History of Raiford Florida
Raiford is a small town in the northern part of Union County,
settled about 1895 by Hunter Warren Raiford.

 

History of Raiford Florida
(Was provided by Mrs. Marjorie McGill Driggers.)

 Raiford is a small town in the northern part of Union County, settled about 1895 by Hunter Warren Raiford, who was in the naval stores business. When the railroad was built about 1900 by the A.C.L., the community was named Raiford and a post office was established. Logging, turpentine, and saw milling were the main economy for the beginning days of Raiford. The town continued to grow and at one time, there were three drug stores, a barber shop, newspaper (Raiford Weekly Tribune), three doctors, a millinery shop, Bank, and many other businesses. There was a large school and several churches.

In August of 1971 Raiford was incorporated for the second time and many city improvements were made. A new City Hall and Fire Station were constructed, and the community looked forward to growth in the coming years.

 The Union Correction Institution and Florida State Prison are located only a few miles from Raiford. This affords gainful employment to the people of the surrounding areas.

 

Hostage Situation at Union C.I.
   Three UCI Inmates Escape, One Kills Officer, Civilian
   Five Inmates Escape from FSP , Four Immediately Recaptured

  1913 Florida's State Prison Farm, the state's oldest and largest correctional institution, is erected on an 18,000-acre tract purchased for $5 an acre. The first buildings house infirm inmates who could not be leased to private businesses. It is named Raiford State Penitentiary but also referred to as the "State Prison Farm," "Raiford Prison" and "Florida State Prison."

  1928 Inmate population December 31, 1928:2,748 A main housing unit, later nicknamed   "The Rock," is added to the State Prison Farm at Raiford. Officers worked 12-hour days for $720 a year, plus room and board.
 
  Over the years this facility will be expanded to include many units and eventually split into two of the five prisons currently at Raiford (in 1972). These are: Union C.I. --the original Raiford State Penitentiary (whose main housing unit is later nicknamed "The Rock" because it was "built solid as a rock") and Florida State Prison --the "east unit" that opens in 1961.

Piney Bay
Last Update: 11/11/10 09:20:59 AM
Copyright © 1996-2010  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
Disclaimer - Privacy Statement
Back to the Top