Piece of Lithia History For Sale

Interested in owning a piece of history?

Well, Lithia's historic post office building is available for $20,000.

A Craiglist ad is offering the old building to anyone willing to pay the asking price in addition to the cost of relocating it.

The building sits on property off Browning and Lithia-Pinecrest roads owned by Lamb of God Lutheran Church, 10540 Browning Road Lithia.

Built in 1933, the quaint white clapboard building operated as a post office, grocery store, feed store and hardware store during the Great Depression.

According to a Hillsborough County Historic Resources Survey Report, the little building was the hub of Lithia for many years.

Originally named Pelote, Lithia was founded in 1847 by James and Roxanna Alderman who moved to the area from Georgia and homesteaded 80 acres. Others soon followed including Grant Whitney, Andrew Lastinger and William Jameson.

Some time between 1860 and 1880, residents named the area Pelote after Rev. John Pelote, a Methodist circuit-riding preacher. The first community structure was a small log cabin that was known as Pelote Chapel.

In 1880, Frank Bryant moved to Pelot and became a county commissioner a few years later. He also was responsible for building the community's first bridge across the Alafia River.

With new residents moving into the area, Cornelius V. Simmons started the area's first post office Jan. 15, 1887.

Then, some time in the 1890s, the community built the Pelote School, first mentioned in county school records on July 3, 1894. The school reportedly had no running water, and children had to bring their own cups to get water out of the school’s well. The teacher and students cleaned the school and made their own sports equipment out of string. Some children walked to school from as far away as four miles. School lasted from July to December at which time the children were let out to pick strawberries, sweet potatoes, squash, peas, beans and other crops.

By 1900, 133 people called Pelote home. During this time, the Rev. Charles Kingsley moved from Bloomingdale to Pelote, buying property with a spring on it. Noticing that the water tasted strange, Kingsley sent some off to be tested. The results showed a high concentration of the mineral lithium, an alkaline white powder used in ceramics and glass. Because of its lithium content, the springs on Kingsley's property became known as Lithia Springs.

Shortly after the discovery, the Pelote post office changed its name to Lithia on June 18, 1904. The post office was relocated to the west side of the intersection of the newly constructed railroad and a dirt road that would become Lithia-Pinecrest Road. Lithia-Pinecrest was eventually paved in 1923.

In 1910, R.G. Wood started the Lithia Lumber Company. In addition, he erected another building to serve as a grocery store, feed store, hardware store and post office. It was replaced by another building in 1933. 

That building has been maintained by the Lutheran church since it purchased its property on Browning Road.