Holopaw is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Osceola County,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and ...

, United States. It is located at the eastern end of the multiplex of highways

US 192 U.S. Route 192 (US 192) is an east–west route of the United States Numbered Highway system in central Florida. It runs from U.S. Route 27 ( State Road 25) in Four Corners, Lake County, east past Walt Disney World and through Kissimmee, ...

and US 441. It has a population of fewer than 5,000 people and is part of the

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

Kissimmee Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. Holopaw, a Creek Indian word meaning "Walkway" or "Pavement", was a stop along the Kissimmee Valley extension of the FEC railroad. The years 1911-1929 saw the Florida East Coast Railway building what was advertised as a second complete mainline to Miami. Known as the Kissimmee Valley Branch and heading southwest from the busy railroad town of New Smyrna Beach, the new new route passed through Maytown-Pennichaw-Osceola-Geneva and was completed to Chuluota in 1912. The Chuluota-Bithlo-Holopaw-Okeechobee segment was completed in 1915. Finally wrapping around the big lake it terminated at Lake Harbor in 1929. Though it never achieved the status of 'a complete second mainline,' though it did post some impressive freight tonnage records in lumber and produce. JM Griffin began a sawmill operation here in 1923, building streets and houses for his employees. Holopaw was a company owned town, with most employees renting their homes and frequenting the factory owned general store. The JM Griffin Lumber Company became the largest operation in the St Cloud area, employing over 500 people. It also featured one of the first all-electric sawmills in the country. The mill lasted until 1931, closing during the Great Depression. A new mill owned by the Peavy-Wilson Lumber Co. opened in 1935, employing more than one thousand timber, turpentine, and sawmill workers. At the town's peak it had more than 2,000 people. The railroad through Holopaw ceased operation in 1947 when a new cut-off opened between Fort Pierce and Port Mayaca. However, before it would be abandoned, the Peavy Wilson Lumber Company, operating a massive mill in Holopaw, leased the Holopaw-Pennichaw-Maytown trackage. So trains continued to roll from Holopaw northward pulled by the lumber company’s stable of steam locomotives. With greatly depleted forests, the lumber company quit in 1951 and the tracks removed soon afterwards. Most residents left to seek employment elsewhere, and the postal service was discontinued in 1954. There are also substantial operations involving cattle ranching, timber, and citrus in the area around Holopaw. The Herky Huffman/Bull Creek Wildlife Management Area is located a few miles east on US 192. West of there is the location of the

Holopaw State Forest The Holopaw State Forest is in the U.S. state of Florida. The 58-acre (0.23 km2) forest is located off U.S. Route 192 in Central Florida, within the unincorporated town of Holopaw, Florida in Osceola County, Florida. The forest is located so ...

, which is across US 192 from the Triple N Ranch Wildlife Management Area.

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References

Abandoned and Little Known Airfields by Paul Freeman

Terraserver Image of the landing field
Unincorporated communities in Osceola County, Florida Greater Orlando Unincorporated communities in Florida Former census-designated places in Florida {{OsceolaCountyFL-geo-stub

Climate

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References