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62-617: Tallahassee sat in "Middle Florida", the part of the Territory of Florida between the Appalachicola and Suwannee rivers. In the 1830s Middle Florida was the most populous and prosperous part of Florida. The heart of Middle Florida and the adjacent part of Georgia formed the " Red Hills Region ", which held many plantations producing cotton and tobacco. Export of cotton from the region was difficult. Cotton bales were brought into Tallahassee, from which they were carried in wagons across

124-492: A bale of cotton was 75 cents. The condition of the railroad remained poor throughout the almost 20 years that the original owners of the Tallahassee Railroad operated the line. A traveler who was a passenger on the railroad in 1855 was unhappy with his journey. He noted that rails and ties were sometimes missing, and that the iron straps on the rails were sometimes fastened only in the middle, so that both ends of

186-464: A bright calm day, it must ever after be a thing to dream about and love. It is the fountain-head of a river... and is of sufficient volume to float a steamboat, if such an affair had yet dared to penetrate this solemn wilderness... It wells up in the very heart of a dense cypress swamp, is nearly round in shape, measures some four hundred feet in diameter, and is in depth about one hundred and fifty feet, having at its bottom an immense horizontal chasm, with

248-402: A dark portal, from one side of which looms up a limestone cliff, the summit of which is itself nearly fifty feet beneath the spectator, who gazes upon it from the sides of a tiny boat. The water is so astonishlingly clear that even a pin can be seen on the bottom in the deepest places, and of course every animate and inanimate object which it contains is fully exposed to view. The apparent color of

310-548: A day to prepare its defenses, and the Union Army retreated. Most of the dead were African-American Union soldiers. In Gloria Jahoda's book The Other Florida , she writes movingly of the extreme poverty of Wakulla County from the early 1900s to 1966 when Wakulla still had no doctor and no dentist, few stores, and a county newspaper produced just once a month on a mimeograph machine. Today, Wakulla has several doctors and dentists, several supermarkets and big-box retailers,

372-451: A day. The freight trains were pulled by six horses or mules at a speed of 2.5 miles per hour (4.0 km/h). Most of the freight carried from Tallahassee to the seaports was cotton, about 14,000 bales of cotton (a bale weighed 400 to 500 pounds (180 to 230 kg)) out of 8,000 short tons (7,300 t) carried in 1838. About 5,000 short tons (4,500 t) of goods were carried from the seaports to Tallahassee that year. The freight charge for

434-579: A diplomatic nightmare between the U.S. and Britain . The U.S. Army garrison of 200 infantry and artillery men occupied the fort for the better part of a year (1818–1819). In 1821, Florida was ceded to the United States and Fort St. Marks, as the Americans called it, was again garrisoned by U.S. troops. In 1824, the fort was abandoned and turned over to the Territory of Florida . By 1839,

496-478: A female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 22.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.60% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 31.70% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age

558-617: A fraudulent transaction, purchased the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad for $ 1,220,000, and the Tallahassee Railroad for $ 195,000. The two railroads were then merged into a new company, called the Tallahassee Railroad. That company was in turn incorporated into the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad , which was created in 1869. Edward Reed purchased the Jacksonville, Pensacola and Mobile Railroad and, in 1882, merged it into

620-586: A golf resort, and a thriving seafood business. The name Wakulla is corrupted from Guacara. Guacara is a Spanish phonetic spelling of an original Indian name, and Wakulla is a Muskhogean pronunciation of Guacara. The Spanish "Gua" is the equivalent of the Creek "wa", and as the Creek alphabet does not exhibit an "R" sound, the second element "cara" would have been pronounced "kala" by the Creeks. The Creek voiceless "L"

682-401: A high-quality monofloral honey , which is produced wherever the tupelo trees bloom in the southeastern United States . In a good harvest year, the value of the tupelo honey crop produced by a group of specialized Florida beekeepers approaches $ 900,000 each spring. During Florida's British colonial period, the river formed the boundary between East Florida and West Florida . Geologically,

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744-632: A hurricane and the accompanying storm surge wiped out the entire town. New Port (today known as Newport, Florida ) was built two miles (3 km) upstream but never quite achieved the prosperity of Port Leon. During the Civil War , Wakulla County was blockaded from 1861 to 1865 by a Union Navy squadron at the mouth of the St. Marks River . Confederates took the old Spanish fort known as San Marcos de Apalache , or Fort St. Marks, and renamed it Fort Ward . The Battle of Natural Bridge eventually stopped

