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Long before tourism became Florida’s defining industry, there was timber. Once swathed in sprawling cypress swamps and pine forests\u00a0\u2013 even more so than today \u2014 the state was dominated by logging camps and sawmill operations throughout the 1800s and well into the early 20th century.\u00a0Centralia was one of them. The logging boomtown and its mill cropped up in 1910\u00a0in the remote wilderness of Hernando County\u00a0along\u00a0the Gulf Coast.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Founded to house all the lumberjacks brought\u00a0in to harvest the surrounding bald cypress trees,\u00a0Centralia thrived in its heyday.\u00a0The settlement’s lumber mill was one of the largest in the entire state, and more than 1,000 sawmill workers and their families called the place home back then, according to the\u00a0Historical Marker Database<\/a>.\u00a0Set along a railroad line between Tampa and Gainesville, the\u00a0bustling town\u00a0had it all, boasting a post office, general store, restaurant,\u00a0bakery, apothecary, schoolhouse, church, and little movie\u00a0theater to boot.\u00a0<\/p>\n Unfortunately, Centralia’s days were numbered. The forests were all\u00a0cleared out by 1917, forcing the mill to close its doors. The town was all but abandoned by the next decade, and over time it was swallowed up by the returning woods. Centralia’s ruins are now part of a peaceful nature preserve. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission bought the land in the 1980s and it’s now part of the\u00a0Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area<\/a>, situated right next to the\u00a0Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Explore the ruins of Florida’s long-lost logging town, Centralia<\/p>\n Like many of Florida’s once-thriving boomtowns that now stand abandoned<\/a>, there’s not a whole lot of Centralia left today. Very little remains of\u00a0the settlement’s original structures, which were either burned down or worn down by the elements. However, there are several concrete ruins\u00a0that are still visible, among them chunks of the sawmill’s foundation and\u00a0the ramp used to hoist logs out of the dried up float pond \u2014 which, when full of water, were common in lumber operations for cleaning, storing, and preserving cut timber.\u00a0Some of the\u00a0brick frameworks from the town’s dilapidated buildings are also still standing, now covered in vegetation. And you can even see the capped-off well\u00a0that\u00a0provided water to the townsfolk more than a century ago.\u00a0<\/p>\n You’ll likely come across a\u00a0few other odds and ends strewn across the grounds, from\u00a0pieces of bricks and\u00a0broken glassware to\u00a0metal scraps and\u00a0rusted out containers.\u00a0But before setting out on your Florida ghost town hunting excursion, keep in mind that finding the remnants of Centralia can be a little tricky. The\u00a0Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area is massive, encompassing more than 20,000 acres. The ruins are pretty close to the town’s historic marker, which sits along U.S. Highway 19 going southbound near Centralia Road. You can access the ruins via the Centralia Sawmill Trail<\/a>. The path spans\u00a0just over a mile round-trip and\u00a0sets out from the nearby\u00a0parking area right off the highway. A\u00a0portion of the route is unmarked\u00a0and may be a bit challenging to navigate, so be sure to have a map of the route handy.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Do a bit of wildlife watching in Centralia’s ruins<\/p>\n Beyond the ruins, Chassahowitzka Wildlife Management Area is a haven for all kinds of Florida critters, including white-tailed deer, armadillos, and\u00a0coyotes. Keep an eye out for black bears, alligators, wild boars, and venomous snakes, too. If you’re on the prowl for some of the best birdwatching destinations in Florida<\/a>, the wildlife sanctuary also has a bevy of birds, with scrub-jays, swallow-tailed kites, and painted buntings spotted in the park.<\/p>\n If you plan to do a bit of wildlife watching, it’s important to note that the nature preserve does allow hunting, so it’s best to avoid the area during scheduled hunt days. You can find a calendar of the various hunting seasons here<\/a>. If you do choose to visit when there’s a planned hunt, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission advises parkgoers to wear fluorescent orange clothing that’s highly visible during daylight hours, such as a shirt, vest, jacket or hat.\u00a0<\/p>\n Chassahowitzka is also a popular spot for scuba diving. The wildlife management area is home to two stunning sinks, Eagles\u00a0Nest and\u00a0Buford Spring, which drop down about\u00a0310 feet and 165 feet, respectively. The underwater caverns are best tackled by advanced divers, and you do need to register for a license before entering the water. A daily-use permit is also needed for any recreational activity within the nature preserve, which can also be obtained online<\/a>. Want to explore more of the Florida coast? You can see real-life mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park<\/a>, which is only about a 10-minute drive away.<\/p>\n
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