RICHLOAM GENERAL STORE AND POST OFFICE

In 1921, the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad (ACL) decided to relocate its depot in Riverland to Richloam. Soon after, in 1922, Postmaster Lucius Sidney “Sid” Brinson moved the Riverland Post Office to the growing community of Richloam and opened a general store. The 1920s were a chaotic time in Richloam. In 1926, Pasco County Deputy Sheriff William O’Berry was shot and killed east of the store while attempting to arrest Charles Davis, a worker at the local turpentine still, over the theft of a dog. In January 1928, the store was robbed and burnt, likely from arson, but was rebuilt soon after in February of that same year. The store and post office continued to operate until the late 1930s, when the Great Depression forced the ACL to close the depot. In 1936, Brinson closed the store and post office and relocated to Sarasota. He rented the building as a residence to the Mills family until the 1950s. After sitting vacant until 1973, Brinson’s nephew, John Brinson, acquired the property. John Brinson’s son, Eric Burkes, renovated the general store and reopened it in 2016. This general store was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2017, and is the only remaining building from the Richloam community.