Sweare: How a railroad and a land promoter built — and a vanished town remained near Laurel Hill

A recent episode of Flashback, a podcast produced by the Okaloosa County Public Information Office, traces the rise and decline of a small North Okaloosa community spelled S V E A and known locally as Sweare, host Nick Tomachek said. Ann Spann, executive director of the Baker Block Museum, told the show that the town’s origin is closely tied to the Yellow River Railroad and a land commissioner named Eric Von Axelson.

The episode matters because the story of Sweare — once home to a depot, stores, a cotton gin and a school — illustrates how rail lines and land promotion shaped early settlement in what became Okaloosa County. The Baker Block Museum provided archival clippings that anchor several of the account’s claims, including a 1901 Pensacola Daily News report of outside investors buying land at Sweare.

"Well, to to talk about the history of Sweare, you really have to go back to the railroad," Spann said on the podcast, describing the Yellow River Railroad as a spur connected to the L&N that linked Crestview to Florala, Alabama. Spann said the railroad and sales of small tracts of timberland helped attract Swedish and Norwegian immigrants who settled the community north of Laurel Hill, along Highway 85 near the Highway 393 intersection locals call the Dorcas Highway.

Spann described Eric Von Axelson, a Swedish immigrant who moved to Laurel Hill in the 1890s and worked as a land commissioner and publisher, as a central figure in that promotion. According to Spann, the company at one time owned roughly 40,000 acres in modern Okaloosa County and sold parcels in 10-, 20-, 30- and 80-acre tracts to settlers and investors.

Archival material played a prominent role in the episode. Spann cited an item in the Pensacola Daily News that reported a 1901 purchase of 1,500 acres by investors from Chicago who intended to establish a large sugarcane operation at Sweare. The hosts noted that plan ultimately "did not develop," and Spann emphasized the practical economic role of the railroad depot, which at various times enabled farmers to ship crops such as blueberries: "They were selling blueberries for 5 cent a quart," she recalled.

Spann and the host also described community infrastructure recorded in local memory and documents: a small cotton gin, a sawmill, a depot, three stores (one building at the 393/85 junction survives as a converted house), several churches and a school that had closed by 1937. Spann used the post office dates to frame the community’s early active period: "They established a post office in 1897. The post office closed in 1910," she said.

The podcast included examples of Von Axelson’s promotion work: he published local weeklies and farm-oriented papers that were distributed beyond the region to audiences in cities such as Chicago, New York and Boston. The hosts read period advertisements and notices describing market gardening, poultry and subscriptions priced at about $1 a year, illustrating how the area was marketed to distant audiences.

Tomachek and Spann discussed the question of pronunciation and origin of the name. The host noted the town is spelled S V E A; Spann said locals pronounce it like "sweer" and that oral history suggests a Swedish influence but that she could not authoritatively resolve the original Scandinavian pronunciation.

For listeners and researchers seeking more documentation, Spann and the host recommended an in-person visit to the Baker Block Museum, which houses newspaper clippings, period advertisements and related local records that are not all available online. The episode closes with production credits and thanks to Spann and the museum.

Credits: Flashback is produced by the Okaloosa County Public Information Office; the episode lists Jason Shaw and audionautix.com for theme music. The Baker Block Museum in Baker provided archival materials cited on the program.