Col Henry Theodore Titus Click view more comments for more photos. THE FINAL YEARS -1866-81 The wagons that brought in fish, venison and honey for Jacksonville took passengers jolting back through the sandy scrub to the new settlement of Titusville at the head of the flashing waters of the Indian River. It was named by that crippled old reprobate Colonel Henry Titus, who dominated its few houses, seven saloons and one store from a wheelchair on the veranda of his long, low hotel, a shotgun across his lap. People were attracted as much by his wild tales as by the lavish meals of venison, oysters, fish and rum punches. He had fought anti slavery mobs in bloody Kansas, was said to have escaped jail after capture by John Brown (Brown was not present at his capture), had raided Cuba and Nicaragua, but notably had run the blockade on this coast, where he had made a lot of money supplying, at high prices, medicines and anything else to the Confederate Army. A huge, mustachioed blusterer, he swaggered even in in a wheelchair among his admiring tourists. Apparently, the Titus House shared hotel customers with the Lund House. It was said that both were crude, but they set good tables. Connie White in Todays Sunrise, April 8, 1973, said: Be established a mule team to connect Titusville with the St. Johns River steamer, which ran from Lake Monroe. (Walter edit: Lake Monroe near Sanford) He also established a mail route which was carried on horseback. Titus had a machine to make shingles and fancy canes, cups and saucers and napkin rings from the native wood. Bob Hudson, when editor-publisher of the Star-Advocate, wrote in its Aug. 19, 1981, edition titled, Its Been 100 Years Since the Ageless Colonel Titus Died. He said: Titus was tireless in his efforts to convince residents such a move (making Titusville the County Seat) was important. Planning for the vote, Titus made sure local residents were freeholders (property owners) since voting eligibility on such a question was based on property ownership--even to the extent of temporarily deeding some non-property owners small parcels to make them eligible. After the successful vote, he donated the land on which the old courthouse sits today. The vote, taken on Oct. 7, 1879, was as follows: Eau Gallie, 35; Rockledge, 39, and Titusville, 135. Dave Heath, who called Titus a Scurrilous Pioneer in an article written for the Today magazine, quoted one contemporary source as having said: In 1867, rich, presumably wifeless and something of a cripple, Henry Titus came back to the camp (Sand Point) already filling up as a hideout for criminals. He built the Titus House, a hotel, in the camp, a town which by then consisted chiefly of seven Saloons. Titus also opened a store there in 1868. His stock consisted of whiskey and family supplies, though commonly short of all save the first-named article, of which he was careful to keep a full store., An editorial in the Star-Advocate of January 14, 1976, remarked: He gave employment to many here in clearing land and laying out portions of Titusville. He was a lover of beauty and had planted many shade trees we enjoy today, as well as hibiscus and other plants. How many other people have done as much for Titusville--or for other cities? In its Sept. 24, 1980 edition, the Star-Advocate reported: Titus built a sawmill and then constructed a family home of red cedar, which burned a short time later. He operated a general store J established a mule team to connect Titusville with the St. Johns River Steamer at Enterprise (north shore of Lake Monroe opposite Sanford) 1 established a mail route on horseback between the two points, established a sailboat mail route between Daytona Beach and Jupiter, invented a machine to make roof shingles, fancy canes, cups and saucers and napkin rings. In its 75th anniversay edition, the Titusville Star-Advocate had several vignettes about Titus and his town. They are as follows: 1. In its first issue, one of the advertisers was Henry T. Titus, liquor dealer. 2. Hogs often sought shelter under the old Titus House, one of the first hotels built here, while cows usually spent the nights in the main street of the village. Col. Titus, owner of the hotel, complained about this practice. 3. Our enterprising neighbor, Col. Titus, is improving the surroundings of the Titus House, preparatory to receiving winter guests. 