May 29th 2 Different Locations for Markers for the William Bartram Trail

I hadn't heard about this trail before, but there is a Bartram High in St Augustine, and there are 46 of these markers in 6 southern states- 14 of them are in Florida, and there are even three in Soujth Carolina, including one in Abbeville County!   

The Bartram Trail Conference, Inc., founded in 1976, has sought to identify and mark Bartram’s southern journey and works to promote interest in developing recreational trails and botanical gardens along the route.

Regarding William Bartram Trail. William Bartram was America’s first native born naturalist/artist and the first author in the modern genre of writers who portrayed nature through personal experience as well as scientific observation. Bartram’s momentous southern journey took him from the foothills of the Appalachian mountains to Florida, through the southeastern interior all the way to the Mississippi River. His work thus provides descriptions of the natural, relatively pristine eighteenth-century environment of eight modern states. Bartram published an account of his adventure in 1791. It quickly became an American classic and Bartram’s Travels has been described by one scholar as “the most astounding verbal artifact of the early republic.” Particularly enlightening and appealing were Bartram’s accounts of the Seminole, Creek and Cherokee Indians.


Here are the two markers, one was at the roadside park off of Highway 17 in East Palatka, the other was on the grounds of the Ravine Gardens State Park inside of Palatka.

Here is the location on Highway 17:  

And the one at Ravine Gardens:

The Marker Copy for both markers was the same:

William Bartram Trail

Traced 1773-1777

— Deep South Region —

Inscription. William Bartram, botanist, artist, naturalist, humanist, explored this area and headquartered near here in 1774.

Erected by Tillandsia Wildflower Club and The Garden Club of Palatka with Florida Federation of Garden Clubs, Inc.

In addition, there is a marker sign in downtown Palatka at the River Park: