Geneva Bank Vault in Geneva

In a small community of Geneva, Florida stand the remains of a city bank vault. The city long gone. This 1900 town known as Osceola. This was named after an Indian warrior from the Seminole tribe.  This town built near the St. John’s River near the north side of Lake Harney.

This area was built up  based around a company called “Osceola Cypress Company.  A lumber company employed many of the local Residents who banked at the local bank which stored its deposits within these walls. The town has schools, many stores, post office and churches.  Most notably a train station was erected close by to haul the lumber away.

Around 1916 a sawmill was built close by and the town prospered with an enormous lumber yard.

Cook’s Ferry was a name given to this area.

When the Lumber was exhausted, the Osceola Cypress Company closed this location and moved. It’s not clear how long the town survived but it’s suspected that the town folks moved with the company. And over the years the town slowly disappeared leaving its only remains.