Elfers, Near New Port Richey, Was A Thriving Citrus Town Until This Happened In 1966

Elfers is one of those little areas you pass through going from somewhere to another with hardly any thought. It's definitely an odd name, and it turns out it has an odd history too.

The Historic Baker HousePhoto byWikipedia

Elfers, one of the oldest settlements in West Pasco County, was the center of a booming citrus business. So much so that neighboring Tarpon Springs continued their railroad line from Tampa to Elfers, later into New Port Richey. This can be attributed to the area's perfect growing "soil" for citrus. I put quotations around soil because we all know there is no soil here in Florida, just sand and dirty sand. Elfers had the perfect sand as well as a unique blend of "swamp muck" that citrus trees absolutely loved. The old timers will tell you that you couldn't keep citrus under control it grew so well.

“Elfers Winner,” “Elf,” “Tavern,” “Gulf,” and “Whoopee” fruit labels came from Elfers citrus groves, owned by Elfers Citrus Growers Association and Sans Souci Growers. Their little character label, however, was a bit... well, you tell me.

Sans Souci Groves labelPhoto byFlorida Citrus Hall Of Fame

One of the coolest things about Elfers now is the Baker House, at 5744 Moog Road in Elfers. This is the oldest cracker house in western Pasco County, partly because Pasco has a tendency to tear everything down, BUT this place has miraculously survived. It has been restored as a museum and is open to the public, and you should absolutely go visit it. Mr. Baker bought this land back in the day, paying a dollar an acre. I won't ruin the surprise for you; I'll give you a hint, it has to do with the strange construction technique. Anyway, go see it!

Back to Elfers: in 1966, tragedy struck. A massive fire broke out at the packing plant and wiped absolutely everything out. It burned to its foundation, and continued to glow for days afterwards. They only lost a few crates of oranges, however, because they had all just gone out for shipment a few days before. Three surrounding counties responded to help fight the blaze, made more dangerous by multiple chemical explosions and a 6,000 gallon fuel storage tank, which, thankfully, did not explode. The insurance for the plant only covered a small portion of the damage, and the packing plant went under. With it went Elfers.

1966 fire and explosion that took out the Elfers citrus packing plantPhoto byWikipedia

Elfers still technically exists as a census-designated place, addresses north of Moog Road—have New Port Richey addresses, and those south of Moog Road have Holiday addresses.

Do you have any memories of Elfers in it's prime? Do you remember the fire of March 1966? Let us know in the comments below!

Attributions:

Days of Citrus Past - Elfers, Florida. (n.d.). https://floridacitrushalloffame.blogspot.com/2018/01/days-of-citrus-past-elfers-florida.html

Elfers Exhibit - West Pasco Historical Society. (2023, June 8). West Pasco Historical Society. https://westpascomuseum.org/explore/elfers-exhibit/

Elfers, Florida. (2023, July 10). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elfers,_Florida

The Baker House, Pasco County, Florida. (n.d.). https://www.fivay.org/baker_house.html