Editing Crestview, Florida (section)

==History==
[[File:Crestview Okaloosa Cty crths01.jpg|thumb|Former Okaloosa County courthouse in March 2008 (replaced in 2018)]]
Crestview was largely an outgrowth of the arrival of railroad service to the western Panhandle of Florida.<ref>Turner, Gregg M., "A Journey Into Florida Railroad History", University Press of Florida, Gainesville, 2008, Library of Congress card number 2007050375, {{ISBN|978-0-8130-3233-7}}, p. 109.</ref>

The [[Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad|Pensacola and Atlantic Railroad Company]], chartered in 1881, opened its line between [[Pensacola]] and [[Chattahoochee, Florida|Chattahoochee]] in January 1883. Two express passenger trains, the ''Atlantic Express'' and the ''Gulf Express'', as well as a local accommodation train that made stops along the route, were in daily operation. The express trains took about six hours for the journey, while the local train took thirteen hours. When the railroad company was unable to cover its debt obligations, the [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad]] covered the shortfalls until 1885 and then foreclosed, absorbing the route into its system as the L&N's Pensacola and Atlantic Division.<ref>Turner, Gregg M., "A Journey Into Florida Railroad History", University Press of Florida, Gainesville, 2008, Library of Congress card number 2007050375, {{ISBN|978-0-8130-3233-7}}, p. 110.</ref>

In 1894, sawmill operator W. B. Wright opened the {{convert|26|mi|km|adj=on}} [[Yellow River Railroad]] between Crestview and [[Florala, Alabama]] via Auburn, Campton, and [[Laurel Hill, Florida|Laurel Hill]]. The [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad|L&N]] provided the line with freight cars and purchased the operation in 1906,<ref>Turner, Gregg M., "A Journey Into Florida Railroad History", University Press of Florida, Gainesville, 2008, Library of Congress card number 2007050375, {{ISBN|978-0-8130-3233-7}}, pp. 166-67.</ref> renaming it the Yellow River Branch. However, without significant shippers to sustain the line, it was eventually used for freight car storage in the early 1980s and was abandoned in May 1985, with 25.3 miles of track removed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dot.state.fl.us/rail/PlanDevel/RSAC/Mtg2files/Premtg/1985%20Inventory.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2011-05-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810144817/http://www.dot.state.fl.us/rail/PlanDevel/RSAC/Mtg2files/Premtg/1985%20Inventory.pdf |archive-date=2011-08-10 }}</ref> Parts of the former right of way were paved as local streets.

Crestview was officially incorporated as a city in 1916.<ref name=CVInc/> The 1920 US Census recorded the population of Crestview at 500 residents.<ref>Crestview, the Forkland, Betty Sanders Curenton, Claudia Garrett Patten, {{ISBN|0-9725265-0-1}}</ref>

On July 23, 1920, Crestview hosted Okaloosa County's first public hanging. Robert Blackwell was convicted of murdering Nancy and Bud Davis in 1917 and was sentenced to death. A week before his execution, Blackwell confessed, and his confession was printed in local newspapers on the day of his hanging.<ref>The Okaloosa News Journal, July 23, 1920</ref> The second and final public execution in Okaloosa County took place on September 23, 1921, when Putnam Ponsell and Jacob Benjamin Marin were hanged for the murder of John F. Tuggle. This double hanging was the last public execution in Florida.<ref>The Okaloosa News-Journal, September 23, 1921</ref>

In 1937, Smith-Johnson Company, Inc. opened a garment factory in Crestview, which utilized 250 machines and employed around 300 workers.<ref>Crestview, Florida, "Work To Pick Up In Factory!" ''Okaloosa News-Journal'', Monday, April 15, 1940, Volume 26, Number 16 - Extra, pp. 1-2.</ref>

A modern bus terminal served by [[Greyhound Lines]]' Jacksonville-Los Angeles route, with connections north to [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]], [[Memphis, Tennessee|Memphis]], and [[New York City|New York]],<ref>Display advert, ''The Okaloosa News-Journal'', Friday, May 9, 1941, Volume 27, Number 18, p. 4, Section 2.</ref> opened on the corner of Ferdon and Pearl Streets on May 9, 1941. The terminal featured waiting rooms, a lounge, smoking rooms, a restaurant, and a loading concourse, and was segregated according to the norms of the time.<ref>Crestview, Florida, "New Bus Station Now Open", ''The Okaloosa News-Journal'', Friday, May 9, 1941, Volume 27, Number 18, p. 1.</ref>

