established in 1880

Marcus Stith Moremen came from Kentucky to Florida in 1869. In his sailboat, he traveled down the St. Johns River searching for the best place to establish his homestead. He came across the perfect twelve-foot bank along the river in Switzerland where tall strong oaks graced the land. He purchased a fifty-acre tract, built a house, and planted two orange groves naming one of them La Venture. He also built a nine-hundred-foot dock to reach the deep channel in the river for shipping the fruit.

The citrus industry proved very profitable and provided employment for many people. He later purchased more land totaling 150 acres. Half of that land was planted with citrus while the other half was seasonal vegetables; bearing trees, vineyards, and farm animals. This became a self-sufficient and self-contained community. Rex Moremen, Marcus Moremen’s son, inherited the property and soon moved his family into the home. Rex turned his interest from citrus growing into a logging venture as amble timber of pine, cypress, and hickory met the increasing demands of new settlers moving to Florida.

The Moremen Home stayed in the family until 1970. At that time, the 150 acres were divided among the four Moremen descendants. The new owners have added more trees to the citrus grove, rehabilitated the historic home, and built a pavilion on the property to host special events and weddings - just as the Moremen family once did.