Welaka, FL - City and Town Halls on Waymarking.com

The word WELAKA meant "river of lakes" to the Native Americans of northeastern Florida and was their name for the river European settlers called the St. Johns. The town was formed from the 500-acre tract known as Mt. Tucker purchased by the town's founder James William Bryant on 6 July 1852.Welaka is approximately 80 miles south of Jacksonville and 40 miles from the Atlantic Ocean on the East and is easily accessible for the motorist by highway.

Pursuant to an election on 23 April 1887 the town was incorporated 21 June 1887 and Welaka was affirmed as the town's name and an official seal was adopted. At the outbreak of the Civil War in 1860, Welaka's population numbered more than 100. At the end of the war fewer than 20 remained. The "Big Freeze" in 1895 came killing overnight grape vines and fruit trees. Entire families moved away, leaving their homes and everything in them. The forgotten homes soon decayed.

Fortunately, after the Big Freeze Welaka had one dependable asset to fall back on - the fishing industry. From this industry the Welaka Seafood Company, the O.H. Morris Fish and Crab Co. and the St. Johns River Crab Company were born from the period 1879 - 1974. The Welaka Pharmacy opened in 1885 and was a well appointed store carrying a carefully selected line of drugs and sundries.

With the rebound from the freezes and general confidence restored people began returning to the area. Welaka has two Baptist Churches, an Episcopal Church, a United Methodist Church as well as an African Methodist Episcopal Church. It still boasts of having a pharmacy as well as a branch bank of the Bank of America and today Welaka has a population of approximately 586 with 27 businesses.

The Town Hall, originally the Welaka Elementary School, was built in 1918 and renovated for use as the Town Hall in 1998.
The complex now has a fitness trail, a public pavillion, basketball courts and the VFD.

Name: City Hall Address: 400 4th street Welaka, Fla USA 32193 Date of Construction: 1918 Web Site for City/Town/Municipality: [Web Link] Architect: Not listed Memorials/Commemorations/Dedications: Not listed

Visit Instructions:
Post at least one original photo of the building that is a different view from the one on the page and describe your visit, including the date. Add any additional information that you may have about this building. A GPSr photo is NOT required

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   02/20/2018 hart612 visited it 01/18/2008 the federation visited it

View all visits/logs