806-484: A near-absence of any municipal population, with two small municipalities holding about 3% of the population. The county seat, Crawfordville, is one of only two unincorporated county seats among Florida's 67 counties. In 1528, Pánfilo de Narváez found his way to what would be Wakulla County from the future Pinellas County, Florida , camping at the confluence of the Wakulla and St. Marks rivers. Narváez determined this

868-700: Is a river, approximately 160 miles (260 km) long, in the state of Florida . The river's large watershed , known as the Apalachicola, Chattahoochee and Flint (ACF) River Basin , drains an area of approximately 19,500 square miles (50,500 km ) into the Gulf of Mexico . The distance to its farthest head waters (as the Chattahoochee River ) in northeast Georgia is approximately 500 miles (800 km). Its name comes from Apalachicola Province , an association of Native American towns located on what

930-604: Is always substituted for the Spanish "R". Thus the word Guacara was pronounced Wakala by the Seminoles who are Muskhogean in their origin and language. Because Wakulla was probably a Timucuan word, it is unlikely that its meaning will ever be known. It may contain the word kala, which signified a "spring of water" in some Indian dialects. . It may refer to the Whip-poor-will , known as waxkula in Creek. According to

992-541: Is now the Chattahoochee River. The Spanish included what is now called the Chattahoochee River as part of one river, calling all of it from its origins in the southern Appalachian foothills down to the Gulf of Mexico the Apalachicola . The river is formed on the state line between Florida and Georgia, near the town of Chattahoochee, Florida , approximately 60 miles (97 km) northeast of Panama City , by

1054-412: Is one of the world's largest freshwater springs , both in terms of depth and water flow. In 1974, the water flow was measured at 1.23 billion US gallons (4,700,000 m ) per day—the greatest recorded flow ever for a single spring. In an 1856 book, adventurer Charles Lanman wrote of the springs: An adequate idea of this mammoth spring could never be given by pen or pencil; but when once seen, on

1116-417: The 2020 United States census , there were 33,764 people, 11,382 households, and 8,362 families residing in the county. As of the census of 2000, there were 22,863 people, 8,450 households, and 6,236 families residing in the county. The population density was 38 inhabitants per square mile (15/km ). There were 9,820 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km ). The racial makeup of

1178-508: The Aucilla ("Ocilla" on the map), East , Ochlockonee ("Okloknee" on the map), and St. Marks rivers, to seize the towns of Newport and St. Marks, and to destroy the Tallahassee Railroad. The main force under Brigadier General John Newton arrived at Newport to find that the bridge across the St. Marks River had been burned. General Newton decided to cross the St. Marks on the natural bridge (where

1240-717: The Everglades or Great Smoky Mountains. To raise awareness about the importance of preserving the natural state of the river and its inhabitants, Florida film producer Elam Stoltzfus highlighted this system in a 2006 documentary broadcast on PBS. The river forms the boundary between the Eastern and Central time zones in Florida, until it reaches the Jackson River . Thereafter, the Jackson River, which flows to

1302-678: The Florida Central and Western Railroad . The Florida Central and Western Railroad was in turned merged into the Florida Railway and Navigation Company in 1884, which was re-incorporated as the Florida Central and Peninsular Railroad in 1888, and again, in 1893, as the Florida Central and Peninsular Railway. The Seaboard Air Line Railway leased the Florida Central and Peninsular Railway in 1900, and purchased it in 1903. The Tallahassee to St. Marks line would be known as

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1364-453: The Spanish outpost of San Marcos , capturing it. This provoked Spain, and a Spanish flotilla arrived some five weeks later to restore control. In 1818, General Andrew Jackson invaded the area, capturing Fort San Marcos. Two captive British citizens, Robert Ambrister and Alexander Arbuthnot, were tried, found guilty of inciting Indian raids, and executed under Jackson's authority – causing

1426-548: The Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail in 1988. The Wakulla County Airport (2J0), located south of Panacea , is a small public-use airport with a single 2,600-foot (790 m), north–south turf runway. This airfield was originally constructed during World War II, as an emergency landing strip for Army Air Corps aircraft which trained and patrolled along the Gulf Coast, most of which belonged to

1488-597: The U.S. Census Bureau , the county has a total area of 736 square miles (1,910 km ), of which 606 square miles (1,570 km ) is land and 129 square miles (330 km ) (17.6%) is water. Wakulla County was added to the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) in 1973. The county was removed from the Tallahassee MSA in 1983. It was re-added to the MSA (for the second time) in 2003. As of

