The man for whom Earleton is named, established his plantation on the west side of Lake Santa Fe ca. 1858. He had fought in the Mexiacan War as a private in the Palmetto Regiment of the South Carolina Volunteers and been appointed in 1857 a Brigadier General in the South Carolina Militia. He was a founder of the Santa Fe Canal Company incorporated by an act of the Florida Legislature in March 1887. In May 1887 the Rosetta Post Office established in the previous year near Earle's Plantation was renamed Earleton. The live oak allee in Earleton is a vestige of the communitie's early history.
2. Baylis Earle House
This house was the home of Elias Earle's daughter, Lelia, and her husband, Baylis Earle. The two were married in 1872. Baylis Earle, who had arrived in Florida by 1870 with his brother Drayton, was an orphaned relative of the General. Despite additions which have been made the original design of the house remains the same. There is a wide central hall, four large rooms with high ceilings, and a spacious porch.
3. Santa Fe Canal
After a survey was completed in 1877, dredging of the canal began in April 1878. Lake Alto was reached in May 1879; Little Lake Santa Fe in March 1881. The F.S. Lewis, a 90 foot side-wheeler built in Waldo, made its first trip through the 30 foot wide canal on April 26, 1881. In 1885 it was replaced by the Alert, which had come by rail from Jacksonville, had a cabin and passenger acccomodations, measured 55-60 feet in length with a 12-14 foot beam, and had a 3 1/2 to 4 foot draft. Goods carried by the steamers included citrus, strawberries, peaches, vegetables, cotton, naval stores, and coffins of deceased northern settlers and visitors. Businessmen, local travelers, tourists, and visitors traveled by boat until hyacinths clogged the canal and the Alert ceased to operate in 1907. By 1920 autos and trucks served as the means of transport between Waldo and Melrose.
This information has been researched and compiled by the Alachua County Historical Commission, and sponsered by the Alachua County Board of County Commissioners as part of the Alachua County Historical Tour Series (1992)