Editing Milton, Florida (section)

==History==
Milton was settled in the early 1800s as a small village centered on the [[lumber]] industry. The settlement originally was known as Scratch Ankle because of the [[briar (thicket)|briar]]s and [[bramble]] that grew in the area.<ref name="history">{{cite web|title=History of Milton, FL|url=http://www.ci.milton.fl.us/244/History |website=www.ci.milton.fl.us|date=April 2, 2012|access-date=February 23, 2015}}</ref> Another name was Jernigan's Landing after Benjamin Jernigan (died April 1847), who built a water-powered [[saw mill]] at what is now Locklin Lake between 1828 and 1830.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://genforum.genealogy.com/jernigan/messages/1271.html |title=Santa Rosa Press Gazette, February 15, 2008 - ''City of Milton ordered to stop damage to Jernigan Mill''|website=genforum.genealogy.com |access-date=23 February 2015}}</ref> Other names were Lumberton, Black Water, and Hard Scrabble, but by 1839, it was being referred to as Milltown.<ref>Green, Laurie (1998), [https://books.google.com/books?id=umpsQqnhnbwC&dq=%22Jernigan%27s+Landing%22&pg=PA7 ''Santa Rosa County''], Arcadia Publishing, {{ISBN|978-0752408750}} (p. 7)</ref> Milton was incorporated as a town in 1844, one year before the [[Territory of Florida]] joined the United States as the 27th state.<ref name="history"/>

During the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], much of Milton was burned by [[Confederate States of America|Confederate]] forces retreating from the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] capture of [[Pensacola]] on May 2–4, 1862. The Confederates intended to prevent the town's industries from falling into Union hands. After the Southern forces evacuated, the Union troops had a small garrison in nearby [[Bagdad, Florida|Bagdad]], where they had a base for expeditions in the surrounding area.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://boggyflorida.com/Niceville/CivilWar.html|website=boggyflorida.com|author=Elisa Mitchiner|title=Civil War|date=November 2010|access-date=January 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201231840/http://boggyflorida.com/Niceville/CivilWar.html|archive-date=February 1, 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref> Many Milton residents fled to [[Alabama]].<ref name="history"/>

In the early days of Milton, it was known as an extremely rough town.<ref>{{Cite book|title=The Heritage of Santa Rosa County, Florida |publisher=Heritage Publishing Consultants, inc. |year=2003}}</ref> Judges from Escambia County sentenced criminals to be confined to Milton, which was nicknamed "Hell Town" by its residents. An old story from the area tells of the [[Rough Riders]] passing through Milton on their "best behavior".{{citation needed|date=January 2025}}

[[Naval Air Station Whiting Field]] was constructed during [[World War II]] with the help of many German [[prisoner of war|prisoners of war]] who were housed in a camp on the site. The station was commissioned on July 16, 1943, by Rear Admiral [[George D. Murray]] and the widow of Captain [[Kenneth Whiting]], after whom the station was named.<ref>{{cite web|title=NAS Whiting Field |url=http://www.militarybases.us/navy/nas-whiting-field/ |website=www.militarybases.us |access-date=February 23, 2015}}</ref>

The first hospital care in Milton began in 1951, when a group of locals formed the Santa Rosa County Hospital Board. The first hospital in Milton, Santa Rosa Hospital, was located on Stewart Street and opened on December 2, 1952. Santa Rosa Hospital had multiple expansions in the 1960s, and by 1970, the hospital was far too small for Milton's growing population. Construction for a new hospital began that year, and in December 1972, the [[Santa Rosa Medical Center]] was opened.

On [[Tornado outbreak of March 30–31, 1962#Milton, Florida|March 31, 1962]], an [[Fujita scale|F3]] tornado hit the northwest side of Milton, causing 17 deaths and 100 injuries. It was Florida's deadliest tornado until [[1998 Kissimmee tornado outbreak|February 22, 1998]], when 25 people were killed in [[Kissimmee, Florida|Kissimmee]] by another F3 tornado.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/worstts.htm |title=The Most 'Important' US Tornadoes by State |access-date=May 22, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035740/http://www.tornadoproject.com/alltorns/worstts.htm |archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref> It was also the deadliest tornado in 1962.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tornado History Project: Maps and Statistics|url=http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com|website=www.tornadohistoryproject.com|access-date=April 17, 2018}}</ref>

On January 21, 2025, Milton received {{convert|10|in|cm}} of snow during the [[January 20–22, 2025 Gulf Coast blizzard|Gulf Coast blizzard]], more than double the previous state record of {{convert|4|in|cm}} that was also set in Milton in 1954.<ref>{{Cite web|last=herzmann |first=daryl |title=IEM :: Local Storm Report App |url=https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/lsr/#MOB/202501212330/202501221300/111010 |access-date=January 23, 2025 |website=mesonet.agron.iastate.edu |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Florida panhandle gets record snowfall from winter blast |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/miami/news/florida-panhandle-gets-record-snowfall-from-winter-blast/ |website=www.cbsnews.com |access-date=January 22, 2025}}</ref>