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Summer 2014 Newsletter of the FCIAAO
Dixie County, which is located in the Northwestern portion of Florida, was founded
on April 25, 1921.
In April of 1773 William Bartram started his four year journey of the southern parts of
America. During his journey, he came to an Indian village on the east side of the
Suwannee River where he stayed for several days. Bartram crossed the river into pre-
sent day Dixie County. He witnessed "large handsome canoes, which were formed
out of the trunks of Cypress trees, some of them
commodious enough to accommodate twenty to thirty warriors. In
April of 1818 Andrew Jackson led the largest army ever to invade Flor-
ida , to the Old Town (now Dixie County), Florida area to push the Indi-
ans south of the Suwannee River. 1822 Florida Territory was organized.
General Andrew Jackson was appointed Florida's first Territorial Gover-
nor.
1845 Florida was admitted to the union, making it the 27th state to join
the union. At this time, Madison County, Florida extended from the
Florida/Georgia state line south to the Gulf; and west from the Suwan-
nee River to the Aucilla River. In 1856 the lower half of Madison County would be divided into Taylor
and Lafayette Counties.
December 12, 1856, James W. McQueen, House of Representatives, from Madison County (lived in Old
Town) introduced the bill to create two new counties. It was passed. (Mr. McQueen is buried in the Old
Town Cemetery.)
This bill was signed by Governor Hardee to form Dixie
County from the Southern portion of Lafayette
County. Two of the elected Lafayette County Com-
missioners finished off their terms in the newly formed
Dixie County at the request of the Governor. The
county seat is Cross City, and if you look at an aerial
view of the County, Cross City appears to be in the
dead center of Dixie. Some of the surrounding counties are Lafayette to the North, Taylor to the North-
west, Gilchrist to the East and Levy to the Southeast. Dixie is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico to the
Southwest as well as having the Steinhatchee River on its West and the Suwannee River on the East. Of
the approximate 864 square miles, 704 is land and 160 is water.
Dixie allows for many adventures to explore. Fresh and Saltwater fishing is plentiful here. There are also
several little known springs around the county and often during the winter months manatees can be
viewed here. Fanning Springs is always at 72 degrees for those who like water activities. Birding can
be done all year long with various species able to be viewed during certain seasons. With three types
of hunting enviro-systems (private clubs, state managed and Federal wildlife refuges) Dixie has been
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2013 Preliminary Tax Roll At-A Glance
Real Property Parcels
16,313
Tangible Accounts
198
Just (Market) Value
$1,604,096,472
Taxable Value
$504,884,011
COUNTY SPOTLIGHT: DIXIE COUNTY
Hon. Robert A. Lee
