Nalaka Turpentine Distillery
Nalaka was a significant turpentine distillery and company town that operated from approximately 1918 to 1930 within the boundaries of what is now the Avon Park Air Force Range in central Florida.[cemml-nalaka]
During its operation, Nalaka was one of the largest producers of turpentine in the United States. At its peak, the town supported a population of about 250 people. The community centered entirely around the turpentine operation, which involved tapping native longleaf pine trees and boiling the sap to produce “naval stores” such as pitch and tar.
The workforce consisted primarily of African American laborers, many of whom were descendants of those enslaved before the Civil War and subsequently found employment in the region’s turpentine camps. The town included a company commissary, a school, and separate churches for Black and white laborers.[cemml-nalaka]
Because written records from the laborers are sparse, the history of Nalaka relies heavily on archaeological documentation. Researchers from the Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML) have excavated areas like food preparation sites to better understand the community’s daily life and its role in Florida’s development. By the 1930s, the turpentine industry began a sharp decline due to the depletion of pine forests and technological shifts (such as the transition from wooden to steel ships), leading to the abandonment of camps like Nalaka.
References
- cemml-nalaka — Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML), Colorado State University. Nalaka Turpentine Distillery Documentation. 2026. https://www.colostate.edu/
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Sources
- Center for Environmental Management of Military Lands (CEMML), Colorado State University, Nalaka Turpentine Distillery Documentation (2026) · secondary
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