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Jh OEltiD STATES
By Avery Powell
There ie no place in Florida richer in history than the Tillage
of lilddleburg* loeated between tha forks of Black c eek in Clay county#
about twenty-eight miles southwest of Jacksonville# At one time# Middle-
burg was the principal port for water shipments in the state} that was
bade in 181¡j0-50# Boats earns up 'Black creek from the St# Johns river
and loaded with limber# crossties# wood and cotton* Blaok creek isa
very deep stream and in places is over a quarter of a mile wide# Boats
of fairly deep draft can navigate it easily*
The writer# in delving into the past of Mlddlsburg* was told that
about ten years after the settlement of St# Augustin»* several Spanish
families* desiring to engage in faming* moved back into the interior
an Black creek near where Klddleburg now stands# Among these families
were Taratus* Alvares* Aadreu and DiIabury# Many of the descancents
of these families are now living is that section* It ie not known what
the Spaniards called the settlement# but the Alvar* sea and And reus moved
cm farther back to what is now Bradford county* Later* in 1820-25# many
v i
American families moved to the same location* among them being the Tlpplne*
Brsaning* Register* Chalker* Frisbee* Prevatt* Snowden and Bardin families#
They were engaged in farming* and quite a town was built 19 at that time*
f
larger than the village of Sowford# now Jaoksonville* Klddleburg was ¿L
then called the town of dla«k Creek* the ereek being so named because
the water ie nearly jet black#
House Still Stands
La 18l|0# the Chalkere built a large two-story house# Tt is still
standing and in it lives Mre* H* A* Chalker# age 8U* who is one of the
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