At one time, and for many years until the 1950's, Crystal Street was the main thoroughfare into Crystal River for travelers coming from Lecanto and Inverness. In 1907, because of its role as the gateway into Crystal River, a group of ladies from the Village Improvement Society planted live oak trees on both sides of the road from the railroad depot to present-day Fourth Avenue NE.
The Village Improvement Society, led by Mrs. Nickabud Barco, also encouraged the Town Council to come up with a way to stop cows and pigs from roaming the streets to improve sanitation problems and, ultimately, overall living conditions.
This group was the forerunner of the Women's Club formed in 1921. Its legacy lives on in the beauty of the remaining trees sheltering the street.
Over a hundred years later, only fifteen heritage oak trees are left standing, yet they still form their beautiful cathedral-like canopy.
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