EARLY SETTLEMENT IN THE LOCAL AREA 1819 United States bought Florida from Spain for $5,000,000.00. 1821 Andrew Jackson became the first Territorial Governor of Florida based in Pensacola, Florida. 1824 Walton County was established. 1836 Leonard Destin arrived to settle East Pass (Destin). Creek War fought in Northwest Florida. Florida Militia fought the Battle of Big Alaqua Bayou. 1842 Jesse Rogers, Sr. arrived at Boggy Bayou (first settler of Niceville) and later moved onto Santa Rosa Sound (first settler of Mary Esther). Santa Rosa County was created from Walton County. 1845 Florida wished to join United States of America as a slave state but had to wait for a free state to join at the same time. When Iowa applied for statehood, Florida became the 27th state. 1848 Holmes County was created from a part of Walton County. 1861 Florida seceded from the Union & joined the Confederate States of America. In July the Walton Guards were activated to guard East Pass. A Yankee gunboat entered the Pass and the Guard returned fire. There were no casualties. Later another Yankee ship shelled Camp Walton forcing the Guard to retreat. They were then given two cannon and ordered to "hold the Pass at all cost." There were no further engagements with the enemy. The Guard later left Camp Walton and were reassigned. 1868 Florida readmitted to the Union. John Thomas Brooks moved into the area and built a home (first settler of Fort Walton Beach). The area became known as Brooks Landing or Brooksville because of the boat landing near his home. 1871 John Newton arrived in the Mary Esther area. He was a minister and taught school until forced to resign for teaching from anti-slavery books. Mary Esther is named for John Newton's wife and daughters. 1880 George Oglesby came from Georgia to settle Cracker's Neck (Wright). 1900 Turpentine was the major industry in the area. 1902 Brooks home was expanded into Brooks House Hotel. This served as the community s first hotel. It was located where Marina Bay Resort stands today. It had an outdoor pavilion for music and dancing. 1906 Gulf view Hotel was built. It had guestrooms with private baths, a dining room, a kitchen, service areas and a porch. The Gulfview Hotel is part of a downtown historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. All buildings in the district are privately owned including the 14 room hotel, the Gerlach House, Staff s Restaurant and a 1940 s vacation home called the Boat House. 1907 Timbering and turpentining had destroyed huge areas of the forests. 1908 U.S. established Choctawhatchee National Forest to save the remaining forests. This was the first National Forest in the Southern United States.
1908 Buck's Store, the old one, opened. The store was located on the water. Goods and passengers from sternwheelers (Captain Fritz, Belle, Vernon, Old Florida) and gasoline powered vessels (Grace, Anna, Swan) were received day and night. The census indicated that 35 persons were living in Brooksville. 1911 The Camp Walton Schoolhouse was built on the corner of Shell and Main Streets. It opened in 1912 with 15 students attending. Through the years the building would be moved several times and used as a church, a meeting hall, and for Friday night socials. The school is now a museum located at 127 Miracle Strip Parkway SE and is open to school children and the public throughout the year. Buck's (new) store opened. His motto: "We carry everything except babies and coffins". 1912 The Indianola Inn was built atop a prehistoric Indian shell mound. The mound was also used as a cannon mount during the Civil War. The hotel was destroyed by fire in 1962 and was not rebuilt. Sarah Frances Brooks Pryor and her husband Willie Pryor ran the hotel which was extremely popular during the 1920 s. An advertisement boasted rooms including meals, the use of a motor boat and your choice of upper or lower rooms for $25.00 a week. 1913 Brooksville renamed Camp Walton. A. Gerlach and T. Staff bought the Gulfview Hotel. The post office was established in Buck's Store. 1914 The first St. Mary's Catholic Church was built. The land was donated by John Thomas Brooks. The church, located at the corner of First and Shell Streets, was in use from 1912-1972. At that time the new church on Robinwood Drive opened. The old church is still used by Catholic organizations. Frances and her brother, Joe Gerlach opened the Gerlach Mercantile, the first grocery in the area. 1915 Okaloosa County was created from parts of Walton and Santa Rosa counties. Laurel Hill had a population of 300 persons. 1918 Garnier's Post Office built at the corner of Garnier's Post and Mooney Roads. It has been restored and relocated behind the Camp Walton Schoolhouse Museum on Miracle Strip Parkway. 1920's The Spray Newspaper began publication. The Staff family opened the first full service gas station. Oscar Bengston was the first Town Constable and his major duty was keeping livestock off the streets. Okaloosa County had a population of 9360 persons. Harbeson Hotel and Dance Pavilion built Jackson Guard Station tower and quarters were built by the U.S. Forest Service. Its first duty was fire prevention. Now they manage timber and wildlife resources for the 464,000-acre military reservation. 1927 The Choctawhatchee River was flooding and the restricted water moving through the pass at Destin was threatening homes. Four men (Captain O.T. Melvin, Dewey Destin, Arn Strickland, and Dolf Weakley) are reported to have dug a 2-foot wide trench across the Island to release more water.
