 |
| The Adams House |
 |
| The Old Bath House |
 |
| The Telford Inn |
White
Springs, Florida
|
|
Incorporated
|
1885
|
Area
|
|
• Total
|
1.8 sq mi (4.8 km2)
|
• Land
|
1.8 sq mi (4.8 km2)
|
• Water
|
0 sq mi (0 km2)
|
Elevation
|
112 ft (34 m)
|
Population (2000)
|
|
• Total
|
819
|
• Density
|
455/sq mi (170.6/km2)
|
32096
|
|
Website
|
|
White Springs is a town in Hamilton County,
Florida, on the Suwannee River. The population was 819 at the
2000 census. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's
2004 estimates, the town had a population of 828. Home of the annual Florida Folk Festival,
it is a tourist destination
noted for historic charm, antique shops and
river recreation.
History
The Suwannee River was
once the boundary between the Timucuan tribe to the east
and Apalachee tribe to the west. When Spanish explorers visited the area in the 1530s,
it was inhabited by the former, who believed its springs
possessed healing powers. The Indians considered the springs as a sacred
healing ground. Any tribe member could bathe and drink the mineral waters
without fear of being attacked The
spring water flows through rocks embedded with sulfur crystals which acquires the "rotten egg"
smell. The settlement was incorporated in 1831 as Jackson Springs by
businessmen Joseph Bryant, James T. Hooker, his brother William B. Hooker, John
Lee, and James D. Prevatt. In addition to the spring, they planned to build a
ferry across the Suwannee River.
Bryant &
Elizabeth Sheffield bought tracts for a cotton plantation in 1835, and
took over the ferry operation the following year. Mr. Sheffield drank the
mineral waters and touted their ability to cure nervousness, kidney troubles and rheumatism, among other problems. They
constructed a hotel and springhouse from logs. The spring called Upper Mineral
Springs was very popular and became Florida's first tourist destination
During the American Civil War,
some Confederate
soldiers found refuge in the town from Union
troops. The family of future governor Napoleon Bonaparte
Broward, whose Jacksonville farm was burned by Union forces, moved
to a nearby farm which they named, Rebel’s Refuge
At some point,
the springs were renamed White Sulphur Springs. Following the war, the tourist
business slowly returned. In 1882, the Georgia merchants Wight and Powell
purchased the property and plotted city lots. They sold parcels to other
retailers to open businesses catering to plantations and resorts around the
spring. Crowds of health seekers arrived, first by stagecoach and then railroad. White Springs was incorporated in 1885.
Hotels and boarding houses popped up; a cotton gin attracted buyers & sellers; and
fashionable clothing and hats were offered for sale. Leisure activities
included ballroom dancing, lawn tennis and skating.
Bath House
surrounding White Springs
In 1903, the
spring was enclosed by concrete and coquina walls that included multiple water gates
and galleries to prevent water intrusion from river flooding. A four-story
wooden bathhouse was constructed around the spring. The structure was designed
by the Jacksonville architectural firm McClure & Holmes for owner Minnie
Mosher Jackson, and included doctors' offices for patient examination and
treatment, dressing rooms, space for concessions, and an elevator. At the time,
water flow was calculated at 32,400 gallons per minute, or nearly 47 million
gallons per day.
During the
1930s, mineral springs fell out of favor and the town began to fade. In 1950,
the Stephen
Foster Memorial Museum opened to commemorate songwriter Stephen Foster, composer of the world-renowned
song of the Suwannee River, “Old Folks at Home”. The museum is surrounded by
formal gardens that extend to the banks of the Suwannee River. A carillon containing the world’s largest set of
tubular bells, opened in 1957 and plays Foster's songs throughout the day. The
facility is a Florida State Park.
Present
Through the
1980s, water flow at the spring declined to the point when it ceased flowing in
1990. The mayor of White Springs, Dr. Helen Miller, is vice chairman of
"Florida Leaders Organized for Water" (FLOW), a group that proposed
the Floridan Aquifer Sustainability Act of 2013. The legislation seeks
to restore the Floridan aquifer
to 1980 levels.
Today, many of
the original Victorian
buildings survive, particularly within the White Springs
Historic District, established in 1997 by the National
Register of Historic Places.
The town and
state park are the site of the annual Florida Folk Festival,
a four-day celebration of traditional Florida food, arts and music. The event,
first held in 1953, is one of the oldest continuous folk festivals in the
United States.
Geography
White Springs
is located at 30°19′54″N 82°45′22″W / 30.33167°N 82.75611°W
(30.331647, -82.756008).
According to
the United States
Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 1.8 square miles
(4.7 km2), all of it land. White Springs is on the Suwannee River. The town is crossed by U.S. Route 41
(SR 25 and 100) and SR 136.
Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 819 people, 340
households, and 227 families residing in the town. The population density
was 446.0 people per square mile (171.9/km²). There were 393 housing units at
an average density of 214.0 per square mile (82.5/km²). The racial makeup of
the town was 36.75% White, 62.15% African
American, 0.37% Native American,
and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any
race were 0.37% of the population.
There were 340
households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with
them, 36.2% were married couples living
together, 26.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2%
were non-families. 29.7% of all households were made up of individuals and
12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average
household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.93.
In the town the
population was spread out with 30.3% under the age of 18, 10.4% from 18 to 24,
26.4% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.2% who were 65 years of age or
older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 85.3
males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.7 males.
The median
income for a household in the town was $24,861, and the median income for a
family was $32,115. Males had a median income of $31,953 versus $21,250 for
females. The per capita income
for the town was $15,555. About 20.0% of families and 22.6% of the population
were below the poverty line,
including 22.3% of those under age 18 and 26.6% of those age 65 or over.
No comments:
Post a Comment