As nearby [[Eglin Field]] expanded into a major testing base, the [[Louisville and Nashville Railroad]] laid a long sidetrack in Crestview in the spring of 1941 to handle the influx of oil tank cars required for a vast paving project on ten new airfields. A fleet of trucks operated around the clock to offload an estimated 180 carloads of petroleum products.<ref>Crestview, Florida, "Crews Work 24 Hours A Day To Haul Asphalt", ''Okaloosa News-Journal'', May 23, 1941, Vol. 27, No. 20, p. 1.</ref>

A recreation center for enlisted men at [[Eglin Field]] was opened in Crestview on June 21, 1941, through the efforts of the Community Recreation Council, the [[Works Progress Administration]], and the Okaloosa Progressive Association.<ref>Crestview, Florida, "Recreation Center Is Now Assured For Men Of Eglin Field: To Be Opened With Ceremonies Saturday, June 21st", ''Okaloosa News-Journal'', June 13, 1941, Volume 27, Number 23, p. 1.</ref><ref>Crestview, Florida, "Crestview Highly Commended For Opening Recreation Center For Eglin Enlisted Men - Crestview People Did Not Shirk Duty When Need Explained", ''Okaloosa News-Journal'', October 31, 1941, Volume 27, Number 42, p. 4.</ref>

In January 1943, a misunderstanding involving Crestview's constabulary led to the town being briefly off-limits to military personnel from [[Eglin Field]]. The ''[[Pensacola News Journal]]'' reported on January 31, 1943, that the restriction had been lifted after a conference between town officials and Eglin authorities. The incident was triggered when the town marshal attempted to arrest a soldier for reckless driving and an Eglin officer for interference. The overzealous marshal was suspended following the event.<ref>Special, "Crestview Is Off Eglin's 'Black List'", ''Pensacola News Journal'', January 31, 1943, p. 1.</ref>

On July 31, 1949, the L&N inaugurated the ''[[Gulf Wind]]'' streamliner through Crestview, connecting New Orleans and Jacksonville in partnership with the [[Seaboard Air Line Railroad]], replacing the heavyweight ''New Orleans-Florida Limited''. This service was discontinued on April 30, 1971, when [[Amtrak]] took over most U.S. passenger rail services.{{Citation needed|date=June 2020}}

In the 1960s, Crestview was home to the studio of the [[Apache Records]] label.<ref>Crestview, Florida, "Local Recording Company Issues First Discs Here", ''The Okaloosa News-Journal'', Thursday, March 3, 1960, Volume 46, Number 9, page A-5.</ref>

As part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) round, Crestview experienced significant population growth when the U.S. Army's [[7th Special Forces Group]] relocated from [[Fort Bragg, North Carolina]] to a newly built facility on the northern end of the [[Eglin Air Force Base]] reservation, about six miles south of the city.

In 2007, longtime mayor George Whitehurst resigned, leading to the election of David Cadle, a retired director of the [[Crestview High School (Florida)|Crestview High School]] band, The Big Red Machine.<ref>{{Citation |last = Ziglar |first = Adam |title = Band director David Cadle retiring after 28 years with the Big Red Machine |pages = 1 |newspaper = Crestview News Bulletin |location = Crestview |date = April 29, 2006 |url = https://ufdc.ufl.edu/UF00028411/00105}}</ref> Cadle was succeeded in 2019 by JB Whitten, a retired U.S. Air Force member, high school teacher, and Crestview city council member.<ref name=CM>{{cite news |last1=Wilde |first1=Ashleigh |title=Whitten holds meeting to discuss a 'new view' for Crestview |url=https://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20190403/whitten-holds-meeting-to-discuss-new-view-for-crestview |access-date=26 March 2020 |publisher=NWF Daily News}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |url=https://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20190313/whitten-beats-clark-to-become-crestviews-next-mayor |title=Whitten beats Clark to become Crestview's next mayor |newspaper=Northwest Florida Daily News}}</ref>