Mulberry High School - Mulberry Tree Yearbook (Mulberry, FL)

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PHvSPHAU N.HIkh y v €t TOP: A mining operation. CENTER: Prairie Pebble Phosphate Mine. Mulberry. Florida. BOTTOM: Phosphate being loaded onto a steam driven locomotive. 4

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A Tree Grows into a Town 3

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Two of Mulberry’s Oldest Residents Review Area History ■ i -i Li iaa Two of Mulberry's oldest residents are Mrs. Helia Josephine Pearce and Mr. David Hall. Mrs. Pearce is 90 years old. She settled in the Mulberry area in the 1890’s when she was five years old. Mrs. Pearce was interviewed by one of the MHS yearbook staff members. In this interview she recalled some of Mulberry’s early years and events. She said. “There were a few stores in Mulberry at the turn of the century, a drug store, 2 grocery stores, and a men’s clothing store run by identical twin brothers. Anything else that was needed must come from Lakeland, Bartow, or Hillsborough county. The nearest doctor was in Bartow, a half day’s ride by horse and buggy. “In 1901 the first automobile came through Mulberry, but it was 1906 before I saw one.” Mrs. Pearce remembers the Miner’s Strike of 1919. This strike literally tore Mulberry apart. In April, the men started the strike by holding a noonday parade. They wanted less working hours and more money. After nine months of violence and four deaths, the strike was broken. Mrs. Pearce said. Mr. David Hall is 89 years old. He moved to Mulberry in September, 1927. He was also interviewed and gave the following information: He and his family raised their own food, as was typical of most families. When the Great Depression hit, things were bad in Mulberry but not as bad as in other places. The banks of Lankland and Fort Meade were closed down but the Bank of Mulberry remained open. Schools shortened their terms to seven months in- stead of nine: Mulberry kept its nine month term with students keeping regular attendance. These are some of the memories from two of the areas most knowledgeable citizens on the old days of Mulberry. i