Newberry
Founded in the early 1890′s, Newberry was officially put on the map when a post office was established in 1894, followed by incorporation in 1895. Before the 1890′s, families had moved to the area and farmed in the region and also made a living from timbering. However, it was the discovery of phosphate that brought the hidden Florida town to life as a booming mining town. Newberry quickly grew as people came from literally everywhere to work in the mines. Subsequent businesses grew from the mining industry to serve the needs of a growing community of people who came to a town that didn’t have a permanent home until 1891. In addition to mining, Newberry also became known as a railroad town. An American Legion was formed in 1946 and the legionnaires assumed the lead in getting the community involved in promoting the city. As the fifties ended and the sixties rolled by, the agriculturally-driven seasonal economy was gradually replaced with steady jobs and regular paychecks. Newberry today is close to the cultural attractions in Gainesville but still retains its rural nature The City of Newberry celebrated its 100 year anniversary in 1995. With a population approaching 5,000 Newberry is the perfect blend of old and new, country and city, activity and tranquility; filled with friendly neighbors, Southern charm, and the natural beauty of the land. A population of 7,342 as of 2020. 
The City of Newberry is home to both Champions Park of Newberry and the Easton-Newberry Sports Complex. Attracting more than 30,000 visitors annually for games and tournaments, Champions Park (originally Nations Park) was completed in June 2013 and renamed in May 2014. Located in North Central Florida, Champions Park of Newberry is located near Gainesville, Florida. Champions Park has 16 fields. Easton Newberry Sports Complex, a shared-use facility that combines the Easton Foundation Archery Center with the City of Newberry multiuse Recreation Department, and was selected by the United States Olympic Committee as a Community Olympic Development Program.
Easton Newberry Sports Complex is one of only 10 programs nationwide to be designated by the USOC for its ability to train coaches and athletes, and provide venues in the sport of archery. The Easton-Newberry Sports Complex serves as a regional archery center for all skill levels, teaching archers the National Training System of USA Archery and giving all interested archers opportunities for advancement. With 100 acres of multipurpose facilities – including dedicated areas for archery training and events – the site currently reaches 6,200 people each year.
Leroy N. Pearce in his 1914-1915 Chase Flareside truck
1920 Newberry's Suwannee Drug Company with a Model T parked in front
Inside the Suwannee Drug Company
Drug stores, hotels, barbers, photographers, milliners, dentists, and doctors were among the many thriving businesses established in town. Pool halls and an opera house were two popular forms of entertainment. And of course, schools and churches were also established to fulfill educational and spiritual needs. In many respects, early Newberry resembled a town in the old west.
Mines 1909
Newberry The Lemuel Harris drug store 1911
Prior to 1900, the ‘Newberry Miner Newspaper’ reported more than 500 men working at the 14 mines located within 6 miles of town. As the mines prospered, so did the fledgling town of Newberry. Newberry developed as a mining town after phosphate was discovered in the western part of Alachua County in 1889; and, the town was located along the route of the Savannah, Florida, and Western Railway, that in 1893 was extended southward from High Springs. A post office established in March 1894 was named Newton, but changed to Newberry in August of that year. In 1896 there were fourteen mines operating nearby, and the town had hotels, boarding houses and saloons to accommodate the area's transient and sometimes unruly population. By 1907 the city’s occupational license rolls listed livery stables, restaurants, boarding houses, hotels, barbers, cleaners, pharmacies, meat markets, general merchandise stores, photographers, bicycle shops, pool halls, saloons, side shows, and theaters. The demand for phosphate ended abruptly in 1914 when war was declared against Germany, the principal customer for Newberry's phosphate.
Phosphate washer #3
Newberry’s population of 1,500 swelled on the weekends as the miners came to town for supplies and entertainment. Cuttings and shootings were common – they kept Newberry’s three doctors busy. W. N. “Doc” Barry, Sr. worked at his mother’s pharmacy during this period. Mr. Barry described Newberry as “A real wild west town in the East.” Despite its wild nature, Newberry’s prosperity also brought the trappings of civilization in the form of churches, schools, and in 1913, an electric light plant. Those early electric customers enjoyed four hours of light each night. I-75. See below for The Historic Dudley Farm.
1916
Cheves Ice Factory
Cheves Ice Factory
Newberry Train Depot
Early 1900's
Newberry 1900’s Phosphate Plant
Newberry 1900’s Phosphate Plant
Newberry High School
Newberry School House
