Smith House

The Smith House was built in eastern Pasco County by the friends and neighbors of Daniel H. and Elizabeth Geiger Smith, honoring their marriage in 1894. The lumber used in construction was harvested on site, so the only cost for the house was the $15 for blacksmith materials. The house took three days to complete, and was topped by rot-resistant cedar shingles. The Smiths had a separate kitchen building used for cooking, although this structure is not seen at Cracker Country.

The Smiths lived in the house with their four sons. The parents would have slept on the cot, which is original to the house; the trunk was also an original belonging of the Smiths. The boys slept on the floor in front of the fireplace, rather than an upstairs sleeping loft. The family farmed to survive, and once a year gathered their hogs from the woods and drove them to Tampa to sell. The trip to Tampa took one day.

Elizabeth Smith died in 1945, and Daniel Smith died in 1955. The house was donated by the Smiths’ grandson, Willie Smith, and was relocated to Cracker Country in 1979. Today it serves as a memory of the friendship and camaraderie that was shared by the early Floridians.

Built 1894, moved to Cracker Country in 1979, first Florida State Fair 1979