Home Care In Bagdad, FL

Cameron Belanger and his parents were ready to start over.

In May 2023, 25-year-old Cameron returned home to Fountain, Florida, after spending nearly six-and-a-half years in state prison. Ready to change his life, he left for Milton looking for work and was supposed to be home in a few short days.

But that short trip has turned into a monthslong nightmare for his parents, Darryl and Crystal Belanger, who are now waiting to see if bones found near Cameron's last known location belong to their son.

According to the Belangers, on June 30, Cameron traveled to Milton to visit friends and work a few "odd jobs," like mowing lawns. On July 1, Cameron spoke with his parents on the phone, promising to return on July 4 for his sister's birthday party.

"We had planned a 4th of July party and (our daughter's) birthday, and he said he was coming home," Crystal said. "Then we never heard from him again."

Originally, the parents thought nothing of it. They expected to see their son maybe a few days later, but when Cameron's lifelong best friend LeAnne Taylor and his child's mother, Brooke Taylor, called and said he was missing, Crystal said she called law enforcement.

Cameron had been staying in a camper just off Popcorn Road in Bagdad while he worked his odd jobs, so that's where the investigation began. Days, weeks and months went by as family, friends and Santa Rosa County Sheriff's investigators searched for any trace of Cameron without success.

Six months of searching culminated in January when Cameron's parents said they were notified by a local woman – who they met during their previous search efforts - that she had found human remains in a wooded area near Popcorn Road. On Jan. 11, Darryl and a few of his family members searched the area and found the remains.

However, so much of the body has decomposed that the medical examiner must perform DNA testing to determine if the remains belong to Cameron.

"We don't know for sure if they are our son's, but at least we found someone's child," Crystal said.

Belanger family says Santa Rosa Sheriff's Office search efforts were 'minimal'

Having a child go missing and possibly finding his remains would take a toll on any family, but throughout the investigation the Belanger family expressed their discontent with how their son's case has been handled.

Both Crystal and Darryl Belanger say they felt they couldn't get information regarding Cameron's case, and when they would ask about it, they say they would receive little response.

"For example, one of the (responses) was, 'Oh, well maybe he was on drugs again, so you know people on drugs do crazy things,'" Crystal told the News Journal. "Well, even if he was on drugs, he's still a person and a person we care about."

The Belanger family also criticized the SRSO's search efforts, asking why they found remains near Popcorn Road six months after Cameron was last seen near the same road.

"The sheriff's department, I think, their search efforts were minimal, to be honest," Darryl said, expressing that deputies never seemed willing to devote much manpower to the search, even after the family located the remains.

"The sheriff's department came out there, and instead of going into the woods they broke out a drone," the father added. "We were like, 'Yeah, we'll take you through the woods and show you where he's at,' and they didn't want to go into the woods, they wanted to use this drone. I was like, damn, when (Cameron) first went missing they could've brought their drones out there then, six months ago, and used drones to help try to find him."

In a response to the News Journal, the SRSO said they are deeply concerned for the "well-being of our community member, Cameron Belanger," saying they've conducted their investigation like any other.

"Our organization takes all missing persons cases seriously, and we assure you that we have conducted a thorough investigation within the bounds of the law and the resources at our disposal," the SRSO's statement said. "Our hearts are with Cameron's family and friends during this challenging time."

Anyone with information regarding Cameron's activities or whereabouts, is urged to call the SRSO at 850-983-1100, the missing person hotline at 1-888-FL Missing or contact the Belanger at [email protected].

The Destin Log

Last month, our History Mystery was about the similarities between Destin and Bagdad in the mid-1800s. Both villages were founded by a single man. Leonard Destin founded Destin as a small fishing village. While Joseph Forsyth founded Bagdad as a large industrial town. These two men had a lot in common. Both men came to Florida from New Orleans and both men were born in New London, Connecticut, in the early 1800s. This month our History Mystery is about two men from Bagdad that had a profound affect on Destin in the late 1930s.

Burney McIver Henderson – Henderson was the last owner of the Bagdad Land & Lumber Company in Bagdad. At 34-years old he had the responsibility of closing down the mill and the company-owned city of Bagdad in 1939. Bagdad Land & Lumber had been in business for 111 years, since 1828 and was founded by Joseph Forsyth. They produced more long leaf pine lumber than any other mill in the WORLD.

