History of the old Fivay Community and Cemetery

Before Fivay

The five men who started the Fivay sawmill, Martin F. Amorous, Henry M. Atkinson, Preston S. Arkwright, Charles F. Ayer, and Gordon Abbot were all associated with previous and successful business ventures in Atlanta.  It was in 1883 that the citizens of Atlanta, GA. raised $3,500 in stock offering and formed the Georgia Electric and Light Company.  By 1891 prominent Atlanta banker, Henry Atkinson, began forming the foundation of what would become the Georgia Power Company.  Henry started purchasing stocks in the Georgia Electric and Light Company and within one year he purchased enough stock to take control of the operation.  The early location of this power plant became known as Atkinson, GA., named after Henry Atkinson.  It was then that the company became known as the Georgia Power Company.  Soon after the change Atkinson began raising funds that paid for the rebuilding of the entire electric system, there were 800 arc lights, 2,000 incandescent lights and a $600,000 steam generated plants installed to provide more power.  The output from the Georgia Power Company was equally divided, half ran the streetlights and the other half powered electric streetcars. It was in 1902 that Atkinson hired a young Atlanta lawyer by the name of Preston Arkwright.  Arkwright became the president of the company and then again re-named it, the new company was called Georgia Railway and Electric Company, this was done for reasons of consolidation.  It was in 1904 that the Georgia Railway and Electric Company began to struggle and Atkinson purchased more plants for output.  In the later years the company would construct a power plant, which was named Arkwright, both the Atkinson and Arkwright power plants were demolished in 2003.
  
The Fivay Community sprang up in the early 1900's around a sawmill established under the same name.  Land records show that the area that became known as Fivay was a part of the Hamilton Disston purchase  in 1881, Disston purchased 4,000,000 acres of swampy and low lying land from the State of Florida at 25 cents per acre .  In 1883 Disston conveyed the Fivay property to associate and former Governor of Florida A.P.K. Safford who was owner of the Florida Land Improvement Company.  Two years later in 1885 Safford conveys the property to the Cooty Land and Improvement Company, who in turn conveys it to Bullard and Sessoms in 1897.  According to a deed dated 1898, B.F. Bullard and A. Sessoms were apart of the firm C.L. Johnson and Company located in Pasco County.  This was one of the earlier and more successful turpentine and timber companies in the area.  It is believed that there was an earlier mill located on the Fivay site, which became abandoned ca. 1898 after it was destroyed by a fire. According to a Feb. 28, 1988 Tampa Tribune article, which retraced the steps of the Fivay Community and sawmill, "it was in ca. 1904 that five businessmen from Atlanta Georgia purchased 280,000 acres of wooded land located in Pasco, Hillsborough and Hernando counties."  The site the Atlanta businessmen chose for the location of their sawmill is believed to be the same location as the abandoned mill from previous owners Bullard and Sessoms; this site was located near the present day intersection of S.R. 52 and Little Road.  

Laying the Foundation
Ca. 1904 was about the time when both Henry M. Atkinson and Preston S. Arkwright teamed up with three other prominent businessmen, Martin F. Amorous, Charles F. Ayer, and Gordon Abbott; it is believed these men were also connected with the Georgia Power Company.  It was at this time the Aripeka Saw Mills, a corporation organized under and by virtue of the laws of Georgia, was formed.  According to Ralph A. Gower, son of one time superintendent of the Fivay sawmill W.A. Gower, "his father worked for Martin Amorous at various lumber operations while they were living in Georgia."  Still today Martin F. Amorous is credited as being one of the most prominent lumbermen from Georgia.  In 1901 The Moultrie Observer reported that "Mr. Amorous cut a pine tree so big that he couldn't get it under his mill shed, and as a consequence it will be shipped to the Buffalo Exposition as a sample of Georgia pine.  The pine was termed a “giant of the finest” in the area.  It measured 46 inches in diameter at the butt, 64 feet long and 32 inches in diameter at the top."  The mill the tree was brought to was the Pinopolis Sawmill Co, owned by Amorous.  In July of 1905 the five Atlanta buisnessmen teamed up and entered into agreement with two not so well known silent partners, until recently these partners were not known about.  According to the July 7, 1905 issue of the Atlanta Constitution, "Macon, Ga., July 6 — (Special) — Sidney J. and Bartow Stubbs are the purchasers of large interests in the Aripeka Lumber Company at Fivay, Fla. The purchase was made through a deal closed with Atlanta attorneys and over half a million dollars is invested by the new purchasers. They will take charge of the new business on August 1. Both men are well-known Macon capitalists and are also experienced in the lumber business.”  Not only did these seven men have previous buisness expireince but some them also had previous expirience in the lumber industry.  

The Gower Family came to Florida ca. 1905 after the Aripeka Sawmills made their large purchase of land. Immediately the operation of establishing the mill began.  The name chosen for the sawmill stemmed from the last names of the five businessmen, all beginning with the letter "A" the mill was original called Five-A's sawmill, which eventually evolved into Fivay.  Martin F. Amorous moved from Georgia to the site of the sawmill, according to the 1910 federal census Amorous oversaw the sawmills operations as manager.  In the early years Gower notes that everyone involved with the sawmill, the workers, lived in Brooksville and rode a work train to Fivay every day.  The Fivay Sawmill also played a major role in the area's railroad industry.  It was reported in the Tampa Tribune on May 26, 1904 that the Brooksville-Hudson railroad opened.  According to West Pasco's Heritage, by 1905 the sawmill laid miles of its own track connecting it to the new Brookville-Hudson Railroad at Hudson where there was a depot for passengers and commodities, this would have been the line that early mill workers rode to work everyday.

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The Building of a Town
Once the mill was built crews laid tram roads into areas that had timber.  Once the timber was cut they were attached, by huge hooks, to log carts that were pulled by mule.  The logs were then carried to the mill by rail, where they were stored in the mill pond until wenched out of the pond to the large saws at the mill.  Once timber was acquired the Aripeka Sawmill Corporation began constructing company housing for its workers, this was the beginning of the Town of Fivay.  The picture on the left was taken from Tarpon Springs Florida: the Early Years by Gertrude K. Stoughton and shows some of the many trees logged at Fivay, the people and date are unknown.   According to The History of Pasco County, Floridaby J.A. Hendley, "many houses were built for stores, dwellings and drying rooms in which the green lumber was seasoned for the market."  Among one of the first homes likely constructed was that of sawmill manager and first president Martin F. Amorous.  According to Ralph A. Gower, "Amorous' home sat on a hill overlooking the mill site", Gower also notes "There were two other large homes up the hill near the Amorous house, one was occupied by the company auditor, George Broadhurst, the other was a large boarding house."  It was in 1909 that Martin F. Amorous moved from Georgia to make his home at Fivay.  On October 28th 1909 the Atlanta Constitution reported, "Martin F. Amorous Goes to Florida To Live- Well Known Lumberman Capitalist and Councilman Will Bid Goodbye to Atlanta- Martin F. Amorous well known lumberman will soon leave Atlanta to make his home in Fivay, Florida where he will take charge of the sawmills of the Aripeka Company.  Mr. Amorous has acquired large interest in the mills.  Recently he resigned from council to take effect January 1."  According to the 1910 federal  census, M.F. Amorous was a fifty-one year old white male from Georgia who was widowed, also listed in the Amorous home are J.W. Stokes, 40 a year old white female and L.V. Stokes, a 50 year old white male.  The Stokes, husband and wife for seventeen years, lived and worked for Amorous; J.W. is listed as the housekeeper and L.V. is listed as servant.  There are two other servants listed although they are not listed as being boarders with Amorous.  The names of these servants were L. Townsend a 45 year old mixed male who is listed as being married and Ernest (last name illegible) a 25 year old mixed male who is listed as being single.  In the 1910 federal census listed near the Amorous' home is a boarding house where there were thirty- six mill workers living, the owners name of the boarding house is illegible.  