4. In its earlier days, Titusville was quite lawless with drunks from rotten liquor. Mosquitoes were so thick, a pint cup swung through the air would garner a quart of mosquitoes. (Note: Georgiana Kjerulff, in her Tales of Old Brevard, gives credit to a John o. Breckenridge, Vice President of the Confederacy, for the mosquito quote. It was allegedly made while Colonel John Taylor Wood was escorting him during Breckenridges flight to freedom. (Breckenridge also supposedly said: I never saw such poor people. The Crackers barely had rags to cover them. This is awful country. (There is no evidence that the above-named Breckenridge was ever Vice President of the Confederacy. A John Cabel Breckenridge was Vice President of the United States under Buchanan. Later, he was a Confederate general and was also Secretary of War for the southern cause (1865) and he, too, took flight to avoid capture by Federal forces. She may be referring to this Breckenridge.) 5. Henry T. Titus was the first settler here coming in 1870 from New York state with his family. He opened roads and was responsible for many improvements which helped develop this section. The town acquired its name from him. 6. Titusville, originally called Sand Point, was used during the Civil War as a landing point for blockade runners. 7. The first settlers, led by Henry T. Titus, came to Sand Point immediately after the Civil War. 8. l870--Henry T. Titus, founder of Titusville, was forced to land here after being shipwrecked, thus founding the town. 9. Between l87e and 1875, two hotels had been erected, one of which was owned by Henry Titus. The Titus House, as it was called then, became the hub of all social life in the town. (Two small wings of the present Dixie Hotel are said to have been part of the old Titus House, one of the first hotels built here. It was operated by Col. Titus.) 10. On Jan. 5, 1880, the Board arranged to rent (the) church from Colonel H. T. Titus for $25.00 a year... on Jan. 6, rented rooms for $10.00 per month from Colonel H. T. Titus. Rooms to be used as offices for Sheriff and clerk. 11. A complaint against persons who had deliberately set fire in Titusville was registered through the Florida Star in the issue of December 8, 1880. In concluding his communication, Henry T. Titus said: Is there no manhood left in the people and no interest left for the future property of this town? If there is, investigate the recent fire and bring the guilty to condign punishment. 12. The first Court House at Titusville was built in 1882. In a letter to the Florida star, Titus berated the action of the County Assessor. He said: The unnecessary excitement over the assessment being made by the County Assessor is, at this time prematurely uncalled for. When that assessment is made the County Commissioners have the power to equalize all the acts of the Assessor under law. If justice cannot be obtained through this channel, the people have the unqualified right as freeman to apply to the Judge of this Circuit for a writ of Certiorari, to test the validity of any illegal or unjust assessment which we stand ready to do. Every good citizen must have a deep interest in the welfare of his county. Under no circumstances do we intend to be run by a one man power, who in his official position, through ignorance or prejudice, uses his power to grind the people through an unlawful and unjust assessment of taxes. The constitution of this state defines the right of every citizen against an oppression. If justice cannot be obtained in Brevard county, we can seek it beyond her borders. In the ,Weekly Floridian, August 10, 1875, the following: Cedar Keys Journal has a petition addressed to Gov. Stearns, signed by 37 citizens of Titusville, Volusia County, asking removal of H. T. Titus as Justice of the Peace. The petition states that Justice Titus refused to issue a warrant for the arrest of J.M. Hopkins, charged with assault and battery, on the grounds that he had no constable and had no authority to appoint one. The Tallahassee Sentinel, Feb. 19, 1876: H. T. Titus is listed as a notary public for Volusia County in the list of state officers. In notes copied from G.B. Christians, My Lost Millions, the following: General (sic) Titus of Titusville, founder of the settlement, had been Adjutant General of Pennsylvania, hence the title. In early life he was a soldier of fortune and his adventurous career included participation in Walkers Nicaragua expedition. In this venture Generals Walker and Titus disagreed and Titus narrowly escaped execution. They were never reconciled. Meeting later by chance at the Southern Hotel in New York, there was an immediate revolver duel at short range in which Titus received bullets which were never removed. With his uncle, Christian called on Titus to learn that muscular rheumatism forced him to live here. Titus was a man of wonderful proportions and splended appearances. As he told of his escapades his dark eyes flashed, and this with his choice selection of vituperative adjectives showed what manner of man he must have been. The natives