Maytown, Florida (Speer, Clark, and Burkett Families)

You are watching an interview with members of the Speer, Clark, and Burkett families who have ties to the old, rural community of “Maytown.” This interview was filmed in 2010 and features a walk through of the former settlement along Maytown Road, which is located just to the north of Brevard County in neighboring Volusia County. This area is no longer an active community, and contains very few remaining structures from its prime, which would have included a saw mill and local store. Most notably, Maytown sat at the crossroads of two railroad intersections. Much of this interview discusses the long-gone railroad lines that were once at the heart of the community. Known as “Old Buck” by the locals, the train engine was a common sight as it passed through.

Besides discussion of the railroad, this interview also features discussion of section houses and their fate after the rail lines pulled out. These few remaining structures are now primarily abandoned, with the Speer family having used one as a hunting cabin in the past. In addition, an old post office building is filmed and there is discussion of a “Cracker House,” owned by early homesteader Henry Clark, which has now been moved to Bushnell, Florida. Also shown are the favorite swimming holes of the children who once lived there and shots of the abundant wildlife and rural acres.

For transcripts and more info, please visit: www.brevardfl.gov/HistoricalCommission/OralHistoryProject