With the building of homes, more and more mill workers began to live near the site of the Fivay Sawmill.  On September 23, 1904 the Fivay post office began its services for the community.  It is not known who the first postmaster was, however according to the 1910 federal census the Fivay postmaster was Sallie Perkins, a forty-two year old single white male from Georgia.  Sallie is listed as boarding or living with Ransom and Angus Williams; Ransom was a traveling salesmen for a cash register company. 

By 1907 the five Atlanta businessmen became involved in other business ventures throughout the area.  According to Citrus, Sawmills, Critters, and Crackers by Elizabeth Reigler McManus and Susan McManus, "the five men built the Tampa Northern Railroad from Tampa to Brooksville in 1907."  This railroad was located along present day U.S. 41.  Soon after the Tampa Northern Railroad was constructed the Fivay Sawmill laid tracks to connect with the new railroad.  The area where the two met, near S.R. 52 and U.S. 41, became known as Fivay Junction but was located ten miles east of the Town of Fivay.  This new spur line connected the Fivay Sawmill directly to Tampa where not only products from the mill could be shipped out but dry goods and other items could be shipped to the town.  There was also a passenger depot constructed at Fivay Junction, according to locals this depot sat on the west side of Pierce Lake (sic) named for Pasco County Surveyor Allen O. Pearce.  

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By linking to the Tampa Northern Railroad activity and residents around the Fivay Sawmill increased.  Eventually a power/ ice plant, drug store/ doctor's office, company office, wash house, hotel, school, water tower, and commissary were built.   Hendley wrote, "Many whites and Negroes were employed by this corporation" [Aripeka Sawmill Co.].  According to Citrus, Sawmills, Critters, and Crackers by Elizabeth Reigler McManus and Susan McManus, "In line with the times, the houses were sectioned off so that black workers lived in one area and whites in the another."   According to a September 10, 1920 Dade City Banner article, "The main street was planked. The social life was cared for by a fine club house, tennis court, golf links and a park, and it is said that guests came from as far as Jacksonville for week-end affairs."

There was a wide variety of jobs created by the Fivay Sawmill and the 1910 federal census, which has been cited several times, gives some wonderful insight into the everyday duties carried out by the townspeople of Fivay; most of them worked for the Aripeka Sawmill Company.  The power plant was operated by the young twenty-one year old Jonie P. Caswell whose occupation is listed as Electric Engineer; Gower says "the power plant was fueled by sawdust and slabs."  Thirty year old Edward O. Allen worked as the salesmen at the Fivay town commissary with help from thirty-five year old Jay Bird whose job was laborer at the commissary; Jay is listed as being African American.  Fifty year old Cook Lee had the duties of Ice Man for the town of Fivay and William E. Hope the butcher, there was even a carpenter and brick mason.  Proprietor and owner of the hotel was thirty-eight year old Susie M. Hughs, who in 1910 had twenty-one guests staying at her hotel.  With the town of Fivay being centered around the dangerous sawmill industry, Levy W. Sheppard made his living by selling life insurance.   Forty-five year old Samuel Vaughn and nineteen year old Ashely Pritchard served as blacksmiths for Fivay, Samuel is listed as African American.  Among the more unusual jobs listed were carried out by fourteen year old Wallie Cook and thirteen year old Owen Johnson, both African Americans who worked as "waterman" and "water carrier" for the Aripeka Sawmill Co., perhaps these jobs were associated with the town wash house where residents would wash their clothes.  

Aside from the town duties there were numerous job titles held at the sawmill by both whites and African American.  Many of the African American workers are listed simply as laborers for the Aripeka Sawmill Co., others had jobs such as loggers, wood cutters, mill hands, and locomotive fireman  Many of the white mill workers held easier occupations at the mill such as lumber inspectors, locomotive engineers, sawyers, and surveyors.  Many of those individuals who worked for the Aripeka Sawmill Co., at Fivay, where from Georgia just as the mill founders were.

