Just off Exit 373 in Nassau
County, Florida, is
the ghost town of Italia. Once a
thriving village vital to the development of North East Florida in the late 19th
century, Italia is long since abandoned.
Few people are aware of its history or that of its founder, William
MacWilliams.
William MacWilliams was born in Ireland in 1840, the son of a
grocery store owner. Despite the local
recession and the potato famine of 1846 through 1849, the MacWilliams family
was prosperous and William received a good education. He was a bright young man and a good
student. As a teenager he became
prominent in the Irish Nationalist movement.
Concerned for William’s safety, his father sent him to America in 1859 to remove him from
harm’s way.
MacWilliams met and married Elizabeth Jane Dawson around
1860 and they had two children together while living in Philadelphia.
In 1863 the family returned to Ireland to visit his family where
they stayed for a year. While there,
MacWilliams became active in the Fenian movement, a secret society dedicated to
freeing Ireland
from the reign of the British. He would
remain dedicated and active in the movement after his returned to America.
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| Flag of the Fenian Movement |
Upon returning to America,
the family settled in Renovo, a small hamlet in north-central Pennsylvania. Renovo was a “company town” owned by the
P&E land company. Along with many
other Irish-Americans William and Elizabeth moved there for good jobs and
affordable housing. The towns beautiful
location on the banks of the Susquehanna River
was and added bonus. While in Renovo the
couple had a third child, and William MacWilliams learned the business of brick
making. Elizabeth gave birth to their third child.
During his time in Renovo, MacWilliams spoke at a number of
Fenian meetings in Pennsylvania. His fiery speeches about the British
oppression of Ireland
were well attended and well received.
His speeches were so well liked that he was offered a paid job with the
Fenians as an organizer in the state of Pennsylvania. He would travel all around the state giving
speeches and recruiting men to the cause.
Since he was on the road so often, he decided in 1866 to move the family
back to Philadelphia, where he thought it would
be easier for Elizabeth
to care for the children during his absences.
The couple would have two more children while living there.
Williams remained passionate and successful in his new
career. He was eventually given
responsibility for not only Pennsylvania, but
also Maryland, Virginia,
West Virginia, Ohio, and several other states. However, by the late 1860’s the Fenian
movement had begun to die down and MacWilliams' paid position was eliminated. In 1872, despondent at seeing his beloved
movement fade and having lost his status as well as his income he decided to
move his family to Baltimore,
Maryland.
Upon moving to Baltimore MacWilliams opened a bakery. Why he chose this endeavor is not clear as he
had no background in the bakery business.
However, ever the optimist, he attacked his new business with
vigor. Within a few years, his bakery
business was very successful, and he even opened an additional shop in Washington D.C. MacWilliams remained active in pubic life
during this period as well, involving himself in many local causes. He also continued to speak to Irish organizations. It was at one meeting of the “Emerald
Socials” that he caught the attention of the Governor of Maryland, James
Groome. The Governor was so taken with MacWilliams
that he was given the rank of Colonel in the Maryland National Guard. MacWilliams would proudly use the title for
the rest of his life.
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| Governor James Groome of Maryland |
During their time in Baltimore,
William and Elizabeth had five more children.
He continued to expand his bakery business by adding properties and
opening new stores in Philadelphia and New York. He also expanded his public and political
status by giving speeches in several states.
Unfortunately, things were about to take a turn for the
worse. Sudden and severe economic
depression in 1873 lasted for many years.
The flour trade crashed. His Philadelphia bakery
burned to the ground (suspected arson.) On
top of all this, he was carrying a large debt load, used to finance his
business expansion. Finally, in 1879 the
bank foreclosed on all of his business and personal property. Perhaps due to the stress that this
misfortune caused in their marriage Elizabeth and William separated. She would later file for divorce.
Needing new opportunity, a new source of income, and a new
life, William MacWilliams left his family behind and moved to Florida in 1880. At the time, Florida was the last of the East Coast
states that remained largely undeveloped.
However, that was about to change.
Wealthy investors wanted to make Florida
into a warm weather destination for wealthy northerners. It was just the kind of environment that
provided MacWilliams with the adventure and opportunity that he needed.
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MacWilliams made his way to Jacksonville
and from there traveled up the St.
John’s River
to Palatka. There he landed a position
as a land agent for the Florida Southern Railway. His job was to sell parcels of land along the
railroad line. MacWilliams always wanted
to be at the center of the action, and the expansion of railroads throughout Florida at the time
provided it.
That same year MacWilliams’ father died and left him
substantial property in his native Ireland. MacWilliams ordered the properties sold and,
with the proceeds, quit the railroad and established a brick manufacturing
business. Once again, due to his
optimism and energy, his business thrived.
William MacWilliams, now divorced, met and married Marie Simmons, a
daughter of a wealthy doctor in 1881. He
sold his brick business, purchased land along the rail line, and founded a town
he named (what else?) MacWilliams. The
town, now named Hollister, still exists today along SR 20 between Palatka and Gainesville.
MacWilliams’ new wife, Marie, had a brother named Frank who
worked in Fernandina
Beach for David Yulee and
introduced the two men. David Yulee was
a prominent politician and businessman who played a crucial role in the
development of transportation infrastructure in Florida. Yulee was the first person of
Jewish descent elected to the United States Senate, serving as a Florida senator from
1845 to 1861. Besides his political career, he is best known for his
instrumental role in establishing The Florida Railroad, which connected Fernandina Beach and Cedar Key. The 155-mile long
railroad was completed in 1861, making it the longest east-west railroad in the
south at the time.
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| David Yulee |
Yulee's vision for The Florida Railroad was to connect the
Atlantic Ocean to the Gulf of Mexico,
facilitating trade and transportation throughout the state. With the completion
of the railroad, Yulee's plan became a reality, significantly boosting Florida's economy by opening
up access to new markets and facilitating the movement of goods and people. The
railroad became essential for the transportation of tobacco, cotton, and other
valuable products, transforming Florida
into a major player in the regional economy. Additionally, it transformed Fernandina Beach into a bustling hub, attracting
immigrants, traders, and entrepreneurs eager to take advantage of the new
opportunities brought by the railroad.
William MacWilliams and David Yulee found that they had much
in common. They each had a strong
interest in railroads, they each were political adept, and they each wanted to
take advantage of the rapid development in North East Florida. MacWilliams, ever the opportunist, also knew
that cultivating a relationship with Yulee would further boost his political
and social standing.
David Yulee was in need of bricks, and lots of them. His town of Fernandina was growing rapidly. Additionally, because of two major fires, a
local law was passed that prohibited building new structures from wood. William MacWilliams was in need of a new
venture. “If you build a brick factory I
will buy your first one million bricks,” Yulee told MacWilliams in 1882. This was music to the ears of the
entrepreneurial MacWilliams.
MacWilliams quickly set out to plan and construct a new
brick manufacturing facility. He
selected a site along the railroad tracks about twenty miles west of
Fernandina. Here he could take advantage
of the clay soil needed for brick making as well as the railroad to bring him
raw material and transport his bricks to markets throughout North East
Florida. He purchased forty acres of
land and christened his new town Italia, in keeping with the then campaign to
market Florida as “America’s
Italy.”
Soon, the brick making factory was thriving, as was
Italia. People moved there from North
and South Carolina, Pennsylvania,
and even New England in order to fill the
available jobs. MacWilliams built a
general store where his employees/citizens purchased all of their food, clothing,
and other necessities. A post office was
established and a new train depot became a regular stop along the rail line. William and Elizabeth had one child while
living in Italia.
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| Typical 1800s Brick Kiln |
Other entrepreneurs were also attracted to Italia. Nathan Levan built a roof shingle mill and
Andrew Higginbotham built a sawmill.
Italia’s burgeoning building materials industries were soon supplying
bricks, lumber, and roofing materials across North East Florida’s rapidly developing
landscape. Over time, however, the fledging
town’s businesses were forced to contend with others who saw potential in the
region. An economic recession from
1882-1885 additionally limited the potential.
While still operating, they were not a successful as they had been
previously.
Years later, the growth of Italia resumed in 1905 when
Thomas Shave established a turpentine making facility in order to take
advantage of the area’s abundant pine trees.
Turpentine was in great demand as it was used in a variety of products
including paint, soap, cleaning products and even medicine. Lamps were fueled by a mixture of alcohol and
turpentine. It is not clear whether
Shave used paid workers in his operation or if he rented out inmates from the
nearby prisons, a common practice at the time. Soon turpentine became the town’s major industry.
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| 1902 Map of Nassau County |
William MacWilliams himself would not be present in Italia
to witness its resurgence (or later its demise.) His political activities kept him away for
extended periods (he was even elected Secretary of the Florida Senate for his
efforts) and his businesses suffered because of it. His brick making business
was facing strong competition from brick yards in Georgia. He was also, like many entrepreneurs, more
interested in building companies than running them. Today, he might be diagnosed with Attention
Deficit Disorder. He sold his business
in Italia and moved to Callahan in 1885 where he established a newspaper. Bored with that business after a year, he
moved to the city of Jacksonville.
In Jacksonville,
he established another bakery and continued to campaign for the causes dear to
him. But the political tides were
turning and by 1887 he once again found himself restless. Not having an outlet for his frustration he
often found himself in arguments with other residents of the city.
On the night of October 17, 1887 William MacWilliams was
walking home along Bay Street
around 11:00 pm. There he was confronted
by a man named George Bangs, with whom he had an ongoing issue over a game of
pool the two had played two weeks prior.
MacWilliams was shot twice in the chest and died. George Bangs was found by a jury to have
acted in self-defense. Many believed
that the outcome was somehow rigged, and the city received unwanted national
press over the perceived injustice.
William MacWilliams was buried at Evergreen Cemetery
at the age of 47. Two more children were
born to the couple while living in Jacksonville,
one of whom never met his father, as he was born three months following
MacWilliams death.
William MacWilliams' life was relatively short but certainly
very full. During his 47 years on Earth
he lived in two countries and four states.
He married three times and sired 13 children. He founded two towns and formed many
businesses. He was politically active
and was appointed a Colonel in the Florida National Guard and was elected
Secretary of the Florida Senate. He was
a handsome man, quick with wit, loved the spotlight and was well rewarded for
his abilities.
In the 1920’s the village
of Italia would also die.
Italia had always been dependent upon
the railroad. It allowed the movement of
people and goods crucial to the town’s survival. The booming tourist industry in south Florida had caused Jacksonville’s
Union Terminal to become congested resulting in passenger service delays. In order to bypass the terminal, the Seaboard
Air Line Railroad Company built the Gross Cutoff which diverted the railroad
from a spot around where US 17 and Interstate 95 now intersect. The new line ran southwest from there and
connected to the Florida Railroad tracks just outside of Callahan, bypassing
Italia. There was no longer a need for
the stretch of tracks running through Italia, except for the occasional train
in or out of Fernandina. Italia’s
businesses closed or moved. Its
residents faded away as well. SR 200,
the road which now runs through where the town once stood, came in the 1930’s,
too late to save it.
Today, little is left of the town of Italia.
The only telltale sign is a state historic marker on the North side of
SR 200 between Callahan and Yulee erected at the urging of MacWilliams’
great-grandson, Heber MacWilliams. The
only structure still standing is the former home of Thomas Shave, the
turpentine entrepreneur. Four Creeks State
Forest lays to the South
and within it the Old Wood Shingle Trail, which leads to the former site of
Nathan Levan’s mill. Otherwise, Italia
is lost to history, a ghost town in Nassau
County, Florida.
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| Remains of the Thomas Shave House, the only structure in Italia still standing. |
The story of William MacWilliams, and Italia itself, is one
of imagination, opportunity, and perseverance.
It is the story of their challenge to adapt and thrive in a rapidly
changing environment. It was a challenge
taken on by both the man and the town with gusto, but which was sadly
ultimately lost.
Many thanks to Yulee Historic Council and West Nassau Historical Society for providing insights and additional source material for this article.
Check out our new book: SOUTH OF THE ST MARYS RIVER - STORIES FROM THE HISTORY OF NORTHEAST FLORIDA
Suggestions for Further Reading (ad):
Irish Civil War: A History from Beginning to End
Historic Photos of Florida Ghost Towns
A Short History of Florida Railroads
Abandoned Jacksonville: Ruins of the First Coast
Florida's Past: People and Events That Shaped the State
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