LIVING LEGENDS Local Legend Recalls Early Zephyrhills
By GARY S. HATRICK
Craig Miller, 88, is a true Zephyrhills native. He lived it, that’s what makes him a legend.
Zephyrhills is rapidly changing. Those who lived here 30 or 40 years ago can tell you what a sleepy little town it used to be - especially in the winter. To Craig Miller, however, they are Johnny-Come-Latelys.
Craig Miller, 88, is a true Zephyrhills native. Born in 1936 to George and Viola Miller, transplants from Ohio. When he grew up there was no US301, few telephones and believe it or not: cattle drives.
The Millers lived on Main Street when he was born. Their house, built in 1883, sat right where the United Methodist Church stands today, complete with rabbits, chickens and ducks and a big garden. His family also owned property south of Hillsborough River State Park, and Craig used to ride his horse to the property and back, tethering his horse on Main Street.
Eventually, the family moved, but not out of the house. “When the old Methodist church wanted to enlarge, my dad told them, ‘If you’ll pay to move the house, I’ll let you have that city block,’ recalled Miller. “So, they agreed and moved the house.” The house was moved, lock, stock, and barrel to Austin Avenue near Meadowood Loop. “I’m still in that house today,” Miller added.
Except for his college days, a stint in the U.S. Air Force, and a couple of years in Louisiana, Miller has been in Zephyrhills all of his life. He has seen the city change from a small farming community to the bustling and growing city it is today.
“Right across from our house they had what they called a band building,” Miller said. “Every Monday night we had a city band and they would oomp-pah-pah across the street. Then on Sunday afternoon they would play down at Zephyr Lake. There was a big band shell down there made out of rock. Sunday afternoon was a fun time for the town.
When they weren’t working or picnicking with the community, Miller’s dad would go bobcat hunting. Miller and his brothers would fish or capture alligators from a boat. Farming, especially cattle farming, was big in those days and the cattle from different farms grazed together on an open range. Every now and then the livestock needed to be gathered, and there would be a cattle drive. “They would be driven from Hillsborough State Park to Wesley Chapel, (Wesley Chapel was one little gas station and a mom and pop) or Greer Hill, and out to the Green Swamp, and we’d go out to where Silver Oaks is now and they had a great big holding pen. They branded all the calves, and the cattle you wanted to go to the market got penned up, and all the rest of them were let out again. They did that twice a year.”
Another pastime for some was operating a moonshine still. “There were a lot of moonshine stills around here,” Miller laughed. His family didn’t have one, but he knew where they were. He tells of a man who helped the law bust up moonshine stills, but who kept one in his garage - apparently, his law work was simply eliminating the competition.
Miller’s memories are far more extensive. There is not enough room for them all: Like riding the train that used to stop at the depot at the site of the Village Inn, or being the second family in town to get a telephone. He saw the building of an overpass on US301 and Fort King Road and the demolition of it in the early 80s. He remembers the petition that had to be signed to allow McDonald’s to come into town.
He remembers because he lived it, that’s what makes him a legend. ©
