Parrish is an unincorporated community in northwestern
Manatee County,
Florida
Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...
, United States.
The community is located near the intersection of
U.S. 301 and
State Road 62 and is part of the
North Port–
Sarasota
Sarasota () is a city in and the county seat of Sarasota County, Florida, United States. It is located in Southwest Florida, the southern end of the Tampa Bay area, and north of Fort Myers and Punta Gorda. Its official limits include Sarasota Ba ...
–
Bradenton
Bradenton ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Manatee County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city's population is 55,698, up from 49,546 at the 2010 census. It is a principal city in the Sarasota metropolitan area. Dow ...
Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Parrish contains the
Florida Railroad Museum
The Florida Railroad Museum is a railroad museum located in Parrish, Florida. The museum operates a heritage railroad and offers round-trip tourist excursions along six miles of the former Seaboard Air Line Railway, Seaboard Air Line Sarasota Su ...
, which operates weekend passenger rides round trip from Parrish about northeast to
Willow
Willows, also called sallows and osiers, of the genus ''Salix'', comprise around 350 species (plus numerous hybrids) of typically deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions.
Most species are known ...
.
History
The first "settlers" in the area were William B. Hooker and William H. Johnson, who established a plantation named Oak Hill in 1850 in an unsuccessful attempt to grow
sea island cotton
''Gossypium barbadense'' is one of several species of cotton. It is in the mallow family. It has been cultivated since antiquity, but has been especially prized since a form with particularly long fibers was developed in the 19th century. Other ...
. This plantation burned down in the
Seminole Wars
The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were a series of three military conflicts between the United States and the Seminoles that took place in Florida between about 1816 and 1858. The Seminoles are a Native American nation which co ...
but the area continued to be referred to as Oak Hill.
William Turner made a homestead at Oak Hill in 1865 but only stayed for a few years before establishing Bradenton.
In 1868, Turner sold the land to Crawford Parrish and his wife Mary Bratcher VanZant.
Parrish, a rancher and orange farmer originally from
Georgia
Georgia most commonly refers to:
* Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus
* Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States
Georgia may also refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
, sold his plantation on the banks of the
Suwannee River
The Suwannee River (also spelled Suwanee River or Swanee River) is a river that runs through south Georgia southward into Florida in the Southern United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about long.U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrog ...
that he had held since 1841 and moved to present day Parrish which was, at the time, still referred to as Oak Hill.
The Parish Post Office was established in 1879, effectively changing the spelling of the town's name to Parish, until 1950 when the spelling was officially changed back to Parrish.
Compiled in the late 1930s and first published in 1939, the
Florida guide listed Parrish's population as 721 and described it as "a citrus-fruit and vegetable shipping center".
Parrish was a small agriculture community until the late 2000s when agricultural land began to be developed into residential subdivisions.
Climate
See also
*
Lake Parrish
References
External links
The Sarasota Subdivision (Abandoned Rails.com)
{{authority control
Unincorporated communities in Manatee County, Florida
Sarasota metropolitan area
Unincorporated communities in Florida