The forest was established in 1992 and named for James Tillinghast Goethe (1897–1993),[2] a local lumber company owner who donated most of his land to the state for preservation.[3] Other tracts of the land were purchased separately in 2010.
The main tract of the forest is also co-owned by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which declares it the Goethe Wildlife Management Area.[4] The Watermelon Pond tracts were purchased by the FWC in 2007 and merged with the forest in 2010.[5]