Lina Nissley
ECB Publishing, Inc.
Even before the Great Depression struck the United States, resulting in shockwaves of economical and societal impact that would take years to repair, as a whole, Florida was already economically unwell.
By 1926, money and credit within the state had already run out. To further contribute to Florida's unstable climate, hurricanes swept through the state in both 1926 and 1928, which caused additional damage to Florida’s economy.
In Jefferson County during the 1920s, the county had been dealing with a diminishing agricultural economy. When the Florida Land Boom collapse of the mid-20s occurred, the high demand for housing materials drove up prices, which in turn sent many land developers into bankruptcy as buyers became uninterested. This affected Jefferson County in ripple effects, with the county suffering from a declining population and farm economy.
When the Great Depression finally set in throughout the nation in 1929, Florida had already experienced much economic hardship and Jefferson County was no exception. The Bank of Monticello had first opened in 1915 and managed to stay successful throughout the majority of the twenties. But during the national collapse, the bank, which opened with H.K. Miller as president, briefly closed for a little under three months in July of 1926 following the collapse of the affiliate Atlanta, Ga. bank. However, the bank was unable to withstand the Great Depression and later closed its doors for good in 1932.
In the early 1930’s, teacher’s salaries were reduced and local business owners struggled to keep a steady income, with people all around the county experiencing hardship when it came to supporting their families and employees.
Though, by 1932, a series of relief programs began to run their course in Jefferson County and matters began to take on a more positive note for the struggling county. One of the work programs sent 100 local men (out of 600 applicants) to work on improving the highway between Waukeenah and Lamont (U.S. 19/27). The pay allowed the workers to provide enough for their families and the American Red Cross also provided food and medical care to those who needed it. The federal relief programs gave assistance to around six hundred families in Jefferson County.
These programs also allowed improvements that Jefferson County might not have been able to financially obtain otherwise. By the early 40s, Jefferson County had vastly recovered from the effects of the Great Depression, but some evidence of the events still exists in the county.
In 1937, a large area of old plantation land was purchased by the federal government. The land was divided into farm-sized plots and houses were built on these plots, which were then sold to qualified farmers who had been recommended by the county agent.
Around 25 to 30 families were able to thrive because of the program, and many of the original plots of land are still owned by those descended from the farmers who originally started their new lives on the land – forging a new life after the pain and suffering the Great Depression caused.
Source: Familiar Faces and Quiet Places
by Derylene Delp Counts
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