Wimauma was founded by Captain C.H. Davis in 1902. That year, Davis helped build the Seaboard Air Line Railroad connecting Turkey Creek, FloridaTurkey Creek and Bradenton, FloridaBradenton. Davis decided to found a town at the half-way point, opening a post office there in on October 24, 1902. Davis named the town by taking the first letters of the names of his three daughters, Willie, Maude, and Mary. The town had the railroad tracks as the western boundary and was centered around Lake Tiger, now called Lake Wimauma. The town was officially incorporated in 1925 as the county's fourth municipality, but the city government ceased to function some time in the 1930s. In 1993 this fact was rediscovered, but it was concluded that the incorporation was no longer valid after about 60 years without a city government. Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wimauma%2C_Florida

Wimauma, back in the late 50's early 60's was a quite peacful town. It had a general store owned by the Sikes family, a second store owned by the Willyard family, both stores sold a range of everything from groceries, farm feed, sundries, I remember Sikes had a large wooden butcher block located in the butcher shop part of the store. We had a Post Office, a train depot, one doctors office owned and opperated by Dr Harris, who could fix anything that you had wrong. He mixed his own medicines and if you needed home care he would come to your home. Plenty of mornings I can remember waking to the smell of coffee where he wouldlet him self in (back in those days doors were never locked) put on a pot of coffee and wait for us to wake up. We had a school which was the only high school for miles around. Although the original school still stands it has been remodeled and is nothing like it was in our days. The streets of the town were lined with oak trees and the old men would sit under the trees along hwy674 and visit. We had the ruins of an old bank which I am not sure if the bank was ever finished or not. As kids we were just told than the ruins were of the old bank. We had a beauty/barber shop which was ran by the Davis's man and wife. We had Broughtons gas station that in those days also had a counter soda fountain inside. There was a McClouds garage and a small Wesco gas station on the other end of town that had a pin ball machine that some of the teenages would hang out at. We also had a Gulf Station that also worked on your cars that was owned and opperated by Anthony Sweeney who most believe couldl fix anything and the beauty of it wll was that if you couldn't pay at the time there wasn't a problem you could just pay him when you were able. I can remember during the gas wars the three gas stations would try to lower their prices lower than the others and get down to 10 cents a gallon or so. But then again you could go into the soda fountain and get a coke after school for a nickle. I can remeber being a child of about 5 and my mother would give me a shopping list along with the money to take to Mr Sikes who would fill the list deduct the correct amount of money and give back the change and send me on my way. But not without letting me reach into the large Lance Cookie Jar for a sugar cookie to eat on the way. On Sunday Morning the church bells would wake you up an hour before service to let you know to get up and get ready. We had a Methodist and a Baptist then the Church of God was down on the end of town by the Lake. The Lake was used in earlier times for bathing and we would walk around the lake after it would rain and pick up arrow heads. It was a simple time and I can still remember the names of almost everyone in the town. Today it is a ran down area that has been taken over by the migrants who work the farm land in the area. So what once was a town simular to Mayberry is now more like a Mexican border town. Things change and not always for the better so if you have a nice little town take a lot of pictures because I can guarantee that in 50 years or so it will not be the same and you are going to wish that you had memories of back in the day.

That is exactly the way it was. It was a wonderful place to grow-up. Unfortunatly all good things have to end. What a sad place it has become!!