The History of Bradford County

Swamp, River and Pine Woods

Bradford County's Santa Fe Swamp Wildlife Management Area covers 7,272 acres. The state wildlife agency says the Santa Fe Swamp is a floodplain that feeds the Santa Fe River along its upper eight miles.

Before 1857, the land that would become Starke was mostly pine forest, with few settlements. A 1989 study by B. Calvin Jones covers archaeological work at the Tan Hide Site, which lies near the New River.

Sources: Bradford County Board of County Commissioners: Parks and Recreation; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission: Santa Fe Swamp Wildlife and Environmental Area; City of Starke: History; tDAR, The Digital Archaeological Record: Archaeological Investigations at the Tan Hide Site (8BR00088) Near the New River in Bradford County, Florida

The Railroad and the Town of Starke

Building the railroad from Fernandina to Cedar Key brought the first real growth to the area. Starke sat at the midpoint of the route. George W. Cole, a land speculator and developer, came here because he saw a chance for growth. Cole worked to get the town a post office and became its first postmaster.

One story says the post office was named Starke for Cole's fiancée. Another says the name honors Madison Starke Perry, who was Florida's governor from 1857 to 1861. The city says no one knows which story is true.

Sources: City of Starke: History

Starke Becomes a Town and Gets a Newspaper

Starke was incorporated as a town on April 4, 1870. The oldest county records that survive date from October 9, 1871. They show a board of five county commissioners, apparently appointed by the governor. One early order created seven road districts in the county.

In 1879, Starke got its first newspaper, the Florida Weekly Telegraph. It still operates, now named the Bradford County Telegraph, and the city calls it Florida's oldest weekly newspaper.

Sources: City of Starke: History; Florida Memory: History of Bradford County, signed by Miriam Kickliter

From Oranges to Strawberries

Timber and oranges were once the county's two biggest exports. Many citrus farms grew here until the Great Freeze of the winter of 1894 to 1895. The city says freezes in the late 1890s ended the young citrus business.

Strawberries took the place of citrus. By the early 1900s, the city says, the area ranked among the South's biggest strawberry shippers. Starke and Lawtey stayed major farm centers, shipping out cotton, tobacco and strawberries. Miriam Kickliter's county history says strawberries were the main crop in the east, while the west had general farming with some tobacco. It adds that raising livestock was a big part of farming over most of the county.

Sources: City of Starke: History; Bradford County Board of County Commissioners: About Us; Florida Memory: History of Bradford County, signed by Miriam Kickliter

U.S. 301 and the Camp Blanding Years

Growth came next with U.S. Highway 301, which was called State Road 13 at the time. The city says it gave Jacksonville and Tampa their first road link, and hotels and other travel businesses grew in Starke. The county says World War II brought big growth, helped by the new highway and nearby Camp Blanding.

The State Armory Board picked land in Clay County, near Starke, for a new Florida National Guard training camp in the late 1930s. Work began in 1939 on space for several thousand troops, and the camp grew fast in 1940 and 1941 as the National Guard was mobilized. It was named for Major General Albert Blanding. Up to 800,000 servicemen may have passed through the camp during the war, and nine infantry divisions trained there.

Thousands of trainee soldiers from the camp made Starke their home, and Call Street was a favorite place for them. During the war, the USO used the Woman's Club building as a clubhouse, and the Army YMCA entertained Camp Blanding soldiers there. Starting in April 1941, there were dances, quiz games, card games, radio programs and vaudeville shows. Many Camp Blanding veterans later came back to make Starke their home.

Sources: City of Starke: History; Bradford County Board of County Commissioners: About Us; Museum of Florida History: Florida Remembers World War II, Military Training in Florida, Land Warfare; Historical Marker Database: Woman's Club of Starke (Florida state marker F-431)

Since 1990: A Historic Clubhouse, Rallycross Racing and the Strawberry Festival

The National Register of Historic Places listed the Woman's Club of Starke clubhouse on April 18, 1997. A state historical marker for the club was placed in 2001 by the Florida Department of State together with the Little Woman's Club of Starke.

In December 2021, the Nitro Rallycross Championship Series held its two-day finale at The FIRM in Starke. Travis Pastrana, who created the series and also drove in it, was the top name among the drivers. NASCAR's Chase Elliott also appeared at the track. Clay Today reported that thousands of fans packed every seat and that Pastrana won the series' first championship that weekend. The FIRM, the Florida International Rally and Motorsports Park, is at the Keystone Heights Airport.

For nearly three decades, Starke has held a strawberry festival one weekend each spring. In 2026, farmers, local vendors and families filled the streets for the Bradford Strawberry Festival.

Sources: Historical Marker Database: Woman's Club of Starke (Florida state marker F-431); WCJB: Nitro Rallycross Championship Series wraps up in Starke (December 5, 2021); Clay Today: The FIRM was the perfect stage for Nitro RX and Keystone Heights; WUFT: Starke Strawberry Festival reflects Bradford County heritage (April 3, 2026); City of Starke: History