Henderson’s interest in Destin was initially only in the long leaf pine trees. In the mid-1930s he bought pine trees from J.R. Moody and his employee, Coleman Kelly, from their Vernon Land & Timber Company after they had been used for turpentine or what was called "Naval Stores." In 1938, Henderson bought three miles of beachfront property in Destin from land speculator Broughton Wilkinson for $10,000, possibly as an effort to move into land sales.

Henderson built the old Crystal Beach Fishing Pier, which was destroyed by Hurricane Eloise in 1975. Then in 1983, six years before his death at 83 years old, Pensacola businessman, Henderson sold 6,000 feet of beachfront land in Destin to the State of Florida for $13.1 million. That beachfront land became what we know today as Henderson Beach State Park, which opened to the public in 1991.

William Walker Milligan – Another individual from Bagdad who had a profound effect on Destin in the late 1930s was Billy Milligan. William Walker Milligan was the son of Ed and Emma Milligan, who lived in Bagdad. Ed worked for the mill as a skilled electrician. Bagdad was one of the first cities in the state of Florida to have electric service in all its homes. The Milligan house in Bagdad is preserved today as the office of the Bagdad Village Preservation Association and is located on Church Street in Bagdad. Ed and Emma’s oldest son was William Walker Milligan, known as Billy; he followed in his father’s footsteps. Billy also became an electrician at the mill.

When Bagdad Lumber Company closed down, all 1,200 employees in this large industrial city had to find new employment, including 26-year-old Billy Milligan. Billy Milligan married Johnnie Mae Melvin, my father-in-law’s sister’s oldest daughter, on March 19, 1938, and moved to the very small village of Destin, which had a population of 318 in 1940.

Just about that time electricity first came to Destin. Electric poles were all installed and the electric lines were run to each home in 1937. However, the fisherman’s houses, docks, and businesses in Destin had never been wired for electric service. Billy Milligan became the Destin electrician, wiring all of the houses, docks and businesses in Destin, including the home of my father-in-law, Clarence Marler, so that the new electrical service could be used by the residents of Destin.

While Destin and Bagdad are 50 miles apart, they had a lot in common, both back in the mid-1800s when they were first established and in the late 1930s when drastic change came to both Destin and Bagdad. These two cities that had so much in common in the past seem to be in two different worlds today.

Bagdad hasn’t changed much from the time the mill closed in 1939. Its population is 1,490 and the entire town is on the National Register of Historic Places. Destin has grown rapidly since 1940. Today Destin has a population of 12,305 and is a well-known tourist destination and the “The World’s Luckiest Fishing Village.”

Funny how things turn out sometimes, isn’t it?

H. C. “Hank” Klein is a Destin historian, author and speaker. He visits often and lives in North Little Rock, Arkansas with his wife (the former Muriel Marler of Destin). Klein recently published two historic books about Destin - DESTIN’S Founding Father…The Untold Story of Leonard Destin and DESTIN Pioneer Settlers...A Land History of Destin, Florida from 1819-1940. Both can be obtained from Amazon.com, Tony Mennillo of Arturo Studios at 850/585-2909, The Destin History & Fishing Museum, Dewey Destin's Restaurants in Destin, the Magnolia Grill in Fort Walton Beach, and Sundog Books in Seaside. Klein can be contacted directly at [email protected].

Special to the News Journal

Editor's note: This is the 23rd of a series of stories that will be featured in the Pensacola News Journal to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Escambia County. Look for these stories each Monday in print.

In the late 1830s, Joseph Forsyth, the guiding force behind the Arcadia water-powered industrial park on Pond Creek, was realizing that steam engines were the wave of the future. Having a steam engine power your mill did not limit you to the geographical confines of a moving stream. So, in 1840 he shut down his water-powered sawmill operations at Arcadia and moved them three miles downstream to the confluence of Pond Creek and Blackwater River. The company already had loading docks there; and a new mill, and a company town, was established — Bagdad. Steam engines from Rhode Island were brought in, but because of the brackish water at the site, they utilized a freshwater spring a mile way and by using a waterwheel and buried wooden logs (hollowed out and joined by metal clamps) they were able to pump fresh water to the new mill site.

