Oak Hill, Florida

History

The first inhabitants of what would become Oak Hill were the native Timucuan, who lived along the shore from c. 2000 BCE to 1500 CE, when European settlers started to arrive. In 1564, the French illustrator, Jacques LeMoyne, made a map showing an Indian village named Surruque el Viejo near el Baradero de Suroc. The name "Oak Hill" seems to have been first used by seasonal northern loggers circa 1850, named for an oak tree that grew on the native Timuca tribe's shell mound near the home of J.D. Mitchell, who was the community's first settler.

Florida became a state in 1845, and British and American settlers started to arrive. They began to displace the various tribes, including the Seminoles, who fought back. One Seminole War raid in 1856 resulted in four deaths. A resident, Arad Shelton, took their bodies north to New Smyrna Beach by wagon. Permanent, uninterrupted settlement of non-indigenous people occurred between 1857 through 1874.

By the American Civil War, Oak Hill had a salt works, some part-time stores, and the first orange groves had been planted (by a Mr. Mitchell). Oak Hill also has Civil War veterans buried in the local cemetery: five who fought for the Union, and six who fought for the Confederacy.

The municipality was officially incorporated as the Town of Oak Hill in 1925, and reincorporated as the City of Oak Hill in 1927.

From the History section of Oak Hill, Florida on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.