Flournoy Hosford. While Robert Flournoy Hosford worked in the Florida state senate, he helped to convince the railroad to come to Liberty County.^[6] In honor of his work in bringing the railroad to Liberty County, the town of Coe's Mill was changed to the town of Hosford.

Hosford Lumber Company Bankruptcy (Source: The Pensacola Journal published April 23, 1910)

In 1910, the Hosford Lumber Company filed for bankruptcy. A 1912 article by The Pensacola Journal described Hosford as a "thriving little town." Graves Saw Mill helped foster the growth in Hosford. Visitors to Hosford could stay at the local hotel with electricity and artesian water and visit the local mineral spring. By this time, Hosford already had a local school and local church.

In 1914, Liberty County residents voted 226 to 123 in favor of the county seat being located in Bristol instead of Hosford.^[7] Letters patent were issued in July 1916 for the Hosford Coca-Cola Bottling Company,^[8] but the charter was forfeited in 1936.^[9]

The Graves Saw Mill closed in 1928, which led to a reduction in Hosford's population when saw mill employees moved away.^[10]

July 14, 1912 Article About Hosford, Florida

References

1. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files - Places: Florida". U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 26, 2017.
2. "Hosford". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
3. ZIP Code Lookup
4. Handbook of Florida by Charles Ledyard Norton, 1892, page 56
5. http://www.fnai.fsu.edu/ARROW/almanac/history/history_liberty.cfm
6. https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/142782 ^{[bare URL]}
7. Panama City Pilot, April 16, 1914
8. Report of the Secretary of State of the State of Florida. (1916). United States: The Office; pages 106 -107
9. Robert D. Fisher Manual of Valuable and Worthless Securities. (1940). United States: Robert D. Fischer & Company; page 118
10. https://gravesbrotherscompany.com/History.html