For most of its existence, St. Johns County has been a "poor, rural, sparsely populated area," historian Thomas Graham told a crowd at the county government headquarters on Wednesday.
But that has changed. In recent years, the county has found itself among the ranks of the wealthiest and fastest-growing counties in the state.
Graham's speech was part of the time capsule celebration at the county government headquarters, which marked the county's 200th anniversary.
Graham shared some highlights of the county's evolution and its early key industries, such as agriculture.
"We don't realize it today, but before the Civil War and for a few years after the Civil War, St. Johns County was the center of orange production in the United States," Graham said. "And we shipped thousands of barrels of oranges north each year from our county. Unfortunately, freezes have beaten back the orange culture in our county."