whispered that the Generals daily habit was to sit on his verandah with a loaded rifle across his knees awaiting one or more of his local enemies carelessly to come within range of his gun. We found him a fine gentleman, however, interesting and hospitable and, moreover, the brand of his liquor drove away the remembrance of our long discredited supply. A little old barge-like boat driven by a steam wheel, the steam furnished by a saw mill boiler chained down to the deck, agreed to take Christians party from Mellonville to Salt Lake up the St. Johns. The fall from Salt Lake to the Indian River was but eleven feet, west from Titusville. To reach this lake the steamer passed through a winding branch called Snake Creek. No end of flamingoes and sand hill cranes abounded in this swamp. Two mules and a spring wagon were driven out into the water alongside the steamer for the convenience of the passengers in disembarking. By this, one of General Titus sons took passengers to Titusville. A larger wagon brought the freight. On file at FHS(?) Library, a letter from Joshua C. Chase to Watt Marchman, April 17,1942: The writer is under the impression that Colonel H. T. Titus was still living when he (writer) reached Sanford early in the spring of 1884. At that time he (Titus) was crippled, and navigated in a wheelchair. In that condition he was just as ready to fight a duel, or otherwise as at any time during his life. At the close of the War Between the States there was a great deal of smuggling going on, that was finally traced to a gang that operated in Titusville. The writers cousin named Captain Clark Dutch, served with the U.S. Navy during the war, and at its close enrolled in the Secret Service. He was assigned the job of ferretting out the smugglers and visited Titusville. In some manner Titus learned of his arrival, and notified people that it was the intention to shoot him on sight. They met in a saloon, and my cousin was fortunate enough to grab and harpoon Titus with a pair of granes, which brought him to the floor where he was overpowered and taken by my cousin to St. Augustine, which was then the headquarters for the U.S. Marshal and U.S. Court. A strong friendship sprang up between Titus and Dutch, which continued as long as they both lived--they carried on quite a correspondence. (Note: The Secret Service reports that it finds no record of an agent named Clark Dutch in its files; consequently, no court act10n by one of its agents was found.) . In its Nov. 28, 1879, edition, the Star-Advocate s staff writer , Betty Morris, said: st. Gabriels Episcopal Church••• is an architectural charm, and its the oldest church in Titusville still in continuous use. Only the old La Grange Church (site of the Titus plot) , no longer active, is older. St. Gabriels was built after the widow of Henry Titus, Mary, deeded the property to the church in 1886. (Note: Another source states that the property was donated on October 12, 1896; however, the 1886 date is probably correct.)In 1883, the first Negro school was built and had six pupils. The school was later moved (1886) to land donated by Mrs. Mary Titus. In the June 29, 1881 edition of the Jacksonville Florida Dispatch, a critic who used the nom de plume Will-o-the-Wisp said: I find (Titusville) ••• a dreary waste of white sand. I felt when I first beheld it certainly I had come to the poorest place on earth. Titus, in the Dispatchs July 10th edition, had roared back: Some unknown correspondent, who sails under the name of Will-o-the-Wisp, giving a graphic account of this section--more particularly that of Titusville. The immaculate conception of his audacity and self-esteem so strong on the Baron Munchausen order, has caused no little comment and surprise in the friends of the Dispatch Line at its publication in your valuable journal. This Knight of the Quill, Will-o-the-Wisp, as he doubtless sits on the sand hill of Cape Malabar in his vivid imagination of the surroundings, has caused his imbecile nature to soar into poetical regions to find material in order to abuse and vilify his neighbors. If the old lady from the West, instead of building a sanitarium (sic) on Merritts Island for the invalid, would erect a house for the reception and education of all such liars and itinerant quill drivers and provide a wet nurse to keep them out of mischief, she would receive the hearty thanks of every good citizen on the Indian River. Titusville is the county seat of Brevard, and is the grand center of all trade, and will so continue to be so. No slanderous article from any irresponsible person will change or alter its destiny. Her motto is to live and let live. We know no section. Indian River is our home, and for its welfare