Havana Hub – Havana, Florida

Tag: Gadsden County

Who Named Havana, Florida?

Have you ever wondered who decided to call our town Havana?

The answer goes back to the early 1900s, when the railroad was helping transform the area and shade tobacco was becoming big business in Gadsden County.

According to local history, James Mathewson, a local schoolteacher, proposed the name “Havana.” The reason was simple: the shade tobacco grown around here was used for cigar wrappers, and the hand-rolled cigars made from local tobacco were considered comparable to those coming from Havana, Cuba.

The name stuck.

Havana was officially incorporated on December 5, 1906, and the town’s connection to tobacco would become a major part of its identity for decades.

Today, most people know Havana for antiques, art, historic buildings and small-town charm. But underneath all of that is a name that tells an important story about the crop that helped put this community on the map.

So now you know the answer…

James Mathewson named Havana. And he named it Havana because of the tobacco.

September 15, 2026
Here’s What You Missed, Havana.

If you stayed home this weekend, you missed a good one.

Havana was buzzing Saturday with WoodFest downtown and the Planters Exchange’s Out of the Attic Vintage Market at the Havana History & Heritage Museum.

At WoodFest, the Brown Family, Ryan and Paige won the pallet contest, and Katherine Klein took home the beautiful table from the raffle. Teresa Rever and Maria LaRue finished 2nd and 3rd respecively. Not a bad day at WoodFest!

Meanwhile, vintage hunters were digging through treasures at the Out of the Attic market, along with some delicious offerings from Doering’s Doughs who was among the local vendors.

And the fun didn’t stop in Havana. In Quincy, Anna Wescoat filled the house at Burned Beard Brewing, while Flea Across Florida brought out the bargain hunters and the Lake 38 Pro-Am put world-class waterskiing on the weekend schedule.

Woodworking. Vintage finds. Live music. Shopping. Watersports.

Pretty good reminder that there’s always something happening around here.

What did we miss? Drop your weekend highlights in the comments below.

September 14, 2026
WoodFest Is New… But That’s How Havana’s Traditions Begin

If you’ve been around Havana for a while, you probably think of certain things when you hear the word “tradition.” The historic downtown, shade tobacco, antique shops, PumpkinFest… The places and events that have been part of Havana for years.

WoodFest isn’t one of those… at least not yet.

Havana’s first WoodFest was held in 2022, bringing woodworkers, artists, vendors and handmade creations into downtown. It was a new idea built around something that has been part of the area’s history: wood and the timber industry.

Now, WoodFest is back for it’s fourth year. And maybe someday, people will have a hard time remembering Havana without it.

Havana WoodFest
Downtown Havana
Saturday September 12th 2026
10am-4pm

Remember When Havana Had…

One of the fun things about living in a town with as much history as Havana is realizing just how much has changed. Take downtown.

In 1959, you could stop by Spencer Scott’s IGA on 7th Avenue to buy your groceries. The store was located between Main Street and 1st Street West.

And if you wanted a night out, you could head over to the Havana Theatre on 7th Avenue near Main Street. (I am sure there are lots more you remember, let us know in the comments)

The Havana Theatre opened in 1940 and was a part of downtown Havana until it closed in the 1960s. The last movie reportedly shown there was The Day of the Triffids. The grocery store is gone. The theater is gone. The downtown Havana they belonged to has changed considerably. But that’s how small-town history works.

Businesses come and go. Buildings get new lives. New events appear on the calendar. And eventually, the things that once seemed completely ordinary become the stories we tell.

Maybe WoodFest Will Be One of Those Stories

WoodFest is still new. There isn’t decades of history behind it yet. But that’s how traditions start. Someone has an idea. People show up. They do it again the next year… and then again. Before long, something that was once new becomes part of the town.

So when you head downtown for WoodFest this Saturday, September 12th, 2026, take a look around. Enjoy the woodworkers, handmade creations, food and music. But also take a moment to think about the Havana that was here before. The grocery stores. The movie theater. The businesses. The people. And all the things that haven’t happened yet.

