Beginning in the teens, new residents began arriving in Briggsville (as Samsula was then known) to farm the lands advertised by Howe & Currier. Among these new settlers were many Slovenian immigrants, lured by the promise of land ownership and an independent business in farming.
The Samsula Packing House, originally constructed on a spur of the Florida East Coast Railway, was an early farm cooperative. Produce left Samsula for destinations all up the eastern seaboard. The rail line between Orange City and New Smyrna was discontinued at some point after 1932, as the FEC had gone into receivership due to the Great Depression. The transportation of produce continued via trucks, though more and more farmers turned to local markets.
Peppers were a popular crop in the Florida climate from the early days in Samsula throughout the 20th century. Peppers thrive in the Florida heat, but are vulnerable to excess rainfall: an entire crop can be destroyed if water sits in the furrows for a few days.
The Samsula Historical Archive seeks help with identifying the people in this photo, and any further information about the picture’s provenance. These are the few people tentatively identified:
Back rows, l-r: (unidentified); (unidentified); (unidentified); (unidentified); (unidentified); (unidentified); (unidentified); (unidentified); (unidentified); Elizabeth Hafner; (unidentified); Jerry Hafner; (unidentified); (unidentified); (unidentified); (unidentified)
Middle rows, l-r: (unidentified); Martin Jontes; Joseph Sopotnick; (unidentified, holding baby); Elsie Jontes (with accordion); Frances Clark (with ukulele)
Front row, l-r: (unidentified); Joe Sopotnick; (unidentified); (unidentified—maybe Freddie Sopotnick?); Robert Jontes; (unidentified—maybe Dolly Sopotnick?); (unidentified); (unidentified)
Date on photo says ’33 (1933?)