Factoid Florida

HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW FLORIDA'S 67 COUNTIES?


I'd imagine this has never crossed your mind, but humor me with this question: how many of Florida's 67 counties were named after people associated with the Confederacy?

Yeah, I know. This is Florida, a southern state that threw itself into the Civil War, er, War of Northern Aggression, with reckless abandon. And the word reckless really resonates among some historians. But, I digress. Florida joined the war, contributed soldiers and saw some warfare in a losing cause.

If you haven't come up with the correct answer, let me help. It's four. Baker, Bradford, Hendry and Lee counties were all named for men who worked to secede from the U.S., and for their efforts their names are now part of Florida lore, or at least on the names of four rural counties.

Judge James McNair Baker was one of Florida's two Confederate senators. Captain Richard Bradford was the first Florida soldier to lose his life for the Confederate cause. Captain Francis Hendry had better luck. He survived the war and became a successful cattle rancher and everyone knows the role Robert E. Lee had in the war. Lee never fought in Florida, but being the top dog has its benefits.

                                                                                                                     By Doug Lyons