Mannfield Ghost Town

The Ghost Town of Mannfield, Florida

Mannfield (sometimes called Mannsfield) was established in 1884 by Austin Shuey Mann, a prominent figure in early Florida development and the father-in-law of William Sherman Jennings, the future governor of Florida elected from Brooksville. Mann owned one of the region’s largest orange groves at the time, located along the Crystal River.

In addition to his agricultural pursuits, Mann served as a State Senator and played a key role in reshaping the region’s political landscape. In 1887, he was instrumental in the passing of a bill through the Florida Legislature that divided Hernando County into three separate counties: Citrus to the north, Pasco to the south, and a smaller Hernando in between. The bill designated Mannfield, located near the geographic center of Citrus County, as the temporary county seat for two years, after which voters would choose a permanent location.

“The Night They Stole the Courthouse”

The decision on the county seat soon became a source of heated contention. Mannfield and Inverness emerged as the leading contenders, and passions ran high on both sides. Reports from the time describe numerous fistfights breaking out during the campaign as rumors of ballot stuffing spread throughout the region. Multiple elections were held, but none produced a clear or uncontested result until a final vote in 1891—two years later than scheduled—declared Inverness the winner.

However, the 1891 vote did not put an end to the dispute. Mannfield residents refused to concede the loss of the county seat. As talks spread of men planning on moving the courthouse to Inverness, an attorney was dispatched to seek an injunction against them. The problem was that the only available judge was in Dade City, forty miles away.

The attorney set out on a gallop on his mule to Dade City, but when he got there, court had adjourned, and the judge was on the train at the depot headed for Tampa. So, he ran onto the train and presented his petition for a temporary injunction, which was immediately granted. Unfortunately, Mannfield was still forty miles away, and since the train was headed for Tampa, it was getting further away, and there was no time to board another train in Tampa until the next day. After finally getting back to Dade City, the attorney set off on his horse.

As the Mannfield courthouse came into sight, the mule’s legs buckled and it fell over, sending the attorney over its head into the sandy road. He picked himself up and ran to the courthouse, only to find it completely abandoned, and was instead met by a group of crackers that relished in his misfortune.

While the attorney was away, a group led by Sheriff James Priest and businessman Frank Dampier decided it was more economical, and “legally safer,” if they took action before an injunction could be served upon them. So, under the cover of night, they traveled to Mannfield with mules, horses, and wagons and loaded court records, furniture, and the county officers.

Captain William Conway Zimmerman, circuit court clerk for Citrus County, refused to budge and sat down in his chair because he said he belonged in Mannfield, so in Mannfield he would stay. When everything but the Captain’s chair was loaded onto the wagons, it was pointed out that he couldn’t do much with just a chair, but still, he remained. With no other options, Zimmerman was picked up along with the chair and placed in the wagon. It was said that when they all arrived back in Inverness, the Captain, still seated in his chair, was picked up and carefully placed at his post in the new courthouse. Zimmerman continued to serve as county clerk for several more years.

This tale has become known locally as “The night they stole the courthouse,” and although some details may change depending on who’s telling it, the story remains the same and has been recounted for generations.

Decline of Mannfield

At its peak, Mannfield had a population of around 250, nearly double that of Miami at the time. The town boasted a hotel, church, school, three general stores, a sawmill, and even its own newspaper. But Mannfield’s fortunes quickly declined after a railroad was built through Citrus County in 1893, bypassing the town entirely and routing service through Inverness instead. As opportunities dwindled, many residents relocated, with a number moving south toward the Brooksville area, including Judge Ellis Connell May, who wrote about the elections in his memoirs “Gaters, Skeeters, and Malary,” and how we know of some of the events that transpired.

Senator Mann Loses Re-election

According to Judge May, Senator Mann’s political career was over after the county seat controversy. He attempted re-election to the Senate, but was met with accusations of being an aristocrat because he slept in a nightshirt, and an aristocrat was not a cracker, and in no way should an aristocrat be senator of Citrus County. Initially denying the accusation, on the night before the election, he admitted to having slept in a nightshirt but asserted that he was a cracker and loved Citrus County. This was enough to sink his campaign, and he met a devastating loss the next day. He eventually liquidated all his holdings in the county and moved to Jacksonville, where he became Florida’s strongest advocate of the Good Roads Movement.

The End of Mannfield and the Beginning of Its Status as a Ghost Town

Despite the decline, some families continued to live in Mannfield until the Great Depression. Between 1936 and 1939, the federal government acquired the area along with nearby communities such as Oriole and Croom as part of a land resettlement program operated by the U.S. Resettlement Administration. The goal was to repurpose the land for conservation and public use, ultimately creating what is now the Withlacoochee State Forest. This marks the beginning of Mannfield’s status as a ghost town, along with the former communities of Oriole and Croom. One of the last remaining remnants of Mannfield is the old Wilson family cemetery, still cared for by descendants of Mannfield residents.

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