The Brush Store and Interlachen's First Post Office

Mr. Charles A. Brush was one of the very first residents of Interlachen. He moved here in 1882. He was the Town's Station Master years before the Town was even incorporated.

In the early 1880s, the story goes that his wife, Elizabeth A. Brush was tired of baking biscuits in tin cans so she asked Charles to order her some muffin tins. Before long her friends were asking her to order things for them and soon, Charles decided to build a store.  

The Brush Store was built in 1883 by Charles and Elizabeth Brush and it is one of the vintage buildings that is still standing in Interlachen. The store and Post Office were on the ground floor and the family lived upstairs.

The people who moved to Interlachen would sometimes receive mail addressed to their name in either Blue Pond or the alternate name, Interlachen, Florida. Mr. Brush would give the mail to his wife who would place it in her apron pocket where she carried it around until she met the person it was addressed to, and then she would "deliver the mail".

When the Town was incorporated and wanted to start a real Post Office, they were told that they could not have two names so they settled on Interlachen and since Mrs. Brush was already in charge of delivering the mail, she became the first Post Mistress. The Post Office was located at the back of the store.

Mr. and Mrs. Brush had a son, Charles E. Brush who had worked for many years in the seed business. Charles E. took over operation of the store in 1931.

Charles E. Brush married Martha Baird, a widow. Martha took her place with the rest of the Brush family, running the store and the Post Office. It is interesting to note that Martha's daughter, Virginia married Franklin Smith who was also an Interlachen Post Master. Mr. Smith was a long time Interlachen mayor and an early advocate of starting a museum to preserve Interlachen History. Mr. and Mrs. Smith bought the old Lake View House Hotel. When the Historical Society was first asking for donations the Smiths were very generous with their pictures and memorabilia. Their daughter, Janet Smith Davis is now an active member of the Historical Society as well as the Town where until recently she served on the Town Council and was the Chairman of the organization to protect Interlachen's trees. The Brush-Smith family is one of the few that have a 120 year history that coincides with the Town and is still ongoing.

The Brush Family owned and operated the store until Charles E. Brush was in his 80's in the late 1960s when he sold the store.

In the year 2000, Mary Lou Dawson and other members of the Historical Society attended a meeting at the Matheson Center in Gainesville, a museum dedicated to the history of Gainesville and the surrounding area. Mary Lou was very impressed with the displays and dioramas which were on display.

The Historical Society opened a museum in Interlachen Hall .Mary Lou is a charter member of the Society and hopes to be able to help make Interlachen's history come alive through displays of antiques and new items that tell the story of "the good old days". She and her husband, Lynn recently finished the book, Interlachen Memories and they hope to continue sharing their knowledge about Interlachen.

Mary Lou decided to make a scale model of Interlachen's First Post Office/ Brush Store. She started in by collecting, making and buying items with which to furnish the house and store. She took classes in porcelain doll making about 20 years ago in the old store so she knew what the interior looked like. She was helped in her research by her neighbor,  Mrs. Virginia Smith who grew up in the building and Mrs. Smith's daughter, Janet Smith Davis who spent many hours there visiting her grandparents.

Building the model began in earnest in March of 2003. It is made out of a product called Foam Core Board which is a lightweight "sandwich" of foam encased in cardboard. Mary Lou also used wood cut to the scale of one inch equaling one foot of the real building. Although it is a "miniature" it is quite large. 

The project has been a labor of love. Everyone who has seen it has commented on the feeling that they are really in an old store. It seems to have a very nostalgic effect on people. Some have expressed a desire to be made 5 inches tall for a little while so they could browse through the store and visit in the living quarters!

Mary Lou based her model on many pictures that she has collected of the building. The outside is like a picture taken in 1915 from a post card sent in 1917. Electricity came to Interlachen in 1928, and since the model has electricity, it represents some time later than that year. However, posters, ads and even the fashions on display in the store run the gamut from the turn of the century to the 1940s. Since the actual building is still standing, Mary Lou figures the model could represent any time in its history. 

The model can be seen in Interlachen Hall.

On November 4th "First Coast News" (channel 12 in Jacksonville) broadcast a feature about the Old town Hall and the Brush store.  Here is a transcript of that broadcast: 

Firstcoastnews.com