Sumica, alternatively written as SUMICA, was a mill town in

Polk County, Florida Polk County () is a County (United States), county located in the Central Florida, central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. The county population was 725,046, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, and estimated to be 818,330, as ...

, United States. The

ghost town A ghost town, deserted city, extinct town, or abandoned city is an abandoned settlement, usually one that contains substantial visible remaining buildings and infrastructure such as roads. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economi ...

is commemorated by a historical marker off S.R. 60. There is also a

Southwest Florida Water Management District The Southwest Florida Water Management District (or SWFWMD, pronounced as "swiftmud" based on the word acronym) is one of five regional agencies directed by Florida state law to protect and preserve water resources. Established in 1961, the agen ...

preserve in the area named for the former logging settlement and mill town. Goods from a company store in the town could be purchased with company issued currency, including 25 cent and 5 cent

scrip A scrip (or ''wikt:chit#Etymology 3, chit'' in India) is any substitute for legal tender. It is often a form of credit (finance), credit. Scrips have been created and used for a variety of reasons, including exploitative payment of employees un ...

. Sumica was developed to exploit the long leaf pine and

slash pine ''Pinus elliottii'', commonly known as slash pine,Family, P. P. (1990). Pinus elliottii Engelm. slash pine. ''Silvics of North America: Conifers'', (654), 338. is a Pinophyta, conifer tree native to the Southeastern United States. Slash pine is n ...

forests in the area. Sumica had rail built to bring timber to its mill and was connected by rail lines to turpentine factories. The railway connected to a Seaboard Airline Railway branch line. "Sumica" is an acronym for the French company Société Universelle des Mines, Industrie Commerce et Agriculture. The company built the town's sawmill and turpentine plant.Sumica historical marker A Sumica post office was opened on March 19, 1917. Sumica included 50 houses, a commissary, church, and school. The Kissimmee River Railway, a branch line of the Seaboard Airline Railway served the area with service to Walinwa on

Lake Weohyakapka Lake Weohyakapka is a lake in Polk County, Florida, in the United States. The name is derived from the Creek language, most likely meaning "walking on water". The turpentine settlement of Walinwa (Walk In Water) was once located by the lake and w ...

and Nalaca in Highlands County. The area was

deforested Deforestation or forest clearance is the removal and destruction of a forest or stand of trees from land that is then converted to non-forest use. Deforestation can involve conversion of forest land to farms, ranches, or urban use. Ab ...

by 1927 and abandoned. Some foundation ruins remain in the area. A hiking trail is located in the area.

References

Ghost towns in Florida Former populated places in Polk County, Florida {{PolkCountyFL-geo-stub