Citrus County’s History Told in Advertising
By: Ken Marotte, Citrus County Historical Society
Advertisements from local newspapers provide a look into the goods and services that were important to the people living in Citrus County. Here’s a look back at some of the “mundane” ads from the Chronicle and other local newspapers that gives today’s reader an insight into ordinary life in years gone by.
The Music Man – 1889
Why would a Citrus County Star advertisement for Alexander Bronson Campbell’s Jacksonville music business have local historical significance? As someone with Scottish roots, Campbell was also an astute investor in the emerging Florida railroad business. By the early 1890’s, he was Vice President/Secretary of the Florida Orange Canal and Transit Company, which was instrumental in bringing a railroad line into the eastern portion of Citrus County. When a new “railroad town” was established to the West of Tompkinsville, railroad officials were given the opportunity to name the new village. Old time resident Jim Priest later claimed “…there was a Scotsman, President of the Florida Orange Transit Canal Company…he named it for the town in Scotland”. The President of the FOC&T at the time was former Governor George F Drew of Jacksonville. However, his family tree did not include any Scottish connections. The Vice President/Secretary of the FOC&T was Jacksonville investor Alexander Bronson Campbell. While he came to Florida by way of Canada, both of his parents were from Scotland. His maternal line came from the Inverness Scotland area and he had visited his relatives in that country. In all probability, the “lonely Scotsman” who gave Inverness Florida its name was none other than the Jacksonville music man – Alexander Bronson Campbell.
Making Your Baby as Fat as a Pig – 1902
If your baby was underweight or had teething problems, then Dr. Moffett had the solution for you. His “Teethina” powder promised to regulate the bowels, aid digestion, and cure cholera, dysentery or diarrhea. Unfortunately, one of the main ingredients was a derivative of Mercury Chloride. After further research, the product was taken off the market in the late 1940’s due to documented cases of mercury poisoning in the children who were subjected to this compound. Parents of teething babies may have switched to a medicine called paregoric – a 4% opium derivative that could usually be purchased at a pharmacy with minimal regulation. Paregoric was likewise subjected to significantly stricter regulation based on revised drug enforcement laws, but not before a generation of baby-boomer’s teething pains were soothed by this magic elixir.
Ballard’s Worm Remedy – 1908
In the days of open range for cattle and pigs, there were virtually no limits on where these farm animals could roam. The general rule at the time was that if you wanted to keep free-ranging animals off your property, then you were obliged to install fences around your area. In a past article I wrote about the need to install a strong iron fence around the Citrus County Courthouse because of the damage (and smell) caused by roaming swine. At the same time, many of the children in the county did not wear shoes during most of the year. This situation led to the infestation of parasites that passed from the excretion of the cattle through the bare feet of the children. Solutions such as Ballard’s Worm Remedy guaranteed to remove the parasites.
The situation improved greatly when the “open range” for cattle and hogs was legally closed in Citrus County during the early 1950’s. While there were still some outbreaks, the reduction of contaminated soil and increased use of footware worked better than any patent medicine.
The Great Depression – 1930
Citrus County was hard-hit by the economic calamity known as the Great Depression. Merchants started to limit purchases on credit so they could lower prices as much as possible. There were recurrent campaigns to patronize local merchants to “keep money in Citrus County” rather than flow out to outside companies.
Entertainment helped people to forget their troubles for a while and two movie theaters competed for audiences in Inverness (the Valerie on Courthouse Square and the Avalon located next to the Coca—Cola building). The installation of sound equipment and “talkies” was a major event in the county and both theaters enjoyed packed houses (as long as prices were reasonable)
World War II – 1941 – 1945
The advent of World War II led to a national effort to defeat our enemies. The pages of the Chronicle were filled with advertisements for military recruitment and civilian purchase of US War Bonds. Farmers were asked to devote their crops toward feeding our military overseas. Private companies, such as Florida Power and the local Coca-Cola bottling plant, purchased weekly advertising aimed at either conservation or messages designed to maintain morale on the home front. Women were encouraged to make clothes for their families and there were limits on the amount of new clothes that could be purchased. World War II was a total national effort and the advertisements in the Chronicle reflected that focus.
