Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: During the 1870s, Scotsman Charles S. Edgar mined kaolin clay deposits for the Edgar Brothers Clay Company of Metuchen, New Jersey. This clay was used to make heat- resistant bricks and hearth tiles. As the company expanded, Edgar began searching for higher purity kaolin white clays. After learning of a phosphate discovery in Florida, Edgar traveled to Florida where he located a deposit of kaolin between Interlachen and Hawthorne. By 1888, Edgar had developed a process to mine the kaolin from the surrounding fine-grained, white sand. In 1892, he incorporated the Edgar Plastic Kaolin Company. To provide for the needs of his approximately 50 employees, he founded the Town of Edgar in 1883. The town included housing, a company store, a chapel, and a post office. The Edgar Post Office began operations in 1894 and was originally located in the town’s company store. Later, the post office relocated to this small building which was constructed in 1960. The Edgar Post Office served the community until it closed in June 2010.