Citrus History 1565 to 1894

According to John McPhee author of Oranges, there is no evidence that citrus plants were growing in the Western Hemisphere prior to Columbus introducing them. Spain had a flourishing citrus industry and did not need to establish groves in Florida for export, but still Spaniards carried seeds with them on the first few trips to the new land. In fact, according to McPhee, it was required by Spanish law for all sailors to carry with them one hundred orange seeds on ships going to America until it was realized most seeds would dry out so they started shipping over young trees instead. With the Spanish shipping so many orange seeds and plants over  to the new settlement, it becomes clear why Menedez would document the abundance of citrus groves in the surrounding area of St. Augustine. The produce from the first groves in Florida was just for the citizens of the settlement. Prior to any document Freezes, the first setback that the citrus plant experienced was actually that of Sir Francis Drake. Sir Francis came to St. Augustine in 1585 and burned a good portion of the city down. After the raid, the groves were destroyed, but according to McPhee, the groves were able to survive because new shoots were able to bear fruit. Other than Sir Francis Drake and a handful of freezes, the first two centuries of oranges production in Florida were fruitful and aided in the establishment as the orange as a symbol of Florida.

Image from the Florida Memory.

Citrus did not become commercial until Jesse Fish, Florida’s first orange baron. Jesse Fish was originally a citizen of New York and had ties to London prior to moving to an island off the shore of St. Augustine. He was the first person to mass produce and sell his crops. According to McPhee, more “sixty-five thousand Jesse Fish oranges and two casks of juice” was sent to London in 1776. This marks the beginning of the long-standing citrus industry in Florida. Following Jesse Fish, many other After the United States acquired Florida in 1821, oranges groves expanded rapidly from across the state as more trade routes became more easily accessible. By 1834, right before the 1835 freeze which would be the biggest setback, the citrus industry would experience in the first two centuries, “two and a half million oranges were shipped north from St. Augustine.” This time period up to the 1835 freeze is known as “The Warm Century.” The weather stayed ideal for citrus plants to grow, those groves were able to expand as far north as Charleston until the 1766 freeze damaged the northern groves. Even with the 1835 freeze killing northern groves in Florida the citrus industry continued to rise until the 1894-95 freeze.