Secretary Detzner Announces the Designation of Two Florida Properties on the National Register of Historic Places

Sneads Community House and Old Pump in Sneads and the Stephens House in Alachua are newly designated

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. –

Secretary of State Ken Detzner announced today the listing of the Sneads Community House and Old Pump in Sneads, Florida and the Stephens House in Alachua, Florida on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places.

“I am pleased to announce the addition of these properties on the National Register of Historic Places,” said Secretary Detzner. “The Sneads Community House and Old Pump are two locally significant resources in the town of Sneads, and the Stephens House is a 19^th century frame house constructed in the Folk Victorian style located near the city of Alachua.”

The Sneads Community House and Old Pump are two historic resources located in downtown Sneads. Constructed by the Works Progress Administration in 1936, the Community House has served a variety of functions. It originally served as the clubhouse of the Sneads Woman’s Civic Club and hosted a variety of other groups, including the Boy Scouts. During World War II, civil defense classes were conducted in the building. For much of its history, the building was used by the town of Sneads for municipal offices, with the City Clerk’s office housed in the building’s eastern portion. City elections were held in the building as well. The Community House is a locally significant example of New Deal Era Rustic Architecture.     

The building’s incorporation of chinked logs, natural stone, articulated foundations and interior woodwork are all hallmarks of the Rustic style. Adjacent to the building is a cast iron water well hand pump.

The pump, which dates from 1899, is a significant part of local lore. Today, the building continues to serve as a community meeting place for the town of Sneads.

The Stephens House is a two-story frame house constructed in the Folk Victorian style located in unincorporated Alachua County near the city of Alachua. The original core of the house was constructed circa 1885, with the house taking its present layout around 1896. The cross-gabled residence features a prominent wraparound veranda with decorative wood spindle work, elaborate wood bargeboards on the gable ends, and a distinctive semi-hexagonal bay window. The Folk Victorian architectural style is distinguished primarily by the distinctive Victorian era woodworking and other decorative elements applied to simple vernacular house forms of the day. The land occupied by the Stephens House has been in the ownership of the same family since the 1850s when John K. Stephens established his homestead on the property immediately to the west of the house. Charles W. Stephens built the Stephens House on property he inherited from his father. C. W. Stephens was one of Alachua County’s largest and most prosperous farmers, raising cattle as well as a variety of crops on his 1,800-acre property. The Stephens House is noteworthy in that it continues to serve as a residence 130 years after its construction.

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About The National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is a list maintained by the National Park Service which includes historical or archaeological properties including buildings, structures, sites, objects, and districts, that are considered worthy of preservation because of their local, statewide and/or national significance. Nominations for properties in Florida are submitted to the National Park Service through the Florida Department of State’s Division of Historical Resources. Florida has over 1,700 listings on the National Register, including 292 historical districts and 174 archaeological sites. There are more than 50,000 sites contributing to the National Register in Florida. For more information, visit flheritage.com/preservation/national-register. For more information about the National Register of Historic Places program administered by the National Park Service, visit nps.gov/nr.

 About The Florida Department of State’s Bureau of Historic Preservation

The Bureau of Historic Preservation (BHP) conducts historic preservation programs aimed at identifying, evaluating, preserving and interpreting the historic and cultural resources of the state. The Bureau manages the Florida Main Street Program, and under federal and state laws, oversees the National Register of Historic Places program for Florida, maintains an inventory of the state's historical resources in the Florida Master Site File, assists applicants in federal tax benefit and local government ad valorem tax relief programs for historic buildings, and reviews the impact that development projects may have on significant historic resources. For more information, visit flheritage.com/preservation.