Because someday, WoodFest itself might be one of those things someone says:”I don’t remember a September without WoodFest”

What else do you remember Havana having that no longer exists?

September 10, 2026
Havana This Week… WoodFest, Vintage Finds, Waterskiing & a Whole Lot More

September 8–13, 2026

If you were thinking about staying home this weekend, you might want to rethink that.

There is a lot happening around Havana and Gadsden County this week, with Havana WoodFest, a vintage market, a major waterski competition, live music, and a Highway 90 treasure hunt all packed into Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

In other words… you have options.

WoodFest takes over downtown Havana

The big one in Havana this weekend is WoodFest 2026, happening Saturday, September 12, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in downtown Havana.

Havana Main Street is turning downtown into an open-air celebration of woodworking, craftsmanship and local creativity, with handmade wood art, furniture, gifts, demonstrations, food and more.

And if you’ve never been to WoodFest before, this isn’t just an event for people who know the difference between a planer and a jointer.

There will be plenty to see, eat and explore, and it’s a pretty good excuse to spend a Saturday walking around downtown Havana and checking out the local shops while you’re there.

WoodFest 2026
Saturday, September 12
10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Downtown Havana

Looking for something you can’t find at Walmart?

Also happening Saturday is the Out of the Attic Vintage Market at the Havana History & Heritage Museum.

The market runs alongside Woodfest and brings vintage and antique vendors onto the museum grounds. Be sure to catch, Doering’s Doughs inside soaking up the A/C and selling some delicious breads and sweets.

So yes, you can absolutely make a morning of it.

Grab some breakfast, go hunting for something you didn’t know you needed, walk downtown for WoodFest, grab lunch and do some shopping around Havana.

That’s a pretty solid Saturday.

Meanwhile, heading towards Quincy… the water is going to be moving

If you’ve never watched professional waterskiing in person, this is your chance.

The S-Lines Lake 38 Pro-Am returns to Lake 38 in Quincy on Saturday and Sunday, September 12–13.

The event brings elite professional slalom skiers from around the world to Gadsden County for a weekend of competition.

And perhaps the best part for spectators?

It’s free.

S-Lines Lake 38 Pro-Am
September 12–13
Lake 38, Quincy
Free admission

It’s one of those events that sounds a little unusual until you actually watch it… and then you understand why people get hooked.

Friday night: Anna Wescoat at Burned Beard

Before Saturday gets rolling, you can kick off the weekend Friday night at Burned Beard Brewing in Quincy with Anna Wescoat.

It’s a good excuse to grab some food, have a drink and listen to some live music without having to drive all the way into Tallahassee.

And if you’re already planning to spend Saturday in Havana or at Lake 38, Friday night gives you one more reason to start the weekend early.

And then there’s Flea Across Florida

If digging through old stuff looking for something awesome is your idea of a good time, don’t overlook Flea Across Florida.

The Highway 90 treasure hunt is happening Friday and Saturday, with Padgett’s Jewelers in downtown Quincy participating from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. both days.

The whole idea is basically a giant roadside treasure hunt… antiques, collectibles, yard-sale finds and those completely random things you didn’t know you needed until you saw them sitting on a table for five bucks.

You know how this works.

You leave the house looking for one thing and come home with six things you absolutely cannot explain.

So what’s the plan?

Honestly, Saturday could be a pretty great Gadsden County day without going very far.

Start in Havana for the Out of the Attic Vintage Market.

Stick around for WoodFest.

Grab lunch and wander through downtown.

Then head toward Quincy and check out Lake 38… or make Flea Across Florida your excuse to explore along Highway 90.

And if you still have energy left, there’s always Sunday.

Because this weekend is a pretty good reminder that you don’t necessarily have to drive to Tallahassee to find something interesting to do.

There’s a lot going on right here at home.

If you’re going to one of these events, tell us what you’re looking forward to… and if we missed something happening around Havana or Gadsden County this weekend, let us know in the comments so we can add it.

September 8, 2026
Gadsden County Was Once Much, Much Bigger

If you look at a map of Gadsden County, Florida today, it seems pretty straightforward. Quincy. Havana. Chattahoochee. Greensboro. Gretna. Midway. A relatively small county tucked between Leon County and the Apalachicola River.

