Chief Micanopy









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The Town of Micanopy

 

“The Town That Time Forgot”


    The Town of Micanopy (mick-ah-NO-pee) encompasses 1.03 square miles near the Alachua-Marion county line between Gainesville (home of the University of Florida) and Ocala in rural north-central Florida.  Micanopy’s 650 residents occupy 338 homes.  Statistics, however, ignore the ancient oaks clothed in Spanish moss that enfold Micanopy’s narrow streets and dirt lanes, and provide shade and Southern ambiance for visitors and families that have lived here for generations.

    Micanopy’s commercial appeal is based on its rich, sometimes savage history.  Florida’s aboriginal records show that Hernando De Soto encountered an early Timucua Indian village here in 1539, and later botanist William Bartram visited a Cuscawilla village on this site (1774).  Fort Defiance was built here in 1835, and soldiers clashed with natives during the Second Seminole War (1835-1842).  The first permanent white settlement in Alachua County was established in this area.  Founded in 1821 and incorporated in 1858, the Town is named after Seminole Chief Micanopy (ca1780-1849), a noted defender of his people.  This busy trading post grew into an important railway crossroads for the transport of citrus and sugar cane.  Today excavations and preservation initiatives pay tribute to the Town’s historic past, and the search for artifacts and the location of Fort Defiance continues in residents’ yards.  A local park, the Native American Heritage Preserve, protects an Indian mound.

    Cholokka Blvd. is Micanopy’s main street, a designated historic district and the Town’s primary tourist destination famous for its antique shops.  Micanopy’s authentic rustic storefronts lure casual shoppers, collectors, and seasonal scouts from all over the country.  Charming diners and the nationally lauded Herlong Mansion Historic Inn (1845) provide services for day-trippers and stay-overs.  A two-story brick schoolhouse (1895) now houses the Town’s administrative offices,  Commission Chamber, and the Micanopy branch of the Alachua County Library District.  Across the street the wood-planked Thrasher Warehouse (1890) boasts the Micanopy Historical Society Museum and the newly built Archives, showcasing the relevance of earlier times for historians, genealogists and students.  Numerous historic homes and old cracker houses add to the picturesque warmth of “the town that time forgot.”

     


    You are invited to visit our friends across the street: 

    Micanopy Historical Society Museum

     
      Archive of Micanopy Events
        4th of July 2011 Parade