Arcadia Mill history:Water-powered mills like Arcadia were key in development of early Pensacola

The new mill quickly surpassed the output of the Arcadia site, producing both rough and planed lumber from the abundant long leaf yellow pine forests that blanketed the Panhandle. The company shipped out millions of feet of lumber, laths and shingles to ports around the Gulf of Mexico. They added a sash factory to the complex, and by 1850, the firm employed over 100 people and produced lumber products totaling annually around $315,000. Some of the lumber was even shipped to Boston and New York City. Steam revolutionized the company's output. As one person described it, "a man has nothing to do but to look on and see his work done as if by magic." Other firms began to convert to steam power in the vicinity, and within 10 to 15 years, there were steam sawmills and planing mills on Blackwater, Bay, Mulat Bayou and Escambia Bay (remains of the Hyer-Knowles steam planing mill can be seen today at the "Old Chimney" on Scenic Highway).

Bagdad was described in this time period "as a handsome village" that was "built up in a beautiful style." The inhabitants were reported "to live in style and enjoy themselves accordingly. They are kind and accommodating to strangers who happen among them. The society is very agreeable; and the young ladies can entertain their guests with excellent music on the piano, guitar or violin."

After Joseph Forsyth's death in 1855, the firm of Forsyth and Simpson changed to the E. E. Simpson and Company. By 1860, the year before the Civil War, the Bagdad company was the largest industrial firm in the state of Florida; in fact, the Bagdad mill alone accounted for over 10% of the state's total industrial products. Ezekiel E. Simpson's personal property was valued at $2.5 million. However, the Civil War brought disaster to Bagdad, and the Pensacola area in general. The Bagdad mill and all the other steam powered concerns were torched by retreating Confederates in the spring of 1862. Much of the Panhandle was a "no man's land" throughout the war years, and Pensacola's population itself fell to less than 100 people. Grass and bushes were growing in the streets of downtown Pensacola.

Following the war, life was difficult for West Florida. Industrial production was only 17% of its pre-war levels. Many of the area's sawmills were rebuilt, including the Bagdad firm, which by the early 1870s was once again experiencing prosperous times. Logging railroads in the late 1800s allowed more timberlands to be harvested, and the various mills exported even more lumber than they had in the era before the Civil War. Simpson and Company by the late 1800s was one of the world's largest producers and exporters of longleaf yellow pine lumber. The lumber from Bagdad was being shipped to Italy, South America, England and Scandinavia, as well as to domestic ports.

In 1903, Simpson and Company was sold and renamed the Stearns and Culver Lumber Company. The property included 200,000 acres of timber, 40 miles of log flumes, a railroad, sawmills, drying kilns, planing mills, an electric light plant and a large number of vessels. Modernization began with a new rail line extending into Alabama, more logging railroads connected to more timberlands, and the firm employed over 1,000 employees. By 1922, the company was renamed the Bagdad Land and Lumber Company and stayed afloat by purchasing a very large tract of untouched pine lands. But with no reforestation program, the "inexhaustible" stands of pine were eventually depleted and the last log was sawn at the mill in 1939. The Bagdad mill shut its doors, closing a saga that had begun in 1817 with Juan de la Rua and the birth of Arcadia. If only Forsyth had had more foresight to start a reforestation program before it was too late, there might still be a viable lumbering industry in the Panhandle to this very day.

The town of Bagdad, despite the mill closing, survived. Historic preservation efforts began in the late 20th century, and in 1987 the Bagdad Historic District was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. The Bagdad Village Preservation Association operates a local museum of local history on Church Street in Bagdad, and in 2016 the original site of the 1840 mill was converted into the 20-acre Bagdad Mill Site Park.

Brian Rucker is professor of history at Pensacola State College.

Catch up on the rest of the series

Part 1:Setting the stage: Our Pensacola is fifth Spanish settlement on Pensacola Bay

Part 2:How did Pensacola end up back in Spanish control for a second time?

Part 3:How Andrew Jackson set up a 'good government' for Pensacola and Florida

Part 4:From newspapers to circuses, Escambia County and Pensacola have many 'firsts'

Part 5:How early Pensacola treated disease outbreaks and the role of health care

Part 6:Cultural survival on the run: Pensacola's history shaped by Native Americans

Part 7:Life in 1820s Pensacola was primitive, but cosmopolitan. A look at our early years.