Among the more notable achievements of the sawmill town of  Fivay was that of a doctor's office built ca. 1908.  According to the 1910 federal census, forty-one year old William H. Bryan, from Georgia, is listed as physician for the Aripeka Sawmill Co.  Even though Dr. Bryan was employed by the sawmill he still met the medical needs of the town residents.  There is another historical document dated 1908 (see below) that included the name J.T. Gardner M.D., Gardner is not listed in census records for Fivay.  According to Gower, the town had "a 'primitive' drugstore with a doctor's clinic upstairs".  The Fivay clinic/drugstore has been credited with being the first community hospital in Pasco County, it wasn't until October of 1926 that Dade City reported having a twelve bed hospital.  The Fivay clinic was not of considerable size, pictures from 1909 show the clinic had about six beds.  There were no private rooms at the Fivay clinic, all six beds were located in one room; the Fivay clinic also had a birthing room for mothers to be.  Just to have a doctor present during child birth, let alone a hospital to deliver in, was impressive during the time.

On August 31, 1908 there was a notice posted at three conspicuous locations of Fivay, these locations are not known but were likely places such as the commissary, post office, or mill office.  This notice read, "We the undersigned citizens of the Town of Fivay, Pasco County, Florida, desire to form a municipal corporation under the Laws of Florida, for the government of the said Town of Fivay, do hereby give notice that all persons who are registered voters residing in the proposed corporate limits hereafter described, are required to assemble at eight o'clock on September 30, A.D. 1908, at the office of the Aripeka Saw Mills in said town to select officers and organize a municipal government for the Town of Fivay whose corporate limits shall be as follows:- the southwest quarter of section two, the southwest quarter of section one, the northwest quarter of section eleven, the northwest quarter of section twelve, all in township twenty-five south, range sixteen east."  The undersigned citizens were as follows: T. H. Martin, T. J. Pearce, L. E. Thornton, E. C. Baughman, C. H. Cook, W. C. James, W. C. Wills, J. T. Donaldson, W. P. Taylor, W. G. Perkins, A. A. McCallum, C. A. Blatchfort, W. H. Hope, T. A. Hughes, C. Deason, J. B. Kennedy, C. E. Marsh, J. L. Waite, H. S. Harman, J. T. Gardner M. D., J. S. Spaws, Irb Sessions, T. H. Hovard, A. B. Porter, D. B. Whittle, M. L. Wingate, W. C. Ray, W. A. Walden, John L. McCreery, J. B. Perry, and Ernest Christian; most of who also participated in the election of town officials.  

Pursuant to the above notice, one month later on Wednesday, September 30, 1908, there were thirty qualified voters who assembled at the Aripeka Sawmill office.  At eight o'clock P.M. the election polls were opened.  J.S. Carlow, J.H. Smith, and A.A. McCallom were duly empowered to act as managers and inspectors of the election.  Complying with the laws relative to incorporations the following officers were elected to represent the Town of Fivay: Mayor, W. H. Hope; Council members: Ernest Christian, Ed S. Haines, J. T. Donaldson, C. A. Blatchford, M. E. Sperry, T. A. Hughes, T. H. Martin. Town Marshall: Robert Nix. Treasurer: L. E. Thornton. Tax Assessor: T. J. Pearce. Tax Collector: J. F. Gardner, M. D. Clerk: C. G. Puleston.  William H. Hope was sworn into office as Mayor of Fivay on October 2, 1908.  The following day William H. Hope executed his duties as mayor by swearing in the other town officials.

The 1911-1912 R. L. Polk & Co.'s Florida Gazetteer and Business Directory lists:
FIVAY- Population 250. In Pasco county, 33 miles west of Dade City, the county seat, 25 miles from Brooksville, the nearest banking point and 3 from Hudson, its shipping point.