1550-744: The Wakulla Subdivision under the Seaboard Air Line and its successors. The Seaboard Air Line Railway (SAL) had ceased operating over the last two miles (3.2 km) of the St. Marks branch (the old Tallahassee Railroad) leading into St. Marks in 1932. A petition by the SAL to resume service to those two miles (3.2 km) to the end of the line in St. Marks was approved by the Interstate Commerce Commission in 1939. The St. Marks branch remained in use through

1612-474: The Wakulla Volcano , a 19th-century phenomenon in which a column of smoke could be seen emerging from the swamp for miles. The town of Port Leon was once a thriving cotton-shipping hub, with a railroad from Tallahassee that carried over 50,000 tons of cotton a year to be put on ships, usually for shipment direct to Europe. Port Leon was the sixth-largest town in Florida, with 1,500 residents. However,

1674-469: The poverty line , including 15.40% of those under age 18 and 15.10% of those age 65 or over. No railroads currently operate within Wakulla County, but it was formerly served by two different railroads. The Georgia, Florida and Alabama Railroad , completed in 1893, passed through Sopchoppy on its route between Tallahassee and Carrabelle until its abandonment in 1948. South of Sopchoppy,

1736-620: The river went briefly underground ) a few miles upstream from Newport. News of the Federal landings at St. Marks had reached Tallahassee the night of March 4. Various Confederate troops were dispatched to bolster the defence of the area. Confederate reinforcements, including elements of the Second Florida Cavalry, militia from Leon and Gadsden counties, and cadets from the West Florida Seminary , traveled down

1798-537: The 1960s. The line was officially abandoned by the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad (SAL's successor) in 1983, and the State of Florida purchased the abandoned right-of-way in 1984. Sixteen miles (26 km) of that right-of-way has since become the Tallahassee-St. Marks Historic Railroad State Trail Appalachicola River The Apalachicola River / æ p əl æ tʃ ɪ ˈ k oʊ l ə /

1860-523: The 3rd Army Air Corps out of Dale Mabry Field Army Air Base in Tallahassee. After the war, the air strip was turned over to the county for civilian uses. St. Marks is a small commercial seaport. Panacea and Ochlockonee Bay also support small fishing fleets. Wakulla County is served by the Wakulla school district with the following schools: The former Sopchoppy Elementary School now serves as

1922-551: The Apalachicola contains some of the finest remaining examples of old growth forest in the southeast. The endangered tree species Florida torreya is endemic to the region; it clings to forested slopes and bluffs in Torreya State Park along the east bank of the river. The highest point within the watershed is Blood Mountain at 4,458 ft (1,359 m), near the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River. Where

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1984-402: The Federal government, Call petitioned the U.S. Congress to grant the railroad a 200-foot (61 m) wide right-of-way, and 100 acres (40 ha) in St. Marks. Congress granted a 60-foot (18 m) wide right of way, and just 20 acres (8.1 ha) at the junction of the St. Marks and Wakulla rivers. Much of what is now known about the construction of the Tallahassee Railroad was recorded by

2046-542: The German Bohemian railroad expert, Franz Anton von Gerstner . Gerstner had been commissioned by the Russian government to write a comprehensive report on railroads in the United States. He visited Middle Florida in 1839. Construction of the railroad began in 1834 from Tallahassee, and had reached St. Marks, a distance of 22 miles (35 km), by 1836 or 1837 (sources differ on the year operations began). By 1839,

2108-458: The Gulf of Mexico, is the time zone boundary. Wakulla County, Florida Wakulla County is a county located in the Big Bend region in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Florida . As of the 2020 census , the population was 33,764. Its county seat is Crawfordville . Wakulla County is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . Wakulla County has

2170-519: The Tallahassee Railroad the night of March 5 and into March 6, detraining at Hodgsons ( turpentine ) distillery, in the vicinity of what is now Woodville , as that was closer to the natural bridge than Newport. Newton's forces reached the natural bridge on March 6, only to find it defended by Confederate troops. Confederate forces held the crossing in the Battle of Natural Bridge , and the Federal troops withdrew. In March, 1867, George William Swepson , in

2232-653: The Union force that intended to take Fort Ward and nearby Tallahassee , the only Confederate state capital other than Austin Texas which had not been captured. The Union was not able to land all of its forces, but they still outnumbered the Confederates, who chose to make their stand at a place where the St. Marks River goes underground: the "Natural Bridge" referred to. However, the Confederate Army had over

