Sunday Favorites: The Disappearance of Pine Level

PINE LEVEL – In 1860, Pine Level was considered a prominent up-and-coming settlement centrally located in the heart of historic Manatee County. Today, the only relics of the once prosperous town are a church and two graveyards. Do they hold the secrets of Pine Level's mysterious past?

Pine Level is located in present-day Desoto County – which was once part of Manatee County. Manatee County was formed in 1855 and bordered by four bodies of water, stretching north and south from the Little Manatee River to Boca Grande and east and west from Lake Okeechobee to the Gulf of Mexico. The county was one of 32 in the state and covered a vast area of around 5,000 square miles – today it consists of 764 square miles. Just to put things in perspective, Manatee County in 1855 was made up of present day Manatee, Sarasota, Desoto, Hardee, Glades, Lee and Charlotte counties.

In 1855 when our county was formed, the only genuine settlement was the Village of Manatee (located in present-day east Bradenton), so naturally, it became the county seat. It is unknown exactly why the county seat was moved to Pine Level in 1860, but it may have been because of a dispute between pioneers from each of the regions.

During that time, the legal system operated a lot differently than it does now, and prominent citizens often held more than one official position, i.e., a judge or commissioner might also serve as postmaster (a very renowned title at the time). An excerpt from a book detailing the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office (MCSO) 150th Anniversary explains the legal system at the county’s formation:

"As established in the early years of the state, Justices of the Peace had their assigned Justice Districts and there were Constables for those districts. County and circuit judges administered the courts. But, within each county there was one Sheriff who had the primary responsibility for the law enforcement in that county.“

James Green, a pioneer of the eastern portion of the county, was one of three justices in Manatee in 1855, while Ezekiel Glazier (a pioneer of the Village of Manatee) served as probate judge. In 1858 the two quarreled over the construction of a courthouse: officials chose Glazier’s construction bid of a simple one-story building for $1000 despite Green (who’d been elected sheriff by then) submitting more elaborate plans for two-story structure at the same price. The disagreement went public with letters from both men printed in a Tampa newspaper each accusing the other of being Ôself-serving,’ according to MCSO history. Officials eventually sided with Glazier, choosing his plans for the courthouse and paying him $700 at its completion along with $85 for extra materials. .

(The original courthouse constructed by Glazier still exists and can be toured at the Manatee Village Historical Park)

Another controversy came at the end of Green’s tenure as sheriff. After serving the post for two years, Green was elected to the county commission while a young man named John Wesley Whidden was the sheriff elect. Whidden was only 20 years old at the time, and the commission refused to swear him in, claiming he was not of "legal age.“ The action voided Green’s eligibility to take office. At the time, Sheriffs also served as tax collectors. Some prominent local business men then had Green indicted for refusing to turn over monies to the state. The charged didn’t hold, and the indictment was eventually resolved by the state legislature.

Green’s treatment by western region of the county inspired him to advocate for the relocation of the county seat. He was instrumental in moving it from the Village of Manatee to Pine Level. Although no settlement existed as the time, Green reasoned that because it was the geographical midpoint of the county, it should serve as the county seat.

Green constructed a fort in the eastern portion of the county (possibly Fort Green) and began marketing Pine Level for settlement. One of the first families to move to the site was a household of African Americans as it was considered a "free man’s town“ according to an article in the Arcadian called "Pine Level Townsite Makes it to National Register of Historical Places.“

Green himself was a Republican and supporter of civil rights for African Americans (a stark contrast to the rest of the county). In March of 1864 he joined the Union Army, serving as a captain. After the war, he returned to Manatee County as a Reconstructionist Republican, according to MCSO.

John F. Bartholf (also a Union veteran) served as the first postmaster in 1871. Five years later, Green got his two-story courthouse and jail constructed at the site. The first train arrived at Pine Level the same year it was incorporated, 1886. At its peak, the settlement boasted a school, churches, boarding houses and a newspaper. The town also had a couple of saloons, and shootouts were not uncommon, according to the Arcadian.

During the Reconstruction period following the Civil War, Pine Level seemed to flourish as many of its Republican founders held power over local government due to strong restrictions that had been placed on those residents who were involved in the succession of the South. However, after the election of Rutherford B. Hayes as president, those restrictions were removed, giving Democratic supporters more influence.

While the western regions of Manatee County continued to develop, the eastern portions were at a stand-still. The county seat was eventually relocated to Bradenton and trains began bypassing Pine Level in favor of larger stations. Manatee’s free man’s town was eventually abandoned. While it has been recognized by the National of Historical Places, it’s considered a Florida ghost town, uninhabited but not forgotten.