OLeno State Park History
From the 1500’s through the 1700’s, there was a natural bridge area that served as a crossroad between the Santa Fe River Sink and the River Rise. Still in existence today, this is a place where the river disappears, goes underground, and then comes out in the middle of nowhere several miles away. Its flow is expelled from the underground into the surface to continue its massive flow. This natural bridge was traveled by Spanish explorers, Indians and settlers alike.
The famous road of 1824, known as Bellamy Road, was named for its builder, John Bellamy who was a wealthy plantation owner. The road was the first in Florida to be funded by federal money. The Bellamy Road ran from east to west, crossing the St. John’s River, going from Pensacola to Tallahassee (the capitol of Florida) to St. Augustine.
It was only fitting that a town would in time appear along the banks of the nearby river. A pioneer town was started by 1840, by a man named Henry Matier. The town was referred to as “Keno” which means gambling, as this was one of the pastimes of the town and played widely throughout America. Keno was played much like today’s bingo and was sometimes played with pieces of corn on a board marked with numbers while a caller called selected numbers. As the town of Keno grew, the main livelihood was the mills which were powered by the river’s harnessed energy. Dams were made by embedding cedar slats across the river, backed by barriers of large rocks, to direct the water flow toward the mills. Valves were then channeled by planting large logs into banks edges. Some of these remnants can still be seen today when river’s water level is low, usually during the fall of the year. Two grist mills, six cotton gins and one cotton seed oil gin with a circular saw mill for lumber were in operation. A dry kiln, the only one of its kind in the area, was also in use.
The main road in town was called Wire Road, named for the telegraph line that ran along it in 1852. This was the first telegraph line in the area. Alligator Road, which intersects Wire Road, connected Keno to Alligator, which is now known as Lake City.
By the 1870’s Keno had a general merchandise store, owned and operated by a well known proprietor by the name of Colonel George M. Whetson. Some say Whetston called the town Keno because he considered it to be a risky business venture. The town also had a large hotel with a door on all four sides. The doctor of the town was Doctor William T. Thomas. There was also a blacksmith and public livery stable as well.
In 1876, Colonel Whetson applied for a post office for the town of Keno. The postal department denied the request due to the name Keno meaning gambling. Mr. Whetston then changed the name to Leno to justify that it was a decent town. The post office was put upstairs above the general store, along with the telegraph office. In 1890, Colonel Whetston moved the post office to the sister town of Mikesville, three miles away. Mikesville was thriving by 1889, with churches, an academy, and several schools. Colonel Whetston even had a balcony with a platform on the third story of his home in Mikesville, where politicians stopped by to make speeches to the public.
In 1894, there was a rumor that a railroad from Alligator (Lake City) was going to come through the area of Leno. This made the town hopeful that more progress would take place, but the train bypassed the town and went to Fort White instead. Descent soon followed, and the people of Leno moved on to other growing communities in the surrounding area. The last record of the town of Leno was in 1896. By the 1900’s, the major crop for the area were oranges, cotton and tobacco.
The famous road of 1824, known as Bellamy Road, was named for its builder, John Bellamy who was a wealthy plantation owner. The road was the first in Florida to be funded by federal money. The Bellamy Road ran from east to west, crossing the St. John’s River, going from Pensacola to Tallahassee (the capitol of Florida) to St. Augustine.
It was only fitting that a town would in time appear along the banks of the nearby river. A pioneer town was started by 1840, by a man named Henry Matier. The town was referred to as “Keno” which means gambling, as this was one of the pastimes of the town and played widely throughout America. Keno was played much like today’s bingo and was sometimes played with pieces of corn on a board marked with numbers while a caller called selected numbers. As the town of Keno grew, the main livelihood was the mills which were powered by the river’s harnessed energy. Dams were made by embedding cedar slats across the river, backed by barriers of large rocks, to direct the water flow toward the mills. Valves were then channeled by planting large logs into banks edges. Some of these remnants can still be seen today when river’s water level is low, usually during the fall of the year. Two grist mills, six cotton gins and one cotton seed oil gin with a circular saw mill for lumber were in operation. A dry kiln, the only one of its kind in the area, was also in use.
The main road in town was called Wire Road, named for the telegraph line that ran along it in 1852. This was the first telegraph line in the area. Alligator Road, which intersects Wire Road, connected Keno to Alligator, which is now known as Lake City.
By the 1870’s Keno had a general merchandise store, owned and operated by a well known proprietor by the name of Colonel George M. Whetson. Some say Whetston called the town Keno because he considered it to be a risky business venture. The town also had a large hotel with a door on all four sides. The doctor of the town was Doctor William T. Thomas. There was also a blacksmith and public livery stable as well.
In 1876, Colonel Whetson applied for a post office for the town of Keno. The postal department denied the request due to the name Keno meaning gambling. Mr. Whetston then changed the name to Leno to justify that it was a decent town. The post office was put upstairs above the general store, along with the telegraph office. In 1890, Colonel Whetston moved the post office to the sister town of Mikesville, three miles away. Mikesville was thriving by 1889, with churches, an academy, and several schools. Colonel Whetston even had a balcony with a platform on the third story of his home in Mikesville, where politicians stopped by to make speeches to the public.
In 1894, there was a rumor that a railroad from Alligator (Lake City) was going to come through the area of Leno. This made the town hopeful that more progress would take place, but the train bypassed the town and went to Fort White instead. Descent soon followed, and the people of Leno moved on to other growing communities in the surrounding area. The last record of the town of Leno was in 1896. By the 1900’s, the major crop for the area were oranges, cotton and tobacco.