It has been told in numerous accounts that the population of Fivay was between 1,500 and 2,000 residents.  Newspaper articles indicate that there were approximately 104 houses in the Town of Fivay.  According to the 1910 federal census, best calculations show there were approximately  600 residents in Fivay, including children.  It is possible that there were 1,500 to 2,000 workers "employed" by the Aripeka Sawmill Co., however some of the workers likely lived in other locations such as Brooksville or even Fivay Junction, ten miles east of the Town of Fivay.

Schools
By 1910 the Town of Fivay had its own school.  School board minutes from April 29, 1910 show that John A. Brady, W. A. Hayes, and E. J. Carraway were elected trustees for the Fivay District.  It is believed that the Fivay School was established before the April 29th mention in the school board minutes.  According to the 1910 federal census, which was recorded on April 25,1910, four days before the school board minutes, Henry A. White was the school teacher of Fivay; although the census lists him as working for the Aripeka Sawmill as though the school was owned by the sawmill..  The Fivay School lasted sometime after the sawmill closed and on April 19, 1918 a deed transferred property in S6 T25 R17 from N. D. Eiland and his wife to the school board; this property is located on present day Hicks Road.  Mention of the Fivay School appears in school board minutes as late as 1936.  Ca. 1912 there was a school established, near Fivay Junction, called the Tucker School.  It is believed the Tucker School became the Fivay Junction School ca. 1914.

The Tale of Two Towns
Aside from the hard work put forth by the residents of Fivay there was another side of the town that came out after the days work was done.  When it came to the residents of Fivay the town was notorious for being a ruthless and rough town.  Before the times of prohibition, many of Fivay's residents owned or operated their own moonshine stills.  Speaking on the topic Gower said, "There were stills in all those woods."  Evidence of this activity can be seen on an undated historical plat map of the area drawn by Victor M. Clark.  The map, left, shows a sinkhole north of town along the Brooksville-Hudson Railroad, called "Still Sink", located in section 26.  This sinkhole was likely a source of water for the many stills in that area or perhaps there were numerous stills located in the area around the sinkhole.  These stills supplied the town with an endless supply of moonshine, which led to wild parties and drinking.  Gower noted that "Fivay was a hell-raising town on Saturday nights. The woodsmen pitched wild parties with moonshine liquor on their time off."  

Then there were some who simply used Fivay to hide when things got to hot.  On September 14, 1923 the New Port Richey Press reported, " Fivay Man Arrested Charge Embezzlement-- 'Doc' Jordan, a Ford roadster, a moonshine still, and some 'evidence' were brought back from Fivay by Deputy Sheriff's Clyde Daso and L.H. Meeth, Thursday, about noon, after an all night session Wednesday.  'Doc' Jordan was wanted in Tampa by a sewing machine company on a charge of embezzlement, and was arrested on a warrant sworn out by the company.  From statements of a representative of the company, by whom Jordan had been employed, Jordan is said to have taken a Ford roadster belonging to the company without completing the payments thereon, and is also alleged to have signed contracts for the company and received money on them.  He was brought before Justice J.H. Sheldon Thursday afternoon, who bound him over, and he was taken to Dade City Thursday by Deputy Daso to be turned over to Sheriff Sturkie.  The moonshine still forms another story.  Jordan has been living at the home of Mr. Gable in Fivay, who had been a road inspector.  Deputy Daso also had a warrant to search the Gable premises, which he did, assisted by Officer Meeth.  They found two barrels of mash, a still and worm and some shine in an outhouse on the back of the premises.  The still and the worm were brought in as evidence and Gable arrested.  Gable was allowed to remain on his own recognizance to answer a later summons.  The gear and still are held by Deputy Meeth."