Post-War and the 1950’s
After the hostilities concluded, returning American soldiers and sailors wanted to grow their families in Citrus County. Housing projects constructed new communities to satisfy the increasing needs of the veterans. Sales of items such as automobiles exploded once the restrictions of wartime rationing were removed. Cars grew chrome-covered fins and horsepower increased exponentially. Well-known car dealers such as Chick Chitty sold Fords while battling M.C. “Manny” Scofield’s Chevrolets. New grocery and clothing stores opened and Citrus County saw its first modern shopping center. All of the growth was fueled by a new sense of consumerism and good times
The pages of past Chronicle editions serve to give the reader a sense of the ebb and flow of routine life in Citrus County. It will be interesting to see what conclusions future historians can draw from today’s newspapers.
Follow-up on the Citrus County Drive-In Theater Article
I received more comments on the previous Drive-In article than any other story in the past.
One reader lamented that all of the local Drive-In theaters have been closed. Fortunately, there are still four Drive-Ins within drivable distance from Citrus County. They are: Ocala Drive-In Theatre – Ocala; Silver Moon Drive-In Theatre – Lakeland; Joy-Lan Drive-In Theatre – Dade City; and Ruskin Family Drive-In Theatre – Ruskin.
A reader recounted that when she was a young Air Force wife, she and some other wives didn’t have money for everyone to attend a drive-in movie. So some of her friends laid on the floorboards of the car and threw a blanket over the group so they would be able to enter the movies in spite of their limited funds. These desperados were never caught and remain at large to this day. (Julie, I will never snitch on you…)
Citrus High School graduate Doug Johnston was not so lucky. He and three of his young friends schemed to enter the Citrus Drive-In on foot so they could watch (a then “mature”) film starring Brigitte Bardot. Their plan worked perfectly until they exited the theater at the end of the movie and started walking home. A kindly gentleman drove by and offered the boys a ride – they were happy for the lift until they discovered to their dismay that the driver was the drive-in manager and he was taking them straight to Sheriff B.R. Quinn so they would spend the night in jail. As usual, B.R. used some of his legendary common-sense negotiating skills and the manager agreed to drop the charges if the boys would each pay double the usual admission fee and be referred to their parents for further admonishment. News of their exploits spread like wildfire through the small town and they were the subject of a number of jokes from teachers and classmates alike.
Reader Steve Hrycaj recalls going to the drive-in outside Detroit for the $1 per carload weekend special – and seeing actual people dressed as soda cups and popcorn boxes dancing around the concession stand.
Inverness City Councilmember Tom Craig always felt safe allowing his kids to exercise independence and go to the snack bar and playground with minimal parental supervision. He notes that his (now grown) children still talk about the fun times they had at the Drive-In in Connecticut.
Several readers asked for the exact location of the former Citrus Drive-In and wanted pictures of the theater. While we don’t have pictures of that Drive-In, I am able to confirm the address. When original owner John Wagner sold the property and equipment to John D. and Olivia Mullen in 1955, the purchase agreement and deed listed all of the equipment being transferred – everything from projectors and speakers to popcorn machines – as well as the location of the property where the theater was located. The B&B subdivision is an official Plat, registered with the county clerk, that was established by developer Norvelle Bryant in the late 1940’s. The Citrus Drive-In occupied lots 1 and 2 in the B&B subdivision off Route 41.
Today, lots 1 and 2 in the B&B subdivision are the home of Excel Automotive at 1155 N Florida Ave in Hernando FL. Remnants of some of the buildings reportedly still exist decades after the theater was closed.
Ken Marotte writes for the Citrus County Historical Society. He can be reached via email at kenmarottejr@gmail.com if you have any comments, questions or suggestions Contact him if you’d like to participate in the ongoing CCHS Oral History Project.