Part 8:How the Sampler project aims to connect us with our Pensacola ancestors from 1821

Part 9:Dances, Patgo and 'Star-Spangled Banner': How early Pensacola embraced entertainment

Part 10:How the mail was (and often wasn't) delivered in early Pensacola

Part 11:More than a name: Meet a few of Pensacola's residents from 1821

Part 12:Historic St. Michael's Cemetery in Pensacola holds paradise of memory

Part 13:A deeper look at Pensacola's fascinating Spanish colonial heritage | Part 1

Part 14:What census data and land records tell us about Spanish West Florida | Part 2

Part 15:Food that early Pensacola settlers ate reflected the region's diverse cultures

Part 16:What a typical Pensacola home looked like during the Spanish colonial period

Part 17:Forts and bricks: How the military and industry evolved in early Pensacola

Part 18:Archaeological traces of late colonial buildings linger throughout Pensacola

Part 19:How indigenous laborers from Mexico built and rebuilt Pensacola

Part 20:Shift from Spanish to American rule opened doors for Pensacola businesses

Part 21:From primitive roads to stuck steamboats, transportation woes abounded in early Pensacola

Part 22:Water-powered mills like Arcadia were key in development of early Pensacola

How you can get involved

What: A web-based interactive mosaic of faces from our modern community honoring the 1821 community.

Why: To celebrate our rich and diverse heritage through a reflection of our modern community.

Who: Area residents, all ages, ethnicities and genders.

How: Fill out the form at 1821sampler.com. and upload your photo to represent a member of the 1821 Pensacola community (use an uncluttered background, clearly showing face and shoulders, no hats please, and names optional.

So far, researchers with the West Florida Genealogical Society have identified more than 2,000 individuals who were here when Florida passed from Spain to the United States. These were more than just names; every person had a rich life and history. By honoring a member of the 1821 community, you are participating in this celebration of our rich and diverse Florida heritage.

Pensacola History

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.

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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.

Santa Rosa County Commissioners on Monday supported spending $1 million for improvements to two parks in the north end of the county.

The commissioners want to apply to the Florida Recreation Development Assistance Program for grants, with matching funds from the county, at both Benny Russell Park in Pace and the Bagdad Recreation Facility.

Santa Rosa County Grants Director Sheila Fitzgerald, who briefed the commissioners on the grants at Monday morning's committee meeting, said the county would apply for a $250,000 grant for each of the parks, with the county matching the funds with $250,000 on each project, totaling a commitment of $1 million.

The applications will be submitted by Aug. 15, Fitzgerald said.

The money at Benny Russell Park would be used for new features such as picnic shelters, picnic tables, a multi-purpose trail, a multi-purpose sports field, a fitness fun zone court, restrooms for a splash pad and support facilities such as lighting and additional parking, Fitzgerald said.

Fitzgerald said the money at Bagdad would be primarily used to renovate existing facilities, including playgrounds and sports fields. The money would also be used to install an all-inclusive playground, as well as add walkways and restrooms.

The addition of restrooms at the Bagdad park was well received by Milton resident Frederick Smith.

"I'm glad to see there will be a stand-alone restroom for Bagdad," he told the commissioners. "If you have a stand-alone restroom, then you have more users in the park. There's one portable restroom there now and that's it."

Fitzgerald said funding for a splash pad at Benny Russell Park — an item that was selected by respondents in an online survey as the No. 1 choice in a redesign of the park — would come from a separate funding source and would not be paid for with the grant money.

More:Splash pad is top choice for Benny Russell Park redesign

Late Monday morning, East Milton residents Darlene and Kip Pardee spent time at Benny Russell Park with their two young granddaughters. The girls, ages 11 and 3, both said they liked swings at the park.

Kip Pardee said he would prefer to go to the park in East Milton, which is only about one-quarter of a mile from their home, but the facilities are better in Pace.

"They have a wide variety of things to do," he said.

Darlene Pardee said they have been bringing the girls to the park a couple of times a month for about a decade. She was glad to hear about a splash pad being part of the plans for the future, and she had a suggestion for additions for younger kids.

"They probably could use a few pieces of toddler equipment," she said.

Anne Delaney can be reached at [email protected] or 850-435-8522.