Wood & Swink Post Office | Evinston, Florida | Built c. 1880s
Along the quiet stretch where Alachua and Marion counties meet, the small community of Evinston, Florida, feels like a place where time has slowed down. Surrounded by moss-draped oaks and open farmland, the town appears untouched by the fast pace of modern life. At its center stands a charming wooden building that has become a local icon: the Wood & Swink Community Store and Post Office, one of the oldest continuously operating post offices in Florida.
A Railroad Town Begins
The story of Evinston began in 1882 with the arrival of the Florida Southern Railroad, which led to the formation of the town. It was named after Captain W. D. Evins, a landowner from South Carolina and a veteran of the Confederate Army. He helped bring the railroad through the area by granting a right-of-way across his land. Afterward, he moved his family to Evinston and built a home that reportedly cost two thousand dollars and took two years to complete.
Long before the railroad, this land was part of the Arredondo Grant of 1817, a large Spanish land grant originally held by N. Brush. Two sections of this land were later purchased by the Evins family. When the railroad arrived, a depot was built in 1884, and the town began to grow.
Evinston soon became a hub for agriculture. In addition to the general store and post office, the town included several other stores, a schoolhouse, churches, a grist mill, a blacksmith shop, and packing houses. The area became known for its orange groves until the devastating freezes of the 1890s, which ended the citrus industry in the region. Farmers then shifted their focus to crops and cattle, an industry that still supports the area today. Passenger rail service ended in 1956, and the tracks were removed by 1982. The depot was relocated the same year passenger service ceased.
The Wood & Swink Store and Post Office
The Evinston Community Store and Post Office has a long and interesting history. Some sources say it was built in 1882 by Micanopy merchant S. H. Benjamin as a warehouse for railroad freight. Others believe it was constructed in 1884 by W. P. Shettleworth using heart pine. Eventually, Joseph Wolfenden acquired the building and operated it as a general store. The post office, first established in 1882, was later moved into the same structure.
One report suggests that a local postmaster purchased the building two years after it was built and used it for retail and postal purposes. The post office became a permanent fixture in the building in 1913. The structure was moved slightly in 1956 to accommodate road improvements. Located across from the original depot site, the store has remained a central meeting place ever since.
The store’s long legacy became even more rooted in the community when H. D. Wood and his brother-in-law, Robert Evins, took over in the early 1900s. Some sources say the transfer happened in 1905, others list 1906 or 1909. Their ownership reportedly followed a dramatic event where former owner John Hester left town after a violent shooting. Robert Evins passed away in 1910, and the Wood family continued managing the store.
The name Swink was added later, when Paul Swink, another brother-in-law, invested in the business around 1926 or possibly in 1934. Although he sold his share a short time later, the name remained on the front of the store and continues to be used today.
A Legacy of Postmasters
The Wood family became known not just for running the store but also for serving the community through the post office. In 1934, Fred Wood Sr. became postmaster and served for 44 years, which remains the longest tenure for a Florida postmaster. When he retired in 1979, his daughter-in-law, Wilma Sue Woo,d took over. She served until 2010, adding another 31 years to the family’s legacy. In 1990, she and her husband, Fred Wood Jr. ,became co-owners of the store…