Bushnell And Webster

Ocala, Florida

Weather: low 75 degrees, high 97 degrees, partly cloudy skies, light showers in the late afternoon

We went on a little road trip south of Ocala to the Webster/Bushnell area to see how things have changed down there. It had been about 27 years since we were in that area, and we thought it would be interesting to see the changes that time has made.

We took I-75 down to the Webster turnoff and then east a few miles to Webster. This little town was formed in 1855, only has about 800 residents, and is best known for their flea market which is open every Monday. They claim to have 4,000 booths, which if stretched out side by side, would be over five miles long. I'm glad they weren't open today, since it was just too hot to do any serious shopping. I think the best time to take part in this flea market would be in the winter. As might be expected in any little town of 800 people, there wasn't much to see in Webster, so we headed north to Bushnell.

Bushnell is the county seat of Sumter County, and has a population of about 2100 people. They have a nice old courthouse that I had to get a picture of. Note the turrets on the corners.



It's interesting to note that the population of the county has increased tremendously over the last few years. Most of the growth has been in the area of The Villages, located in parts of four counties, including Sumter County. Once away from The Villages, the county still retains it's slow way of life.

While we were driving around in Bushnell, we noticed several houses built like the old cracker houses that were once so prevalent in the state. One of the houses had a stained glass window that drew our attention. Look at the lighthouse in the window.



In our travels across the country, we've noticed many towns that have had shopping centers and strip shopping areas that were sitting empty. It appeared to us that Sumter County found a way to use the empty stores in Bushnell by converting them to county offices. Then that brings up another question from me. Since there were so many of these county offices, is this county government too big for a county that has a population of about 70,000 people? It seemed to me that there was a disproportionate number of government offices for a county of that size. Of course, that may just be my conservatism showing by thinking that all government needs to be smaller (and less expensive) and less intrusive in our lives.

After touring Bushnell, we headed home for some rest and meditation. Now, I've got to find another place to visit that we haven't been to for 30 years.

More later, be safe.

Today's Town - Oak Ridge, Tennessee: The Secret City

Not all who wander are lost.