Being segregated the African Americans and whites did not hang out or party together, the African Americans had their own places to party.  Hendley wrote, "It was here [Fivay] that this writer came in contact with a jooke for the first time. I do not know how the name originated. It sounds like voo doo and hoo doo, an echo from far off Africa. Anyhow it was a place used for the entertainment of the Negro society at large. A yellow Negro calling himself Forest Brazill operated the jooke and on Saturday nights they had quite a high time; with the money in their pockets, firearms up under the left arm, their guts afire with bootleg liquor, gathered there for a frolic and to have a good time. There was a dusky damsel called Sugar who seemed to be very popular with the male sex and two of them tried to dance with Shug at the same time. The multiebrity developed in the woman even if her skin was black, so she made eyes at both of the enamored swains which brought on trouble, and they reached for their firearms to settle the matter according to their code. It was then that Forest Brazill interfered to settle the trouble. One of them turned on to Forest and he was obliged to kill in self defense, so he said."  The one thing that both the African Americans and whites had in common was that these wild parties led to many moonshine influenced deaths in the Town of Fivay.

Ripped from the Headlines
Here are two notable and interesting murder stories that graced the headlines of the newspapers in the early 1900's.  On August 24, 1912 the front page of the Tampa Daily Times reported "Lonnie Rewis killed at Fivay; girl said to be cause of murder.  School house yard is scene.  At 9 o'clock last night reports from a shotgun were heard by residents living near the school house.  Adolphus Rewis, brother of the murdered man, testified today that he had heard the shots at the school house after his brother had gone to meet the girl, Grace Pearce, and that he and his sister in-law, Mrs. Dorcus Rewis, had gone to the school house and found the body some twenty minutes after the shooting.  It was outside the school house some twenty feet away.  The shot had wounded the man in the head , stomach, leg, and arms."  This murder actually occurred at Fivay Junction, and it was reported that "Allen Pearce, Fred Pearce, and Grace Pearce were arrested on complicity in the death of Lonnie Rewis.  They were released on motion of the state, because there was no evidence to connect them with the killing of Rewis."

On March 31, 1916 the Dade City Star carried the headline "Thomas Pearce is Victim of an Unknown Hand".  According to the article, "Pearce who was the son of Allen Pearce, Pasco County Surveyor, and a deputy in his father's work, had charge of the Aripeka Saw Mills lands for that firm, and it is current opinion at the scene of the crime that the murder is an outgrowth of the murder of Adolphus Lewis, at Fivay sometime ago.  Lewis was killed from ambush and Pearce was mentioned as one of the possible slayers."  Pearce was ambushed outside of his home, as he stepped onto his porch someone fired the fatal shots.  He fell and crawled into the house and was assisted by his wife and died a short time later.

It is believed that these two killings were related.  The Adolphus Lewis mentioned in the second article is thought to actually be Adolphus Rewis mentioned the first article.

These articles are just a small glimpse into the illicit activities that occurred in and around the Town of Fivay.

Lost Cemeteries of Fivay
Gower notes that "Casualties were so high in spontaneous shootings that the community cemetery filled rapidly.  They hauled bodies out there every Saturday night."  Some believe that the Vereen Cemetery, on Hudson Ave., and the Greenfield/ Fivay Cemetery, near S.R. 52 and U.S. 41, where the cemeteries used by the Town of Fivay.  Upon cross reference of the 1910 federal census, for the Town of Fivay, and a list of burials in the Vereen and Greenfield/ Fivay Cemeteries there was only one name that matched in both documents and that was the former Justice of the Peace E.J. Caraway, who is buried in Vereen Cemetery.  The Vereen and Greenfield/ Fivay Cemeteries are not the cemeteries that were used by the Town of Fivay.  It must be understood that the Greenfield/ Fivay Cemetery was NOT named after the Town of Fivay, as described in the legal description, but was named for Fivay Junction.  Fivay Junction and the Town of Fivay were not the same, Fivay Junction was named for the junction in the railroad tracks, which came from the Town of Fivay.

In 1941 the WPA compiled a "Register of Deceased Veterans" for Pasco County.  According to the WPA information the Town of Fivay had its own cemetery and it was not the Greenfield/ Fivay Cemetery.  The WPA register list the name of the cemetery as the Old 5-a Cemetery.  Although there were no veterans recorded as being buried in the cemetery there were still directions given as to the location of the cemetery.  From New Port Richey the directions were as follows: