Heading: (Florida)
Author:
Title: Dowling Park, Suwannee County, Florida
Place Published: [Florida?]
Publisher:
Date Published: c.1906
Description:

Printed map, in sepia. With 6 large illustrations from photographs on the verso. 36.5x50.7 cm (14½x20"), folded.

Cadastral map showing lot boundaries and numbers, with the Park Lumber Co., the Suwannee River, the line of the Live Oak, Perry & Gulf Railroad, an orphan home, etc. One of the photographs on the back is of Thomas Dowling and Richard Sears of Sears, Roebuck & Co. OCLC lists only one example of the map, at the Library of Congress.

After establishing his sawmill in Dowling Park, Suwannee Co. and building the Live Oak, Perry & Gulf Railroad, Thomas Dowling pursued his dream of establishing a model vacation resort along the Suwannee River. Live Oak and Dowling Park were the sites of the two largest sawmills in Florida. In addition to serving as the community surrounding the sawmill, Dowling hoped that his Dowling Park would become a popular vacation resort area. In the early 1900s, he developed the Dowling Park Hotel Resort. It featured two swimming pools, a bowling alley, billiards, and a "sportsman's paradise" for fishing, hunting and horseback riding. The resort was located across the Suwannee River from the sawmill and was accessible by train. Dowling sold most of his timberland and lumber and railroad interests to Richard W. Sears in 1910, one year before his death.

Repaired 3½" tear at left affecting the compass by no map image, some other minor wear; very good.