Fort Atkinson: A temporary U. S. Post located 3 miles west of Charles Ferry on the Suwannee River, was established January 18, 1839.  Was established by Company "C" 6th Infantry, Lt. James Monroe, Commanding Officer.

Fort Atkinson was named in honor of Colonel Henry Atkinson, 6th Infantry. The fort was abandoned on July 6, 1839. (NOTE by Al Barrs: One hundred years before I was born in Lafayette County.)

Fort Atkinson was a wood pole stockade fort with a 2-story lookout tower in a corner and a lower story for the garrison of its officers and troops.

Fort Atkinson was built on the shore of Lake Atkinson in Lafayette County to counter Indian attacks on the settlers in the area.  The Brewer Lake Baptist Church in Day Florida used Lake Atkinson, in later years, for baptisms when Brewer Lake was dried up.  I (A. F. Barrs) was baptized in Lake Atkinson in the 1950's. I caught my first black bass with my Dad 'Fonso' Barrs one rainy day while wading and casting artificial plugs.  Dad also caught a 14-3/4 pound bass in Old Grassy Pond west of our home, the old Four-Mile Creek School and behind Uncle T. L.
Morgan's home west of State Road #53.

LOP&G: The LOP&G Railroad came to Day Florida in 1905.  It's coming was celebrated with a big fish fry.  At this time Day had become more assessable because of better means of transportation.  Until the train began running in 1905 groceries and merchandise were either hauled to Day from Madison by mule and wagon or by steamboats, which ran the Suwannee River and landed at the old Seed Landing 2 miles east of Day.

The Day Florida LOP&G Railroad Depot.  We called it the 'Lop-'n-gopher' during the 1940-50's when I was growing up in Lafayette County.  The official name was the Live Oak, Perry and Gulf Railroad.  I only got to ride it once with Grand Ma Bell.  I had been staying the summer at her and Grand Pa Bell's farm.  My folks lived in Tallahassee at the time and she took me home on the LOP&G and Dad picked us up at the end of the line as I recall or we may have switched to another line, I don't remember the details.  I also remember living at Day and the LOP&G conductor would occasionally toss off a hand full of fresh oranges for we kids to hustle out and pick up.  That was a real treat.  Grand Pa had two Satsuma orange trees growing at his farm, but Grand Ma was might sting with them.  She would reward us with one on special occasions.  And, they were the best oranges I ever ate!  The depot was located north of the Day Cemetery across the dirt road and rail line and on the dirt road running up to State Road 53.  We loaded many boxcar loads of watermelons on the siding between the depot and the wooden railroad water tank, which we used for swimming when we could sneak up to the top.

The tracks ran between Grand Pa Bell and Uncle Drew Bell's farms and east of Aunt Orle Parker's farm where we lived.  This was where the old 'Four-Mile Creek School' house stood.  We lived in the old school house and boy was it big to we kids.  My youngest brother, Wayman Barrs, was born there.  We had lots of fun walking the LOP&G railroad tracks and trestle over Four-Mile Creek, which ran to the south of the old school and north of Grand Pa Bell and Uncle Drew Bell's farms.

There were two sand bottom lakes behind the old school where we would swim and take badly needed baths after a long day cropping tobacco.  I hunted squirrel with a single shot Remington 22 Dad gave me in the oak hammock along Four-Mile Creek many times.  During droughts the creek would dry up because of the St. Mary's canal digging in San Pedro Bay.  Then, all the kinfolks would come and we would take chicken wire and seine the lakes and have a big fish fry.

Masonic Lodge: The Day Masonic Lodge Number 166 was established in 1907. Isaac Newton Barrs was a member.  He and Great Grandmother Mary Elizabeth Boyette/Barrs have Masonic head markers in the Day Cemetery.