Originally what is now known as Marion County was part of Alachua County, Hillsborough County, and Mosquito (now Orange) County. Marion County was created on March 14, 1844. It was named for General Francis Marion, of South Carolina, also known as the "Swamp Fox" during the Revolutionary War. Marion County drew many of its earliest settlers from South Carolina. One hundred years after its creation Marion County boasted a population of 35,132 persons. Within Marion County are the following cities/towns: Ocala, the county seat; Dunnellon; Belleview; Reddick; McIntosh; and Citra.
Marion County has two significant natural sites. First, near Ocala, are the beautiful springs which attract thousands of visitors annually - Silver Springs. Secondly, is the Ocala National Forest, which covers 389,000 acres of land. Established in 1908, it is the oldest National Forest east of the Mississippi River and southernmost in the continental U.S. It is the largest existing area of Sand Pine, or Scrub Pine.
Over the years, especially in the early days of movies and television, Silver Springs was a favorite location for "jungle"scenes. Much of the Silver River was still in a natural state and its wild beauty captured the imagination of Hollywood. Most of the Tarzan movies starring Olympic Champion Swimmer Johnny Weismuller were shot at Silver Springs. Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings', the Yearling was shot at various Marion County locations. Not only attractive to the entertainment industry as a movie location, Marion County is also known for its beautiful countryside dotted with world class thoroughbred horse ranches. Several champions have called Marion County home, the famed Triple Crown winner Secretariat retired to stud to a Marion County horse ranch after his racing career ended.
In 1996, a group of genealogists organized the FLGenWeb Project, modeled after a project originally started in the commonwealth of Kentucky. The idea was to provide a single entry point for all counties in Florida, where collected databases and information on genealogy and history in the state could be stored. At the same time, volunteers were found who were willing to coordinate the collection of data.
If you have any items of genealogical and/or historical significance to Marion County or any other county in Florida, please consider submitting them for display within the Official USGenWeb FLGenWeb Project. Please do not submit anything you do not personally own, or is under current copyright. FLGenWeb adheres to current US Copyright Law. If the item is under copyright, you must include written permission of the copyright holder giving FLGenWeb Project the right to display it with proper credit and notices on a county site.
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