Joseph Forsyth named the town, in 1842, Bagdad, after the Middle East renaissance city called Baghdad. The lumber mills of Bagdad, Florida, cut virgin Blackwater Swamp cypress and long leaf heart pine timber, which was shipped to ports in Europe, South America, Cuba and the East coast of the United States. The precious virgin timber logs just kept floating down the river as lumber jacks cut the trees and sent them South down the creeks and rivers of the Blackwater River watershed. This prized commodity made Bagdad the Prince of Wood. During the Civil War Bagdad lost most of the mill buildings and dry docks but after the war, they were rebuild and she quickly regained the fame and glory of delivering priceless lumber worldwide.
At the end of the 19th Century, Bagdad was comparable to Pensacola in commerce and its main company, the E. E. Simpson and Company lumber mill, was the largest exporter and the largest company in the State of Florida. Santa Rosa County became the center of commerce for the state, but as the amount of lumber slowly decreased so did business. In 1929, the Press Gazette published an article stating, "There is at least 100 years of lumber left". Ten years later it was all gone.
In 1939 the last lumber mill in Bagdad closed. In 1941 World War II began and shortly thereafter most families had either moved north into Alabama or south into Pensacola looking for work. During its prime, the town had around 60 different businesses, many churches and a good school, but 1939 marked the end of Bagdad's renaissance. Almost all the businesses were related directly or indirectly to lumber, so when the logs stopped coming down the river, narcosis began.
A deep sleep fell on the little town. Pensacola & Milton took up the mantle of growth. Both had diversified into many industries other than lumber, such as agriculture, shipping, and military exploits. Bagdad, the once center of opportunity, began a slow arduous decline going from disregard to decay to almost oblivion followed by being simply forgotten by most people.
Then came growth not only to South Santa Rosa County via Navarre and Gulf Breeze, but also growth in Pace and Milton. The increase is most apparent in residential construction with the advent of many housing developments creating an atmosphere associated with “bedroom towns”. Many people looked to Santa Rosa County as a place to live and raise their children but preferred to work in Escambia or Okaloosa Counties, hence, the term “bedroom towns”.
Much should be said for a few visionary people who have realized Bagdad's historical value. It processes a very important era of not just Florida or Santa Rosa County history but also American history. After all, much of the lumber produced by the Bagdad lumber mills were shipped to ports in Europe, South America, Cuba and the East coast of the USA creating, next to cotton, the country's most precious exported commodity. A very valuable slice of our past lies in the soil of Bagdad.
The Spirit of the past both, post-bellum and antebellum, is again rising. Through the efforts of dedicated people like the Bagdad Village Preservation Association and other faithful residents, the world again is noticing the beautiful lady. For example, in 2003, 16 reporters came to Bagdad to do articles and 4 were from European nations. Events in 2003 like the Blackwater Heritage Tour, the Florida Woods to Beaches Trail, and the much publicized Civil War writings on the wall of the Thompson House is just a few of the many venues directing people back to the past, back to the Prince of Wood, back to Bagdad.
One need only walk the main street, called Forsyth after the founder of Bagdad, John Forsyth, and the shore of the Blackwater River to sense the past. From a Greek Revival plantation home built in 1842, to reproductions just finished, from 1880 restored homes, the smell of the smoke stake, the sound of the steam engine, the blowing of the ships fog horn, the rubble of the horse drawn wagons, and the whistle of the train attacks the senses like sweet dreams. Now on the National Historical Directory, the once sleepy village is primed for an even greater future than her majestic past.
copyright Village Homes and Land, Inc. 2011