But that wasn’t always Gadsden County.

Not even close.

When Gadsden County was created on June 24, 1823, it was the fifth county established in Florida. And the county created that day covered a huge portion of what we now think of as North Florida. Its original boundaries stretched from Georgia to the Gulf of Mexico and from the Suwannee River west to the Apalachicola River.

That’s a lot of territory.

Gadsden Before Florida Was a State

There’s another interesting piece of the story: when Gadsden County was created, Florida wasn’t a state yet.

Florida had only recently become a U.S. territory, and its government was still being organized. Counties were being created to bring some structure to a territory that was still largely frontier.

Gadsden was carved out of Jackson County and named for James Gadsden, a military officer who had served with Andrew Jackson and later became a planter and member of Florida’s territorial legislature.

For a short time, the new county even included the area that would become Florida’s territorial capital.

Then things changed quickly.

A County Begins to Shrink

On December 29, 1824, just a year and a half after Gadsden County was created, the territorial legislature established Leon County from Gadsden and Duval counties.

That meant the area that would become Tallahassee and much of present-day Leon County was no longer part of Gadsden. And Gadsden wouldn’t stop losing territory there.

In 1832, Franklin County was created from portions of Gadsden and Washington counties. In 1855, Liberty County was created from Gadsden. There were additional boundary exchanges and adjustments over the years.

Eventually, the enormous county created in 1823 became the much smaller Gadsden County we recognize today.

Interestingly, the boundary story didn’t end in the 1800s. Gadsden and neighboring counties continued to make smaller boundary adjustments into the 20th century, including a 1933 change involving the Ochlockonee River and Leon County.

Meanwhile, Communities Were Taking Shape

As the county and its boundaries evolved, so did the communities inside it. Quincy was incorporated in 1828 and became the county seat.

Agriculture became an important part of the local economy, with crops such as cotton, sugar cane and tobacco playing significant roles in the county’s early history. Later, shade tobacco became particularly important to the Havana area.

The communities we recognize today didn’t all develop at the same time, and each has its own story. That’s part of what makes Gadsden County’s history so interesting. The county isn’t simply one story… it’s a collection of stories that developed alongside one another as Florida changed.

And those stories go back much further than 1823.

Native peoples had lived in this region long before the creation of Gadsden County or the arrival of American territorial government. The early years of the county were also marked by conflict on the Florida frontier, including raids associated with Creek and Seminole groups.

The map may have changed, but the people and communities that shaped this place continued to leave their mark.

So How Big Was Gadsden County?

Here’s the part that’s fun to remember.

The next time you’re sitting in Havana, driving through Quincy, or heading west toward the Apalachicola River, you’re looking at only a fraction of the territory that once carried the name Gadsden County.

Land that is now part of Leon County was once Gadsden County. Parts of today’s Franklin and Liberty counties were once Gadsden County, too. So the next time you cross the county line into Gadsden County, remember…

You’re entering a county that once stretched all the way from Georgia to the Gulf between the Apalachicola and Suwannee Rivers.

August 25, 2026
County Commission says “No” to Tipsy’s

The Gadsden County Commission has voted against allowing Tipsy’s to operate as a full-time bar and lounge in Havana, bringing an end, for now, to a proposal that drew significant public attention.

In a 4–1 decision, commissioners upheld the recommendation of the planning and zoning committee as well as staff recommendations denying the requested special exception for the property located at 6766 Fla-Ga Highway. Commissioner Brenda Holt cast the lone vote in favor of the request, while the remaining board members sided with staff and committee concerns.

The issue prompted a notable turnout at the commission meeting, with community members speaking both in support of and in opposition to the proposed change. Supporters argued the business could bring new energy to the area, and that the owners should be given a chance. Opponents raised concerns about noise, traffic, and the potential negative impact on the surrounding community, including a church and daycare.

Ultimately, the commission’s decision reflects those concerns, keeping the property from transitioning into a full-time bar or lounge under the current request.

May 6, 2026