Ann Pratt Houpt

Millville (Fl) (Images of America) Ann Pratt Houpt

The town of Millville, Florida, was born out of the need for lumber to build houses and ships in the late 1800s, when settlers coming to St. Andrews Bay had no way to travel but by sailing vessels. Millville had a sawmill, a shipyard, and several stores. In the winter of 1885-1886, several families

organized a Sunday school. They built a small schoolhouse, and the newly formed Watson's Bayou Literary Society met. By 1910, it was the largest community around the bay and the center of commerce and industry for the area. In 1913, leaders incorporated the town, and voters elected W. I. Singletary their first mayor. The future was bright. By 1918, 2,000 residents lived in the town

ith hotels, a theater, 31 business establishments, and several churches. Millville was still the largest town on St. Andrews Bay, but just to the west was the growing town of Panama City. In 1926, Millville was annexed into the incorporated limits of Panama City.