May 16th Next, the three Historical Markers for this county:

There are three locations for Historical Markers in Taylor County, and I got all three of them:

First was the old Perry Army Airfield, which is today the local municipal airport.  

Perry Army Airfield
Perry-Foley Airport

Perry Army Air Base

Inscription. The Perry Army Air Base of World War II stood in an 862 acre area south and west of this point. The 441st and 312th Fighter Squadrons of the Third Army Air Force trained replacement pilots for combat units worldwide. The 338th Fighter Group single engine aircraft included the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, Republic P-47 Thunderbolt, and North American P-51 Mustang. The first troops arrived on June 9, 1943, and last departed in early September, 1945. Approximately 120 pilots per month received their final training here before overseas duty. Their service contributed to the successful conclusion of the war and was possible through dedicated support of both civilian and military permanent party personnel. In spite of a frequently commended safety training program, more than a score of trainees lost their lives to flying mishaps here. William Jaques (Sgt.), an Armorer of C Flight, 441st Fighter Squadron, in a diary kept during his 27 months of service here, paid this tribute: "Remembering the young airmen who died at Perry Army Air Field, June 1943 to September 1945... they died in the air, in the gulf, in the woods, and in the swamps. Some gave too much...but we got the job done." Next was the Taylor County Salt Works Historical Marker, about 6 miles out of town. The inscription reads: Taylor County's 50-mile coastline and shallow coastal waters made it ideal for manufacturing salt for the Confederacy. By 1862 works were in operation at Jonesville (now Adam's Beach) and near the mouth of Blue Creek. Trading on a barter basis, the region furnished salt for adjacent counties and South Georgia. Union forces never destroyed the salt industry and it continued operations until 1868. From a scholar's website: .

 While visiting with the Taylor County Historical Society I got to go out and visit some of the sites in the area. Some of the most fascinating sites that we visited were the Confederate salt works. To

One of the many Civil War-era salt works we came upon during my visit.

the unfamiliar eye, these sites look like nothing more than small piles of lime rock rubble, but someone familiar with local history can spot these salt works from a mile away. Prior to the Civil War, the majority of the salt that made its way into the South came from Europe. Salt was important because there was no refrigeration and it was needed to preserve meat. It was also used for seasoning food, packing fragile food items and was an ingredient in  many important products. During the Civil War Union blockades prevented salt from Europe reaching the Southern states. However, Florida’s Gulf Coast was ideal for producing salt and salt works were set up along the coast of Taylor County and other areas along Florida’s Gulf Coastline. In fact, salt production became so important that workers at the salt works were exempt from conscription into the Confederate Army. The workers would boil salt water in kettles to evaporate the water, leaving only the salt. During the Civil War the Union forces would frequently locate and attack these salt works in an attempt to cripple the Confederate forces, thus, working at these sites could be very dangerous. Today the remains of hundreds, if not thousands, of salt works dot the northwest coast of Florida.  All that remains of these sites are piles of rubble where the kettle would have once sat. In high tide the water would wash in towards the salt works and then as the tide went out the workers would boil the water to get at the salt. They would do this day in and day out.  These elevated, island-like features  consist of limerock and brick rubble. Many times the only trees growing in an area are those that grow on top of these little islands.The elevated rubble provides the plants with some protection from the saltwater during the incoming tides. In some cases, the salt works might sit on top of Native American middens or mounds that were created a long time before the Civil War, and thus you might sometimes come across some Native American artifacts mixed in with the rubble. Many have been heavily looted for artifacts, and in some cases people have even taken the lime rock for use in modern construction. Very rarely will you find remnants of the actual cast iron kettle used to boil the saltwater.



The third location of a marker is for the former Hampton Springs Hotel Site, about 4 miles out of town.  

The old Hotel fountain 

Tells the story

Must have been quite a sight!!!

The entrance- the marker is in the curve.

Photo from 1952

An old post card

Hampton Springs, Florida is located four miles from the town of Perry, Florida in Taylor County

History

It was once the site of the famous "Hampton Springs Hotel or Club" which burned down in 1954. Once labeled "Dixie's Famous Spa". The hotel was very popular in the early 1900s, when Taylor County boomed due to the intersection of several railroads.

The hotel was visited by Theodore Roosevelt, and even royalty from the far east. They came to swim in the sulphur swimming pool that fed from a spring adjacent to the creek (created by the junction of Spring Creek and Rocky Creek) which fed into the Fenholloway River downstream. The ruins of the hotel, including the swimming pool, pathways, and a goldfish pond still remain.

Taylor County is in the process of renovating the site as a state park. Picnic tables, a walking bridge over the river, parking, and fencing have been added so far.