The Bagdad community, and its links to Milton, have as ongoing enthusiasts a sizable number of men and women who compose the Historical Society. Meeting as they do in their delightful museum (which originally was a church) these folks continue to unearth and preserve happenings which illustrate that at one time our whole area's economy was THERE.
In days prior to 1862, the banks of the Blackwater River held mills and yards of several types, and following the War Between the States some businesses recovered and moved to serve as industries along Pensacola's waterfront.
Basically, the Bagdad tales proceeded much like this:
Shortly after Florida became part of the United States a young Pensacola lumberman named Ezekiel Simpson found himself linked to an incoming entrepreneur named Joseph Forsyth, the two complementing one another with skills and capital. Their first success came in basic lumbering, with trees cut from the area close to what became Milton. There was a running stream present, thus the pair built a dam, produced power, and then put two lumber mills into production there.
MORE PENSACOLA HISTORY:
? Hurricanes have played violent, destructive role in Pensacola's past
? Historically speaking, beer has been a 'staple' for like forever
For shipping convenience, Simpson and Forsyth constructed a "railroad," using small diameter trimmed logs as rails with horses as power, drawing cars of cargo to a suitable location in what was to become Bagdad. Soon Forsyth mastered the vertical system for transforming cotton boles into finished cloth, and his third mill joined the others. The area became named Arcadia.
However, Forsyth's health was frail, and after serving as a state senator he passed away. Meanwhile, Simpson found it possible to obtain equipment for steam powering his mill. The mills at Arcadia were closed and the steam-powered lumbering operation was moved to the banks of the Blackwater. Now, finished products could be conveniently loaded on vessels right there.
Want to go?
Venture to Bagdad on Saturday, Oct. 13, and you'll get to experience some of its rich history. Beginning at 10 a.m., there will be a marker dedication and 100-year celebration for the Forcade House, 6865 Allen St. The free event will also offer tours of the home and the unveiling of a piece of equipment dating back to the Bagdad Mill, circa 1870.
With a rising traffic in seagoing vessels, other men with means established small operations to make or repair vessels, and still others, seeing Simpson's success in sales, assembled smaller lumber mills along the river. New company names such as Ludah, Ollinger and Bruve appeared, among many, and by 1860 the entire area had become a sort of industrial park.
But then came the Civil War. As Confederate forces were ordered to evacuate the area in 1862, the Southern leaders here were ordered to destroy anything which might give aid or comfort to the enemy. The order, placed through Gen. Samuel Jones, was put in the hands of a force led by Col. William Heard. Beginning March 10, the torch was set to virtually every mill, factory, and inventory within the area, and many fine homes too were destroyed. When war ended those who had lived in Bagdad returned to a ghost town.
However, there was one bright spot. The original lumberman, Ezekiel Simpson, had been able to place a portion of his pre-war cash in safe keeping in New York. At war's end he had the means to reconstruct his facilities, making them larger and better than before. When, as new markets for lumber emerged in Europe, the Simpson mill was in position to be further enlarged, and in time its future owners came to possess huge timber acreage and became large enough to employ a logging railroad, which was strung over 100 miles of track.
Following the Simpson family, the company became the Bagdad Land & Lumber Co., and after 1900 still other owners became involved. Some of the new owners' names were Overman, Dorr, Henderson.
A logging railroad at first employed older, used locomotives purchased from commercial lines. However, by 1890 as many as 24 companies were constructing engines especially for logging. In use, the logging railroad used tracks that we might call "portable." The track would be secured from the mill to a cutting point. There, trees would be felled, sized into 16-foot lengths, then loaded aboard specially made flat cars, using steam powered hoists. The locomotive would pull a "train" of tree-cars, sometimes as many as 15 cars, each car with several very heavy timbers. When the initial cutting site was cleared, the tracks would be moved to a new position, where crews for forestry and the railroad might live on site in discarded boxcars.
The Bagdad "railroad" had up to 40 miles of tracks, and its fleet ran to 19 engines. The line had its repair shops and storage at Munson, and year by year this company moved more and more to new equipment, built for them by such firms as Baldwin Locomotive Works, the Shays Plant, and the Hieslers — the latter two building locomotives of a much different form and performance equipment.
The great mill at Bagdad closed down during depression years, as did other manufacturing operations there. Thus today, as the Bagdad Historical Society members convene, their programs deal generally with what uses to be. However, they have kept the faith, and the community, beautifully manicured, and with many fine vintage homes, is a delightful place to visit.
What Ezekiel Simpson and John Forsyth saw more than a century ago remains as part of Pensacola's historic past, well worth a Sunday drive and viewing.
John Appleyard is a Pensacola historian and writes a weekly historical column in the Pensacola News Journal. His 15-minute films about Pensacola are viewable, without-charge, Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in The Cottage, 213 E. Zaragoza St.