Gilchrist County, Florida: History
Gilchrist County was created in 1925, the last county organized in Florida. It was originally set to be named Melon County due to watermelons being one of the main exports from the area; however, the death of Albert W. Gilchrist, Governor of Florida from 1909 to 1913, prompted its renaming to Gilchrist County instead.
It was formed by residents of what was then western Alachua County, as they believed they were not getting adequate representation on the county commission. With the poor roads of the time, they felt it took too long to get to the county seat of Gainesville. They disagreed about a proposed law that would require fencing in cattle in the rural area. They also believed that they would be better off by getting their own share of racetrack revenues, which the state distributed by county.
Much of the county was farmland and timberland when formed, and it is largely rural. Several natural springs are adjacent to the Santa Fe River, including Ginnie Springs, Hart Springs, and Gilchrist Blue Springs, the last of which became a Florida state park in 2017.
Historic buildings in Gilchrist County include:
First Baptist Church, on East Wade Street
Gilchrist County Courthouse
Trenton Depot
Jennings Lake Seventh-Day Adventist Church
The old Trenton Church of Christ on South Main Street.
Gilchrist County Jail, built in 1926, operated from 1928 to 1968.