Taylor County, Florida
The story of Perry
Everything below is a single verifiable claim with a citation attached. Where the record is a local legend rather than a document, it says so.
founding
How it started
- 1903
Perry was incorporated in 1903 and is the county seat of Taylor County.
etymology
How it got its name
- 1875
The settlement was first called Rosehead. In 1875 it was renamed Perrytown after Madison Starke Perry, the fourth governor of Florida, and the name was later shortened to Perry.
industry
What it lived on
- 1956
Timber has been Taylor County's main economic driver. The Florida Forest Festival began in 1956 as the Pine Tree Festival, created to teach forestry heritage and fire safety at a time when forest fires were crippling the county's timber industry.
Florida Forest Festival, Perry - Visit Natural North Florida
claim to fame
What it is known for
-
Perry is known as the Tree Capital of the South, the identity its annual Florida Forest Festival exists to celebrate.
Florida Forest Festival, Perry - Visit Natural North Florida
figure
Worth knowing
-
The festival's Saturday centrepiece is billed as the World's Largest Free Fish Fry, served at Forest Capital Park from noon, following the King Tree Parade down Jefferson Street.
reported · Find your roots at the 67th Annual Florida Forest Festival - Greene Publishing
landmark
What still stands
-
Forest Capital Museum State Park, a 13-acre park one mile south of Perry on US 19/US 98, holds displays on the history of the forest industry and the wildlife of the forest.
-
A reconstructed Cracker homestead stands beside the museum - house, barn, well, arbor and garden - showing how a Florida homestead family lived.