How much do you really know about Florida? You may find it shocking to find out that there are dozens of abandoned cities and sites throughout the Sunshine State. Many are only a few hours away from Florida State. I have compiled a list of a few with enticing backstories. Maybe your curiosity will flourish and you’ll have a road trip on your hands. After all, we do have a long weekend coming up for Thanksgiving break!
1. Dozier School for Boys in Marianna
The Dozier School for Boys was an all-boys school founded in 1900. It was created as a reform school to reintegrate boys that had committed small crimes. However, its good intentions eclipsed some heinous actions that occurred within. The school was shut down in 2011 after it was found that the children were being abused. The students faced beatings, malnutrition, sexual assault, and more. The most chilling fact about the school is that it lied about the number of students that died in the past. Previous records from the school indicated that 31 boys died from reasons varying from illness to accidental drowning. Yet, USF researchers have recently discovered that there was a minimum of 98 deaths. One can only imagine what wicked occurrences were being hidden by the school. One can see the haunting remains of this school driving down the interstate to Tallahassee. The school is now fenced off but continues to remain in the town as a haunting reminder of the evil that can lurk behind closed doors.
2. Hopewell
Hopewell is an abandoned town just an hour east of Tallahassee. It was first a plantation. When the slaves were freed, it was divided into smaller homesteads. However, there are now no remnants of the town except for the McDonald house, a cemetery, the Hull house and a church. There is no information on why the area was abandoned and it’s hard to even find information on the town. It’s almost as if someone wants to keep it hidden. The town is completely isolated and surrounded by citrus groves that complete the eerie abandoned feel.
Courtesy: Amy Higgins
3. Acron
Acron, Florida was founded in the 1860s. It was mostly inhabited by farm families. The town used to be inaccessible. Visitors would have to pay to take a steamer and an overland trip with a mule cart to reach the town. It disappeared for some unknown reason in the 1900s. Yet, many videos can be found on YouTube of people exploring Acron. Fun fact about the town, the second teacher to ever teach there was Walt Disney’s mother, Flora Call Disney.
Courtesy: Florida Backroads Travel
4. G. Pierce Wood Memorial Hospital
The G. Pierce Wood Memorial Hospital located in Arcadia Florida is an abandoned hospital with an eerie backstory. It first began as a pilot school that was used during World War I and II. It was later converted into a hospital in 1947. Yet, it is evident that it did not serve its purpose efficiently as it was nearly shut down various times. Its patients received subpar care. It was not until 2002 that the hospital was shut down. This was after one patient died from having an excessive amount of medications in his body, another sawed both his hands off and another died of hypothermia after being left in a bath for too long. These were only just a few of the horrific things that occurred at the site. Many things remain intact and visitors can still see hospital beds, surgery rooms and more.
Courtesy: Abandoned Florida
Whether or not you’re brave enough to set foot in these places, it’s still extremely fascinating to know that there are so many places around Florida that are abandoned! It just makes it evident that there’s so much we don’t know about the state. I don’t know about you, but I want to see some of these for myself!
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