Editing Keystone Heights, Florida (section)

==History==
=== Early years and founding ===
In 1917, the area that would eventually become known as the city of Keystone Heights was a small community known as "'''''Brooklyn'''''" located along present day State Road 100, about one mile north of the present location of Keystone Heights on Lake Brooklyn.<ref name="keystoneheights.info">{{Cite web|title=A Look at Keystone Heights 1925-1975|url=http://www.keystoneheights.info/History.pdf|website=www.keystoneheights.info}}</ref>

In those early days Brooklyn consisted of a large unpainted building called the Brooklyn Hotel; a combination general store and post office; and several small houses scattered about. Property Developer John J. Lawrence, who hailed from [[Pennsylvania]], noticed the area on a visit to Lake Brooklyn, and instantly became attracted to the region.<ref name="keystoneheights.info"/>

In 1920, the Lawrence family completed their home, the first house built in Keystone Heights, which overlooked Lake Geneva, and still lies there today at the corner of Jasmine Avenue & Lawrence Blvd. ([[Florida State Road 21|State Road 21]]). After hearing of natural wonders and the many different lakes of the area, other families moved to Keystone, putting a strain on those attempting to build structures within the city. Helping to address the issue, in late 1921, C. Ray Lawrence came to Keystone Heights, and began laying out the streets and lots in the city.<ref name="keystoneheights.info" />

The municipality was officially incorporated as the "'''City of Keystone Heights'''", named after Lawrence's home state of Pennsylvania's nickname, the "Keystone State", in 1925.<ref name="keystoneheights.info" />

=== 20th and 21st centuries ===

==== Keystone Inn era ====
The opening of the Keystone Inn on New Year's Day in 1923 was one of the most significant events in the early history of the city. The inn hosted many festivals and socials, becoming an important centerpiece of the town. The nearby Chautauqua served as an amphitheater attracting various musicians, artists, and speakers from the [[Chautauqua]] circuit in [[New York (state)|New York]]. Within two years of opening, the Keystone Inn and the community of Keystone Heights were receiving visitors from across the country. The small community had a public beach with a pavilion, picnic grounds and a nine-hole golf course. The [[University of Florida]]'s football team stayed at the inn before their homecoming games. The inn burned down in October 1954 and was never rebuilt, and the property on which it formerly stood is now a park in front of City Hall.<ref name="keystoneheights.info" />

==== 1960 to present ====
In 1984, an [[Platanus occidentalis|American sycamore]] seedling, germinated by the [[United States Forest Service]], was planted at the Keystone Heights Library. The "[[Moon tree|Moon Tree]]" traveled with [[Stuart Roosa]], a former U.S. Forest Service [[smokejumper]], aboard the [[Apollo 14]] mission on January 31, 1971. Roosa and his five varieties of seeds orbited the Moon 34 times and the resulting seedlings were planted all around the United States and the world.<ref>{{cite news |last=Sealey |first=Jean |url=https://www.jacksonville.com/article/20150206/NEWS/801238853 |title=Keystone Heights enjoys link to Apollo 14 mission |work=[[The Florida Times-Union]] |date=2015-02-06 |accessdate=2021-04-27 }}</ref>

In the early 2000s, the city saw its tourism industry decline as many of its surrounding lakes, which serve as a primary inflow point for the [[Floridan aquifer]], nearly disappeared. Increased rainfall totals in the 2010s have helped in the recovery of many area lakes including Lake Brooklyn and Lake Geneva.

The Black Creek Pipeline, a $43.3 million project to pump excess water from Black Creek in central Clay County to Alligator Creek just north of Lake Brooklyn, is expected to further restore lake levels. The project began in August 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Swirko |first=Cindy |title=Water district launches Keystone Heights recharge project |url=https://www.gainesville.com/story/news/2021/04/03/water-district-launches-keystone-heights-recharge-project-black-creek/7069497002/ |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=Gainesville Sun |language=en-US}}</ref>

In fall of 2021, Keystone Heights served as the host of the internationally televised [[Nitro Rallycross]] North America Championship at the Florida International Rally & Motorsports Park at the [[Keystone Heights Airport]]. In April 2022, Keystone Beach hosted the Motosurf Games, a [[motorized surfboard]] racing contest on Lake Geneva that was televised on [[CBS Sports]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Nitro Rallycross comes to the FIRM for 2021 Season {{!}} Keystone Heights Florida |url=https://www.keystoneheights.us/community/page/nitro-rallycross-comes-firm-2021-season |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=www.keystoneheights.us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=MotoSurf Games to make big splash at Lake Geneva: Modified surfboard competition headed to Keystone Heights |url=https://www.claytodayonline.com/stories/motosurf-games-to-make-big-splash-at-lake-geneva,34455 |access-date=2022-08-01 |website=Clay Today |language=en}}</ref> The games returned to the city in April 2023 as the first race of the 2023 season.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MotoSurf, MotoSkate to return to Lake Geneva in 2023 |url=https://lakeregiondevcorp.org/media/f/motosurf-motoskate-to-return-to-lake-geneva-in-2023 |access-date=2023-03-08 |website=Lake Region Economic Development Corporation |language=en-US}}</ref>