Source
State Library of Florida, WPA - Historical Records Survey, County Histories
Description
Brief history of Citrus County, Florida collected by the Works Progress Administration's Historical Records Survey.
Note to Researchers:
Though the WPA field workers included extensive citations for the factual information contained in these county histories, it should be noted that these historical narratives were produced in the 1930s by federal government employees, and might reflect the inherent social biases of the era.
WPA
Ernest C. Johnston
Historical Records Survey
State Archives Survey
11/10/36
HISTORICAL SKETCH OF CITRUS COUNTY
That part of Hernando County lying north of a line two miles south of township line 21, south, on the Withlacoochee River and running thence east nine and a half miles, north two miles to its intersection with, and thence west, coinciding with township line 21, south, to the Gulf of Mexico was designated by an act of the Florida Legislature of 1887 as Citrus County.
This new county was bounded on the north and east by the Withlacoochee River and on the west by the Gulf of Mexico. By an act of the Florida Legislature of 1911 a slight change of boundary between Citrus and her sister county, Levy, on the north was made, giving to the latter the islands lying at the mouth of the Withlacoochee River but moving several miles of the northern boundary of the former from the center of the river to its northern bank, thus placing entirely in her territory the giant hydro-electric plant of the Florida Power Company which prior to the change of boundary had been half in Levy and half in Citrus.
It is said that the first white settlers coming to the territory which is now Citrus County found wild orange trees in great abundance and from this tradition it derived its name.
DEC 1 1936
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