Arranged on five well-tended acres, there are dozens of storefronts, with each featuring a mini-museum inside. There’s a Rexall Drugstore, the Blue Haven Restaurant, the Northeast Florida Telephone Company, the Davis Oil & Gas Company, and the Moonshine Garage and Car Museum. Check out the old-fashioned grocery store, the turpentine distillery, hat shop, pharmacy, fabric store, and the old Darbyville Jail. (Darbyville was Macclenny’s original name).
What started with the relocation of the town’s historic railroad depot (which now serves as an office/museum with stories of the area’s founding families) grew to include a caboose, a vintage fire truck, a cooking shelter, a barber shop, and even a pickin’ shed for bluegrass musicians.
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The centerpiece of the village is a blockhouse fort from the 1830s that became the log cabin (complete with axe marks) home of the Burnsed family in the mid-1800s. In the front yard, a working windmill creaks to life with each passing breeze. Next door, a family chapel has made the village a popular spot for weddings, with special occasions such as barbeques and holiday events filling in the calendar. One staple takes place every weekday morning, when guests are invited to enjoy a free cup of coffee and conversation with local veterans who gather at the Blue Haven Restaurant between 6:30 and 9:30.
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You’ll need to call ahead so a docent knows to unlock each store, but even if it’s just you strolling through the park, photo ops are plentiful and the chance to enjoy your surroundings unhurried is a pleasure.
One last note: Hats off to the city residents who designed the village. They knew history is more than dates. Posted along a recreation of the Darbyville township are signs that introduce you to the people and pioneers of Baker County. In their own words and images, they share memories of growing up in rural Florida.
After circling the village, visit the granite “heritage benches” that surround a gazebo. Each is inscribed with a message or a tribute to a local family or service personnel. It’s a nice place to sit and rest a spell before heading out for a drive in the country.
Drive Time
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From Macclenny, it’s easy to reach the Olustee Battlefield by simply heading 20 miles west on U.S. 90. But before you go there, treat yourself to a calming drive through the Osceola National Forest. From the neighboring town of Glen St. Mary, C.R. 125 stretches northwest toward Taylor. Focus on the journey.
For miles and miles the pine scrub has an unusual high desert appearance and, coincidentally, parts of this lonesome road look as remote as any spot in the American West. A few mobile homes set far back far from the road appear and then vanish as you rocket down the road. Occasionally another car may pass you or a solo rider on a motorcycle will speed by as they enjoy a shaded stretch of canopied road, but by the time you pass a filling station at C.R. 127 you’ll agree that this is, in a word, rural.
Where C.R. 125 meets C.R. 250, a corner convenience store is Taylor’s one and only center of commerce. When I arrived, it was hard to miss the shirtless, barefoot teenager who had ridden in on a horse; his mount tied to a makeshift hitching post.
Turning left here starts the second leg of the journey, this one delving deeper into the woods. While some national forests feature recreational activities, here they were noticeably absent. Regardless, it’s a treat to drive down a two-lane road where a row of straight pines and seasonal wildflowers are enough to satisfy. If the mood strikes you, pull over, turn off the radio, step outside and soak in the silence of the world around you.
Spotlight: Olustee Battlefield
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