Editing Florida, Missouri (section)

== History ==
[[File:Florida, Missouri (1919).jpg|thumb|right|Playing [[Horseshoes (game)|horseshoes]] in Florida, 1919]]
[[Mark Twain]] was born in Florida in 1835. He said his birthplace was "a nearly invisible village",<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.twainquotes.com/Florida.html|title=Mark Twain quotations - Florida, Missouri|website=www.twainquotes.com}}</ref> and "The village contained a hundred people and I increased the population by 1 per cent. It is more than many of the best men in history could have done for a town."<ref>{{cite book | last = Twain | first = Mark | author-link = Mark Twain | author2 = Charles Neider | author2-link = Charles Neider | title = Mark Twain at His Best: A Sampler | publisher = Doubleday | year = 1986 | location = New York | pages = [https://archive.org/details/marktwainathisbe00twai_0/page/399 399] | isbn = 0-385-19836-1 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/marktwainathisbe00twai_0/page/399 }}</ref>

The village was laid out in the winter of 1831. The community took its name from the state of [[Florida]].<ref>{{cite web | url =http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_monroe.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160624070849/http://shsmo.org/manuscripts/ramsay/ramsay_monroe.html | archive-date = June 24, 2016 | url-status = live | title=Monroe County Place Names, 1928–1945 | publisher=State Historical Society of Missouri| access-date= November 10, 2016}}</ref> The founders were Robert Donaldson, Joseph Grigsby, Hugh A. Hickman, a Doctor Keenan, John Witt, and Major W.N. Penn.<ref name="History">{{cite book|title=''History of Monroe and Shelby Counties, Missouri''|url=https://archive.org/details/historyofmonroes00nati|publisher=National Historical Company|year=1884|location=St. Louis, Missouri|pages=94–}}</ref> Hickman owned and operated a mill approximately one half-mile (800&nbsp;m) south of Florida, while Penn had a [[dry goods]] store near there as well. Penn soon moved his store into Florida proper, becoming the town's first business.

In the early years there was some hope of the town becoming a regional point of commerce and shipping. Florida is located at the confluence of the North, South, and Middle forks of the [[Salt River (Missouri)|Salt River]], {{convert|48|mi}} upstream from its mouth emptying into the [[Mississippi River]] at [[Louisiana, Missouri]]. The location was thought to be strategic because it was felt to be a potential "growth center" in the settlement of northeast [[Missouri]]. For example, John Clemens, father of Mark Twain, along with other investors, had formed the Salt River Navigation Company in 1836 in hopes of developing this water commerce. Several boatloads of flour were shipped from Hickman's mill to the Mississippi and returned with sugar, coffee, and manufactured goods. However, fickle river levels on the Salt made consistent shipping via barge or riverboat impractical.<ref name="History"/> Having no railroad and with river shipping no longer an option, Florida was destined to remain a small village attending to the commerce needs of area farmers.

The Clemens family, seeking better opportunities, left Florida for [[Hannibal, Missouri]], when young Samuel was around five years old. He would continue to visit Florida for extended summer vacations at his uncle John Quarles' farm. Such summer memories and social interactions with Quarles house servants formed many of the sketches and perspectives that Clemens placed in his novels. The Quarles farmhouse remains as an active archeological project available to the public near Florida.

=== Civil War ===
As part of the area known as [[Little Dixie (Missouri)|Little Dixie]], Monroe County's residents largely sided with the [[Confederate States of America|Confederacy]] during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]].<ref name="History"/> The area around Florida was the scene of two small battles during the conflict. The first happened in July 1861. Brigadier General [[Thomas Alexander Harris|Thomas A. Harris]] of the pro-Confederate [[Missouri State Guard]] had established his headquarters at Florida in June, and by early July he had nearly 500 troops in the immediate vicinity under his command. When informed of this growing threat by [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] sympathizers and Federal spies, Union commander [[Nathaniel Lyon]] in [[St. Louis]] ordered action be taken.<ref name="History"/> On July 8, 1861, Federal forces consisting of six companies of regular infantry plus a company of Hannibal Home Guards — around six hundred men total — and a cannon with crew, set out from [[Palmyra, Missouri]], toward Florida.

Learning of their approach, General Harris sent a unit of approximately 50 men to reconnoiter and harass the Federals. The opposing forces clashed at a place called Hagar's Hill, {{convert|4|mi|0}} north of Florida. Hidden by thick timber and brush, the State Guardsmen ambushed the Federals, opening fire at very close range. The Federal troops quickly regrouped and returned heavy fire with their superior numbers, causing the State Guard force to flee. Casualties were surprisingly light, with one State Guardsman killed and a few others slightly wounded. The Federals had none killed but three seriously wounded.<ref name="History"/> Meanwhile, the bulk of State Guard and various Confederate [[bushwhacker]]s had outflanked the Federals and attacked [[Monroe City, Missouri]], and its vital railroad line. This forced the Federals to turn back from the march on Florida.

The second Civil War action to happen near Florida occurred about one year later. On July 22, 1862, a Confederate force (numbers vary between 300 and 400 men)<ref name="History"/><ref name="Mudd">{{cite book|last=Mudd|first=Joseph A.|title=''With Porter in North Missouri''|year=1889|publisher=The National Publishing Company|pages=72–90|location=Washington, D.C.}}</ref> under Colonel [[Joseph C. Porter]] were traveling south through Monroe County after a raid on [[Memphis, Missouri]], and the [[Battle of Vassar Hill]] in [[Scotland County, Missouri|Scotland County]]. At Florida, they were surprised by a detachment of Federal cavalry, approximately fifty men, under Major [[Henry Clay Caldwell]].<ref name="Mudd"/> Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Federals engaged Porter's force, and a battle ensued for approximately an hour. After suffering six killed, twenty-two wounded, and two captured, Caldwell and his cavalry retreated to [[Paris, Missouri]]. Porter, having only one killed and three wounded, also left the area, continuing on toward [[Callaway County, Missouri|Callaway County]], clashing with Federal forces again on July 24, near [[Santa Fe, Missouri|Santa Fe]], and at the [[Battle of Moore's Mill]] on July 28.<ref name="Mudd"/>

=== Postbellum ===
[[File:Florida, Missouri (2016).jpg|thumb|Florida in 2016]]
Florida continued a pattern of slow growth after the Civil War, reaching its peak population of 280 residents in 1880. The 20th century was not nearly so kind to the community, however, especially after [[World War II]], as businesses closed and families moved away to find better opportunities in cities. The construction of [[Mark Twain Lake]] in the mid-1960s permanently flooded some of the valuable farmland around Florida, although it opened more opportunities for recreation and tourism. In 1960, the state of Missouri created the [[Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mostateparks.com/page/54981/general-information|title=The Adventures of Sam Clemens|date=February 6, 2011 |publisher=Missouri Department of Natural Resources|access-date=October 1, 2012}}</ref> Twain's birthplace was moved into a climate-controlled museum setting, which also contains exhibits and displays such as rare first edition books, a hand-written manuscript of ''[[The Adventures of Tom Sawyer]]'', and furnishings from his home. A red granite monument elsewhere in Florida marks the original site of Twain's birth home.

In addition to the Mark Twain Birthplace State Historic Site, the [[Crigler Mound Group|Crigler Mound Group Archeological Site]] and [[Merritt Violette House]] are listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]].<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|version=2010a}}</ref>