On June 2, 1887, the Florida legislature devided Hernando county into three separate counties, namely Citrus county to the north, Pasco county to the south and the remaining Hernando county in the middle. The first Citrus county seat was established in Mannfield, located about 3 miles east of what a few years later was to become the town of Etna.

Records indicate that the town of Etna started out as a naval store in about 1897, with a turpentine production camp in what is now the Annutteliga Hammock. Turpentine production was active until about 1916, when most of the long leaf pines in the surrounding forest had outlived their sap production. But already in about 1908 a new industry moved into town. The large number of trees now useless to the naval industry opened up a great opportunity for the lumber industry with its modern sawmills.

In 1885, Malcolm Norton patented about 6 square miles in Citrus county, which included the Etna town and turpentine camp.

It is unclear what Mr. Norton intended to do with the land. He never lived in Citrus county, nor did he make any improvements to the land. In 1897 he sold the property to Robert Knight and J.B. Martin. Knight was already involved in the turpentine business. Knight knew the advantages of using cheap prison labor. He paid General E.Bailey $30 / year for each convict laborer. Bailey in turn paid the State of Florida $ 22.50 per year for each convict, according to testimony of Bailey, quoted by Carper 1964.

Convicts - white or black, male or female, children of all ages - worked Monday through Saturday from dawn to dusk. Treatment by supervisors was often cruel. Census data suggests that the Etna operation initially employed predominantly free laborers. Mr. Knight was a shrewd business man. He accumulated a fortune by subleasing his convict laborers to other camps and to the phosphate industry. He paid Bailey $30 per laborer and sub-leased them for as much as $180, according to Carper, 1964.

Wages in agriculture were low in Florida. For this reason, many free market workers sought employment in the turpentine industry. They could earn as much as $17 in a month. The disadvantage, however, was the fact that all laborers had to live in isolated areas. Groceries and other necessities could only be purchased from the company store. Prices were often inflated by as much as 100%.

In 1899, a Samuel R. Eskridge applied to the Postmaster General of the United States for opening a new post office in the "sw quarter of Section 22, Township 20 South, of Range 18 East" (Post Office Department Reports of Site Locations, National Archives and Record Center). Eskridge originally proposed the name Hobson for the town, but that name was crossed out on the application, and replaced by the name "Etna." Eskridge estimated that his post office would serve approximately 200 people.

The Etna camp employed three white men as woods riders. The woods riders were a combination of supervisor and whip master. They often used dogs to maintain order. They were responsible for keeping a record of all the trees worked by each laborer. They were known for their brutality in treating the workers. The woods riders used the whip and the gun to threaten and discipline workers. Since all workers were heavily indebted to the company store, they could not leave the camp. If a worker wanted to move to another employer to escape these iniquities, woods riders could find them and shoot them or bring them them back on the basis of their outstanding debts (Daniel 1972).

The 1900 census indicates that there were 32 separate residences in the town of Etna. Thirty-nine laborers had children under the age of 18 living with them. Although a few workers lived in "quarters" housing with their wives, most lived in residences with 3 or 4 family members. Several laborers lived with as many as ten or eleven in the house, including several children and a few boarders. The Stiller and post master Eskridge, and the bookkeeper Hamilton, both lived in separate dwellings with their families. Two of the woods riders lived in a house with Martin. The third woods rider lived with his new bride in separate quarters.

There is no description of the houses in 1900. In later years housing was described as shanties for workers. The 1900 census suggests that most of the laborers at Etna lived with their families. Living conditions were harsh. Food usually consisted of "cornbread, bacon, black coffee, and an occasional treat of baking powder biscuits" (Daniel 1972:37). Wives and children often worked alongside the men. They probably kept small vegetable gardens and caught turtles, rabbits and squirrels to supplement their diet.

Considering the harsh living conditions and often cruel treatment of the workers at the Etna camp, it is surprising that there are no records of a cemetery in or near Etna.