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History · Fort White

Fort White dates to 1836, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Fort White was built recently: 3% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1998. Below: maps from 1969 on and the census since 1890.

1836founded
2on the National Register
3%homes built before 1940
1famous people
Add an old photoShare a memory
Quick answers

How Fort White began

When was Fort White founded?

1836

Fort White dates its founding to 1836 (Wikidata). The census first counted it in 1890.

First census: 376 in 18902020 census: 618190 years
Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1878.The full story ↓

What stands out about Fort White’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A history waiting to be writtenNo old photos of Fort White are in the public archives yet. The rest are in attics and albums.Shrank, then grewLost half of its people between 1900 and 1990, then more than doubled.Deep rootsEstablished in 1836: 190 years of Fort White.
★ What stands out · Help out

Start Fort White’s collection

The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fort White’s history is told.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
0 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Share a family photoSign in to add one+10
People over time

Fort White, census by census

01002003004005006001900192019401960198020002020600 in 1900Low: 268

Lost half of its people between 1900 and 1990, then more than doubled.

14 censuses, 1890–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Fort White’s Wikipedia page.

Timeline

Fort White, 1836 to 2020

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1836
    FoundingFort White is established
  3. 1878Post officeThe Fort White post office opens
  4. 20th century
  5. 1969On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
  6. 1981Born hereKendyll Pope is born here
  7. 21st century
  8. 2020CensusPopulation peaks at 618
The story

How Fort White came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fort White.

Read it all →

Fort White was originally constructed as a military fort during the Second Seminole War in 1836 to protect the Cow Creek settlement. Supplies were brought in by steamboat on the Santa Fe River and distributed to other area forts. Due to sickness, flooding along the river, and rumors of the railroad coming to the area, the settlement was moved 4 miles (6 km) east to its present location. The area of the original fort became the Fort White Wildlife and Environmental Area in 1997.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Fort White, decade by decade

Today7 recent
Untitled photo2026Untitled photoSR47FortWhite2017SR47FortWhiteFortWhiteFLMon2017FortWhiteFLMonFTWhiteSW2017FTWhiteSWFTWhiteR272017FTWhiteR27DGRegisterStore2017DGRegisterStoreFLMap-doton-FortWhite2004FLMap-doton-FortWhite
On the map

Fort White on the map, 1969 to 1993

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fort White. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Fort White on the 1969 USGS mapFort White on the 1993 USGS map1969Fort White sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fort White.

On the National Register

2 historic places in Fort White

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
5
each building in a district counts
first listed
1989
Fort White Public School Historic District
Fort White Public School Historic DistrictSikes House
BuildingsDistricts

Architectural styles listings

Masonry Vernacular1
Late 19th and 20th Century Revivals1
Colonial Revival1
Late 19th and 20th Century American Movements1
Craftsman1
Late Victorian1
Fort White Public School Historic DistrictMasonry Vernacular
Sikes HouseLate 19th and 20th Century Revivals

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Questions about Fort White’s history

What year was Fort White founded?

In 1836, according to Wikidata. Fort White’s post office opened in 1878, and the census of 1890 counted 376 people here.

What is on the National Register in Fort White?

Two places: the Fort White Public School Historic District (listed 1989) and the Sikes House (2007).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (7), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.