every good citizen is interested. In its August 2, 1881, edition, the weekly Floridian wrote: Mr. Henry T. Titus writes to the Titusville Star That the Enterprise and Titusville Railroad is a fixed fact, and that the road will be completed by December 31st, 1881, and that the Coast Canal Co. will commence operations at once, and pushes the work to completion with the greatest energy. So put your houses in order, your transit will soon be perfected and our Indian River country will be a continuous city from Titusville to Eau Gallia. The Dispatch ran a follow-up to the Will- o-the-Wisp story on August 3rd, and one by the will-o-the-Wisp, writer in its August 19th edition. The paper rebutted Titus article. Unfortunately, Titus did not get a chance to counter it, having died on August 7th. Titus, knowing he was in poor health, had already written his will. Dated July 2, 1880, it was as follows: I, Henry T. Titus, as life is uncertain and I wish to provide for my wife and children, in case of my death, be it known to all it may concern, that all property whether it being real estate or personal, I do hereby bequeath to my wife, Mary E. Titus, for her benefit as long as she shall live. She to have free management of the same and in case of her death it shall be equally divided between my children in accordance with law, etc. /s/ Henry T. Titus. The will was witnessed by Abraham Parkinson and Mary Parkinson. ~The Florida Star~Au9ust 10, 1881: Titusville has lost an energetic citizen in the death of Col. H. T. Titus. Died at his residency in this place on Sunday morning August 7th, Col. Henry T. Titus after a prolonged illness, aged 66 years. (Note: The age cited would have Titus born in the year 1815, the year Hanna supports. Yet, this conflicts with that entered upon his gravestone.) The Weekly Floridian, August 16, 1881: A private letter received here yesterday, says the Union of Saturday, addressed to General Edward Hopkins, from Titusville, announced the death of Col. Henry T. Titus, at his home in that village, on Sunday last, the 7th instant. There are few men more widely known in this State than was the deceased gentlemen. Although for the past few years he has suffered much from rheumatism, from the effects of which he was physically crippled, he nevertheless succeeded in accumulating a large property. At the time of his death he was Underwriters agent on the Southern coast of Florida. The death of Titus was widely reported in newspapers across the country. Most replicated accounts of his life as first published; however, others were objective in their history of him. A few were not so kind, but then men who have been widely reported upon have had their attractors and detractors. Mary Evelina, his wife, outlived him by nearly 30 years. She died at her sons (Theodore) residence at Thomasville, Georgia, in November, 1911. She is buried at the Evergreen Cemetery,Jacksonville, Florida, alongside her father. Although gone these many years, Henry Theodore Titus must relish in all his glory that his city, The Gateway to the Cape, is the center of his country s space program; that with each launch, he is with them in the shuttle when its giant engines belch forth fire and steam, shaking the very earth which covers his mortal bones. Yes, hes there with them as they hurtle into space in a machine that in the furtherest reach of his imagination he could not ever have conceived. Hes with them because he knows that those astronauts are not risking their lives just because its their job. Hes there because he knows that they, too, are just like himself, willing to risk life and limb to the fullest to pursue adventure, fame, and fortune. (wow! Imagine his thoughts when he sees women doing the same job as the men.) Theres no doubt that Titus is there, pushing to the end of the envelope. Hes there because he, just as these new Ajaxes, wants to see the elephant. Many things have been said of and about Titus, some good, some bad. But, no matter what was said, Henry Theodore Titus was, above all, one thing: a mans man; a man who lived the life of adventure; a man who believed in himself; a man who was not afraid of what others said or did. For being the man he was, he should (will) always live in the annals of history for his actions. Even if he were not remembered by historians, there is no doubt that he was part-and-parcel of his--our--country s expansion, of its trials and tribulations as it merged into the greatest nation on this earth. Regardless of how he was perceived during his life, or how historians may now write of him, he has one accomplishment which no one can deny. He has what was once a village, then a town, b
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