By Ken Marotte
Citrus County has been home to some colorful characters, but perhaps none so eccentric as Mayor William S. Alyea of Crystal River. According to newspaper reporter Hampton Dunn, Alyea grew up in the rough-and-tumble Old West and had a reputation as someone who could deal with the rougher elements in society. He was well into his 80s when Alyea was elected Mayor of Crystal River. One evening he came across a local constable having difficulty trying to control a group of drunken men. In spite of his age, the Mayor didn’t hesitate and jumped into the fray to help subdue the rowdy bunch. Alyea released a torrent of curse words to emphasize that he meant business. Order was quickly restored. Or was it?
A group of respectable citizens had gathered to watch the donnybrook. Citrus County was a different time and place than it is today – and cursing in public was a crime that was strictly enforced and resulted in a court appearance. The onlookers told the Mayor that maybe he should be arrested for such a shameful display. He thought for a moment and replied “That’s exactly what I’m going to do”. Alyea marched over to the Crystal River City Hall, placed himself under arrest, and proceeded to lock himself into the jail cell in that building.
He appeared in court and proceeded to prosecute himself for his outburst. The judge ordered Alyea to either pay a $20 fine or spend 30 days in jail. The Mayor chose to pay the fine, but he gained notoriety across the country as the “Cussin’ Mayor” once the story hit the newswires.
Dunn’s newspaper article notes that Alyea was used to dealing with drunken cowboys since he was in law enforcement during his younger days and actually grew up knowing “Buffalo Bill” Cody. I fact-checked these statements and found that Alyea was indeed appointed Justice of the Peace in the frontier town of North Platte, Nebraska in 1890 – which was also the same location where Buffalo Bill first organized his Wild West show before touring the world.
Alyea had a long career as a real estate investor in the Plains states, Canada, Oklahoma and Florida. He was also the head of an investment group that raised $5,000,000 in 1917 to construct an electric trolley system that would span the State of Florida from Orlando to Tampa. They are still waiting to make that dream a reality.
Mayor Alyea seemed to be a master of publicity. His fame didn’t end with his jail escapade. His woodchopping prowess was featured in a “Ripley’s – Believe It or Not” cartoon that was carried in a number of newspapers across the county.
Finally, you know you’re truly a “Florida Man” when your exploits are the answer to a trivia question 50 years after you pass away.
Florida trivia from the Miami Herald, July 24, 1992.
Learn more about the history of Citrus County’s coastal communities by visiting the Coastal Heritage Museum in the Historic Crystal River City Hall at 532 N Citrus Avenue, Crystal River, FL. The Museum is open Tuesday – Saturday from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. This building houses the original jail where Mayor W.S. Alyea locked himself up. Feel free to visit and take a selfie inside the cell – just remember – “No Cussin”!
