Ridgewood, Florida
Ridgewood[1][2]is an unincorporated community located in Putnam County, Florida, United States. Situated two miles east of Welaka, Florida, and 3 1/4 miles southwest of Pomona Park, Florida. It is located at latitude 29° 28' 13.8432 North, longitude 81° 38' 43.4400 West. First settled 1871, by 1883 Ridgewood had a population of 100 with a post office, one store, two steam saw mills and a public school. The hard freezes of the 1890s destroyed most of the citrus crops in the area and as a result the community declined. In the years ahead, a forest fire was said to have destroyed the remainder of the town during the 1920s. Today, Ridgewood is making a slow comeback with a population of 27 from an informal door to door person count June 2014. All that remains of Ridgewood is a Cemetery, now known as the Welaka-Georgetown Cemetery but was once known as Ridgewood Cemetery. It was during World War Two that the name was changed to Welaka-Georgetown Cemetery. Putnam County records show the first burial was recorded in 1917. Mail ran on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Unimproved land sold from $5 to $30 per acre. Application to start a post office by Franklin B Parse was submitted May 30, 1883 to the United States Postal Service, approved and appointed June 15, 1883[3]
| Post Master[4] | Date Appointed |
|---|---|
| Franklin B Parse | June 15, 1883 |
| Gerald C Butler | June 5, 1888 |
| Fred W Parsch | June 26, 1896 |
Post Office discontinued on November 15, 1900, mail sent to Fairview[5]
References
- ↑ Putnam County Archives, Palatka Library, Palatka, Florida
- ↑ Michaels, Brian D (1986). The River Flows North (1st ed.). P.O. Box, 1976 Palatka, Florida 32078: The Putnam County Archives and History Commission. p. 217.
- ↑ Frank Hatton, First Assistant Postmaster, Office of the First Assistant Post Master General, Washington, D.C. April 16, 1883
- ↑ Office of the First Assistant Post Master General, Washington, D.C.
- ↑ United States Postal Service, Washington, D.C.