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Featured Article: Hicoria

Hicoria
#HistoryTuesday - Tuesday June 09TH 2026
 
Down near the south end of Highlands County - past Lake Placid - past Florida State Road 70 - but before the Venus Post Office - is a two-lane road by the name of Hicoria. You'd miss it if you weren't paying attention driving southward at 65 MPH or faster along U.S. 27 towards Glades County.
 
Hicoria Road leads to a lot of history. It was once known as "Redlands" - due to the abundance of red clay in its soil. It was good for farming, as the red clay would hold valuable moisture and nutrients - much better than the ancient sand deposits around it.
 
The Redlands area was settled during the mid-1890s, and more people moved into the area over the next 40 years. It even built its own Post Office. By 1914 "Redlands" had been renamed to "Hicoria". It was named for the "Hicoria Floridiana" - the unique Florida Scrub Hickory trees of the area. The brand-new Atlantic Coast Line Railroad depot there was named "Hicoria".
 
By the early-1930s - as America had spiraled into "The Great Depression" - Hicoria was thriving with the arrival of the Sherman Lumber Company. It provided lots of jobs for the residents, and that brought in even more new residents from surrounding areas. The population peaked at over 900 by 1935. After Sebring and Avon Park - it was the third most populated town in Highlands County.
 
Unfortunately - that same year - the mill burned down in a horrific fire.
 
A biologist named Richard Archbold eventually moved in to what was left of Hicoria - after the population had dropped to about 100. He's the founder of what we know today as the Archbold Biological Station.
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