Within two hours the pass was 100 yards wide and located where the current East Pass is today at Destin Harbor. 1928 Tower Beach cottages were completed. Thomas E. Brooks built the beach cottages on Okaloosa Island. However, no renters could be convinced to stay after dark. When the idea of staying overnight finally took hold, those who could not get reservations slept on the beach. Two boats were used to ferry guests to and from the island. While there, they walked because the sand roads were so poor. Later a casino, a dance pavilion and a beach tower were added giving the area its name. Tower Beach was located on Okaloosa Island where the Holiday Inn is now. 1929 C.F. Manning bought a generating plant in Niceville. Camp Walton got its electric power via a line running roughly where Beal Street is today. 1930 Old Buckhorn Inn built. It was run by William Graham of Crestview. It had a restaurant below and rooms for rent above. 1931 Staff's car dealership was converted into Staff's Restaurant. The building was originally a garage for guests at the Gulfview Hotel. By the 1920 s the station had oil, gas and water facilities making it the first full service station in the area. By 1921 they were selling Studebaker, Maxwell and Star vehicles. By 1931 Docie Bass was operating Staff s Restaurant. 1932 Camp Walton changed its name to Fort Walton. 1933 Brooks Bridge was built. The Valparaiso Airport was built to keep planes from landing on the golf course. The land was donated to the military by James Plew and the headquarters for the Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Range established. 1934 Cinco Bayou and Shalimar Bridges were built. Eglin Parkway and Main Street (Highway 98) were paved. Grace Community Chapel became the first non-denominational church in the Camp Walton area. 1935 Okaloosa had a population of 11,669 persons. Crestview had 1,078 persons. 1936 Paul Roberts opened the first drug store. The Fort Walton School opened on Lowery Place. The school was used until the 1960 s and now houses the offices of the Okaloosa County Schoolboard. Thomas Davis became the first town marshal. police force until 1938. He was the entire Bacon s by the Sea Restaurant was built (Hunan s II, destroyed by hurricane). 1937 Valparaiso Bombing and Gunnery Range renamed Eglin Air Field after Lt. Col. Frederick Eglin, a naval officer who was killed when his Northrop A17 crashed near Anniston, Alabama on June 1, 1937. His name was given to Maxwell s Auxiliary Field, then Eglin Field, then Eglin Air Proving Grounds, then Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton was created as a municipality through a special act of the Florida Legislature.
1938 The Fort Walton Colored Community Baptist Church was built. 1940 The Colored Baptist Church became Fort Walton's first Colored Public School. The first jail was built on First Street (destroyed 1988). The Choctawhatchee National Forest was transferred to the U.S. War Department and the Eglin Military Reservation was established. The Tringas Theatre was built by contractors for Eglin Air Force Base. It was built far above the building standards of the time. Fort Walton had a population of 90. 1941 Jimmy Doolittle trained his Raiders at Eglin Field for their raid against Tokyo. First City Hall built to house the fire station, jail, water department and local government offices. It is located on First Street and now houses the Arts and Design Society Art Museum. (open to the public) 1942 Liza Jackson became the first woman to serve on the Fort Walton City Council. 1946 Playground News began semi-weekly publication. Dr. Henry White opened the first medical practice. A routine visit -$3.00. First Presbyterian Church bought Grace Community Chapel. First Episcopal Church built. It is now St. Simons on the Sound. 1947 First hospital built in the area behind today's Fountain Square on Highway 98. There were 10 beds and a nursery. The rate - $10.00 a day. Vandegriff Jewelers opened its doors. 1948 The Masonic Lodge building was built on Miracle Strip Parkway and housed the post office on the first floor and the lodge on the second. Today a gift store is on the first floor with the lodge above. The Bank of Fort Walton opened at the corner of Harbeson and Highway 98 with $60,000 in capital. It was the first independent bank on the Emerald Coast. 1949 First Methodist Church and First Baptist Church built. 1950 Okaloosa County had a population of 27,533. Crestview had 5,003 and Fort Walton had 2,463. 1952 Other doctors arrived. Dr. Wilson and Dr. Maxon. Magnolia Medical Clinic was opened. 1953 Fort Walton was renamed Fort Walton Beach. The City sponsored a ski show which became a yearly event. Later this ski show would become the Billy Bowlegs Festival held every year in June. 1954 Joe and Eddie s Restaurant opened at the corner of Highway 98 and Florida Place. 1955 The Fort Walton Hospital opened on Hospital Drive with 25 beds. The Gulfarium opened to the public. 1956 The Bank of Fort Walton moved to its present location. It became First City Bank in 1968. Playground Bowling Alley opened (burned 1998). 1959 The Municipal Golf Course opened. 1960 s The Post Office opened on Hospital Drive. Fort Walton Beach had a population of 12,147 persons.
1962 The first Indian Temple Mound Museum opened at the front of the mound. It was open free, 7 days a week. Smith's Townshop opened. 1963 The current City Hall opened in its new location on Highway 98. The Fort Walton City Library opened. 1964 Fort Walton Square was built. Sears was the anchor store. Renamed Uptown Station in the late 1990 s. Fort Walton temple mound was made a National Historic Landmark. 1965 The Black Angus Steakhouse opened. 1968 The Salvation Army bought the Grace Community Church building. 1969 The Fort Walton Ballet Association was formed. Okaloosa Walton Junior College moved to its present location in Niceville. 1971 St. Mary's current facility was built on Robinwood Drive. First City Bank erected its 100-foot tall tower. At that time it was the tallest freestanding structure between Miami and Birmingham. The current Indian Temple Mound Museum was built to house artifacts from the local area. It opened to the public one year later. The museum offers gallery tours, school programs, outreach programs, and hosts special activities such as documentary films and festivals each year. This information provided by the staff of the City of Fort Walton Beach, Museums Division For additional information call (850) 833-9595