A ghost town called Rollestown is located on the outskirts of Orlando, Florida. It is a small site located in Putnam County, where a farming community lived that never grew anything And to this day there is only one memorial left to visit.
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Although there is not much detailed information about this settlement, it is known that it was formed in the early colonization of Florida, in the year 1767when an English aristocrat, Denys Rolle, arrived in the area with the objective to establish an agricultural community, taking advantage of the fertile lands along the Saint Johns River.
However, its development was as rapid as its fall. Rolle intended create a self-sufficient plantation, with 200 slaves working, initially focused on rice and cotton. But the community did not prosper as expected. Economic difficulties, problems with labor and poor administration led to Rollestown disappearing.
According to an article published by Florida Historical Quarterlythe colony It was abandoned in 1738“despite the eloquent requests of her loyal subjects, England was forced to surrender Florida to Spain, in exchange for certain positions in the West Indies.”
How to visit Rollestown
Today so there is only one sign left of that ghost town that It never became a settled colony. A large sign will welcome you commemorating “Site of the colony of Denys Rolle, English philanthropist. The settlement, made up of 200 indentured servants from the streets of London, was founded in 1767. It did not prosper and the settlers dispersed.”
It is only found 40 minutes from downtown Orlandoabout 228 kilometers. The easiest way to get there is by car, crossing Interstate 4 for about an hour and 40 minutes. Although the sign is there, there are some demarcations that denote that a community wanted to settle there.
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