Florence, Washington

Florence, Washington
Florence, Washington
Unincorporated community
	Florence Florence
	Coordinates: 48°13′14″N 122°19′55″W / 48.22056°N 122.33194°W
Country	United States
State	Washington
County	Snohomish
Time zone	UTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-7 (PDT)

Florence is an unincorporated community in Snohomish County, in the U.S. state of Washington.^[1] It's located on Florence Island in the Stillaguamish River delta.^[2]

History

A post office called Florence was established in 1884, and remained in operation until 1949.^[3] The community was platted in 1866 and named after the love interest of an early postmaster.^[4]

During its heyday, Florence had several hotels, bars and restaurants, as well as a stagecoach line and dock for sternwheelers.^[5] Florence eventually lost out to nearby Stanwood as the area's main center of commerce.^[6]

References

^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Florence, Washington
^ "Snohomish County – Florence". An Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties. Interstate Publishing Company. 1906. p. 368. Similar to Stanwood in its general surroundings and in the nature of the occupations to which it is open is the village of Florence. This pleasant little place is located upon the south bank of the Stillaguamish river three and a half miles by boat and two miles by road east of Stanwood. It is located upon what may be called the delta of the river created by the sediment brought down through ages by that stream and by the spreading channels with which it enters the waters of the sound. A few miles above Florence the main river divides and a channel known as Hat slough leaves it toward the South. A little below Florence the river is again divided, what is known as South slough parting from it. Thus between the main river and the two sloughs and the waters of the sound lies a beautiful and fertile island. This is known as Florence island. The town of Florence is at the head of regular steamboat navigation on the Stillaguamish river.
^ "Post Offices". Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from the original on March 6, 2016. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
^ Meany, Edmond S. Origin of Washington geographic names. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 87. Florence, a town in Snohomish County. The site was first settled in 1864 by Harry Marshall. Twenty years later F. E. Norton became postmaster of the first postoffice there, 1884. The latter named the office, it is said, after his old sweetheart. (History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties, pages 368-869.)
^ Jennings, Mary (October 19, 2021). "Florence flourished, then fizzled". Stanwood Camano News. Retrieved April 28, 2022. In the middle of the Stillaguamish River delta sat the flourishing town of Florence. Sternwheelers and other vessels plied the Stillaguamish River, taking goods to markets growing across the region.
^ Whitely, Peyton (June 9, 2004). "Restoration to bring a little of community "back to life"". The Seattle Times. p. H16. Retrieved April 24, 2017. Little evidence remains of the once-bustling settlement of Florence besides a large black-and-white photograph inside Stanwood's new QFC supermarket. The photo, made early in the 1900s, shows a small store and post office, old cars and a sign offering Owl cigars for 5 cents each. Beneath the photo is the inscription, "E.A. Hevly Cash Store, Florence, Wash." Florence may be relegated to faded images of the past, but the Hevly building still stands and is being restored after years of neglect.