Discover Mayo
Mayo became Lafayette County's seat after fire destroyed the courthouse at New Troy on New Year's Eve in 1892. An election in 1893 selected Mayo, shifting the county's administrative center and helping establish the town's lasting civic role.
More about Mayo
The transition did not begin with a finished courthouse waiting for business. A historical account preserved by the State Archives describes court proceedings in a schoolhouse and a blacksmith shop, with a printing office used by a grand jury. Temporary accommodation preceded more substantial county buildings. Mayo incorporated in 1893, during that same period of reorganization.
This story gives the courthouse area significance beyond the appearance of its architecture. The relocation changed where residents traveled to conduct public business and contributed to New Troy's decline. Lafayette County's eastern edge follows the Suwannee River, but its government center developed inland at Mayo. Looking at the town through that relationship between river settlements and county administration explains why a small community became the focus of a much wider rural area.
Sources
- Lafayette County: About Lafayette County: https://lafayettecountyfl.org/our-county/about-lafayette-county/
- Florida Memory: History of Lafayette County: https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/321122?id=6
