What is the history of Titusville, Florida?
The area was once inhabited by the Ais (tribe)Ais Indigenous peoples of the AmericasIndians, who gathered palmetto, cocoplum and seagrape berries. They also fishingfished the Indian River (Florida)Indian River, called the Rio de Ais by SpainSpanish explorers. By 1760, however, the tribe had disappeared due to slave raids, disease and rum. Florida was acquired from Spain in 1821, but the Seminole Wars would delay settlement. Originally called “Sand Point,” a post office was established in 1859, although it closed a few months later. Confederate States of AmericaConfederate Colonel Henry T. Titus arrived in 1867 with the intention to build a town on land owned by his wife, Mary Hopkins Titus, daughter of a prominent planter from Darien, Georgia. He laid out roads and in 1870 erected The Titus House, a large 1-story hotel next to a Bar (establishment)saloon. He also donated land for 4 churches and a courthouse, the latter an effort to get the town designated as county seat. The community
