Highlands County, Florida
Historic newspapers, landmarks, and county history layers for genealogists and local historians.
At a glance
SummaryThe National Register of Historic Places includes 17 listed properties in the county, first listed in 1989. Most listings are in or near Sebring, Avon Park, Lake Placid.
Summary generated automatically from the source data on this page.
Newspapers
Library of CongressNewspaper directory data for Florida is not yet loaded on this site. Browse Highlands titles at the Library of Congress.
National Register of Historic Places
NPS NRHP12 of 17 listings mapped; some locations are restricted by NPS to protect sensitive sites.
17 listed properties
| Property | City | Listed |
|---|---|---|
| Archbold Biological Station at Red Hill | Venus | 2007 |
| Avon Park Historic District | Avon Park | 1990 |
| Central Station | Sebring | 1989 |
| Haines, Elizabeth, House | Sebring | 1993 |
| Hainz, Edward, House | Sebring | 1989 |
| Harder Hall | Sebring | 1990 |
| Highlands County Courthouse | Sebring | 1989 |
| Highlands Hammock State Park and Florida Botanical Gardens and Arboretum | Sebring | 2018 |
| Highway Park Cemetery | Lake Placid | 2020 |
| Kenilworth Lodge | Sebring | 2000 |
| Lake Placid A. C. L. Railroad Depot, Old | Lake Placid | 1993 |
| Pinecrest Hotel, Old | Avon Park | 2000 |
| Santa Rosa Hotel | Sebring | 2017 |
| Seaboard Air Line Depot, Old-Sebring | Sebring | 1990 |
| Sebring Downtown Historic District | Sebring | 1990 |
| Sebring, H. Orvel, House | Sebring | 1989 |
| Vinson, Paul L., House | Sebring | 1989 |
Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Property links open NRHP nomination files at the National Archives.
County formation
Newberry AHCBHighlands was formed in 1921 (1921-04-23) from De Soto.
HIGHLANDS created from DE SOTO.
Source: Newberry Library, Atlas of Historical County Boundaries.
Population by decade
CensusHighlands County population from 1930 to 2020 (Census historical series).
| 1930 | 1940 | 1950 | 1960 | 1980 | 2000 | 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9,192 | 9,246 | 13,636 | 21,338 | 47,526 | 87,366 | 101,235 |
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau historical county population (Forstall 1790–1990) and public-domain / CC0 county population series through 2020.
Cemeteries & historical places
USGS GNIS9 cemeteries and 0 historical populated places (ghost towns / former settlements) recorded in USGS GNIS for this county.
Cemeteries — 9 of 9 listed
| Name |
|---|
| Bougainvillea Cemetery |
| Bougainvillea Cemetery |
| Fort Kissimmee Cemetery |
| Lakeside Cemetery |
| Lakeview Memorial Gardens |
| Oak Hill Cemetery |
| Pinecrest Cemetery |
| Prescott Cemetery |
| Whitten Cemetery |
Source: USGS Geographic Names Information System (public domain). Cemeteries from the 2021 NationalFile archive; historical places from GNIS HistoricalFeatures topical extract.
Historical markers
HMdb linkMarker text and photos from the Historical Marker Database (HMdb) are not embedded here. HMdb allows non-commercial reuse with attribution, but commercial/compensated use needs written permission; this is a commercial site, so we only link out.
Search HMdb for Highlands County, Florida
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