Rochelle is a Florida ghost town that was formerly named Perry Junction after Governor Madison Starke Perry, who owned land and a plantation there. More images of Rochelle Ghost Town in Florida may be seen here.
Rochelle is a Florida ghost town that was formerly named Perry Junction after Governor Madison Starke Perry, who owned land and a plantation there. Perry gave property for Oak Ridge Cemetery, which is located between Rochelle and Micanopy, in 1854. Several pioneer families from the region, including Perry, are buried there. The town was renamed Gruelle in 1881 and Rochelle in 1884 in honor of Gov. Perry’s wife, Martha Perry’s, parents. In 1882, Rochelle became a hub of the Florida Southern Railway and eventually became part of the Plant Railway System, serving as a daily layover between Jacksonville and St. Petersburg.
By 1888, twenty-four trains a day were passing through the town of about 100 people. Rochelle grew into a citrus hub, but the Great Freeze of 1894-95 ruined the citrus harvest, forcing many residents to flee. Only a few structures survive as relics of the once-thriving community. The Rochelle School (Martha Perry Institute), built in 1885, was one of these. It served the neighborhood until 1935. In 1973, the structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Rochelle Florida was photographed.
This structure used to house the Martha Perry Institute, an all-girls school founded in 1885 and named after Florida’s then-wife. governor’s The Martha Perry Institute was active until the 1930s. The structure is securely locked to prevent trespassing, and the windows are too high off the ground for me to look inside. I’m not sure about the current state of the interior, but the outside appears to be well-kept.
Rochelle had 175 residents at its peak, as well as a hotel, schools, churches, and mills. Unfortunately, the community declined during the 1895 freeze, which ruined most of Florida’s citrus harvests. There are a few houses, one operational church, and not much more. More images of Rochelle Ghost Town in Florida may be seen here.