2294-765: The confluence of the Flint and Chattahoochee rivers. The actual confluence is contained within the Lake Seminole reservoir formed by the Jim Woodruff Dam . It flows generally south through the forests of the Florida Panhandle , past Bristol . In northern Gulf County , it receives the Chipola River from the west. It flows into Apalachicola Bay , an inlet of the Gulf of Mexico, at Apalachicola, Florida . The lower 30 mi (48 km) of

2356-417: The county was 86.10% White , 11.51% Black or African American , 0.59% Native American , 0.25% Asian , 0.03% Pacific Islander , 0.29% from other races , and 1.23% from two or more races. 1.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 8,450 households, out of which 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couples living together, 12.40% had

2418-688: The deep sand of the Woodville Karst Plain to ports on the St. Marks River. The Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida authorized the Leon Rail-Way Company in 1831 to build a railroad from Tallahassee to the St. Marks River. When that company failed to organize, the Legislative Council then authorized the Leon Railroad Company, which forfeited its charter after it was unable to raise

2480-499: The fort was returned to the Federal government and a merchant marine hospital was built. The hospital provided care for seamen and area yellow fever victims. Wakulla County was created from Leon County in 1843. It may (although this is disputed) be named for the Timucuan Indian word for "spring of water" or "mysterious water". This is in reference to Wakulla County's greatest natural attraction, Wakulla Springs , which

2542-470: The line followed H.T. Smith Road. The railroad bridge crossing the Ochlocknee River at MacIntyre still exists as pilings blocking all but a portion of the river on the south side. The Tallahassee Railroad , the first railroad in Florida, was completed in 1836 and was abandoned by its successor, the Seaboard Coast Line Railroad , in 1983. Sixteen miles (26 km) of that right-of-way became

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2604-442: The poor condition of the track. As of 1839, besides the two unused locomotives, the railroad owned three passenger cars (the first of which could hold only eight passengers), 45 freight cars, 35 horses and mules, and 23 slaves. The railroad also owned a sawmill, 4,000 acres (1,600 ha) of woodlands, a 1,000-acre (400 ha) plantation for raising fodder for the horses and mules, and the town of Port Leon. Slaves performed most of

2666-467: The railroad and ships. Starting in 1838, the railroad company laid out and sold lots in Port Leon. The residents of Magnolia , a port town up the St. Marks River from the port of St. Marks, which had been bypassed by the railroad, moved en masse to Port Leon. The railroad reached Port Leon in 1839. The town had quickly grown to a population of about 450, and was incorporated in 1841. Yellow fever struck

2728-485: The railroad was "very useful" because of the near impossibility of transporting cotton by horse-drawn wagon across the sandy soil from Tallahassee to the St. Marks River, he called the railroad "the very worst that has yet been built in the entire world", with such poor construction that it had proven impossible to operate locomotives on the track. The initial terminal for the railroad was St. Marks. The Federal government had only granted 20 acres (8.1 ha) at St. Marks to

2790-431: The railroad was extended two miles (3.2 km) south to Port Leon by means of a drawbridge across the St. Marks River. The line was constructed using strap rail (eight-foot (2.4 m) long timbers with a one-half-inch (13 mm) thick strap of iron on top), using a track gauge (distance between rails) of five feet (1,524 mm) laid on ties spaced at intervals of six to seven feet (1.8 to 2.1 m). Most of

2852-400: The railroad, instead of the 100 acres (40 ha) it had requested. The land grant from the Territory of Florida included a larger area across (to the east of) the St. Marks River and a little nearer to the mouth of the river. Siting the terminal of the railroad on the territorial grant land gave the company more room for its terminal facilities, and full control of the transfer of goods between

2914-469: The required capital. The Tallahassee Railroad Company was incorporated in 1834 as authorized by an act of the Legislative Council. Richard Keith Call , who owned two plantations in Leon County, became president and chief stockholder of the company. The Territorial government granted 500,000 acres (200,000 ha) of land to the railroad company. As part of the proposed route crossed land still held by

2976-612: The river enters the Gulf of Mexico , it creates a rich array of wetlands varying in salinity. These include tidal marshes and seagrass meadows . Over 230,000 acres (93,000 ha) of this diverse delta complex are included within the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve. There are also dunes with coastal grasslands and interdunal swales. The basin of the Apalachicola River is also noted for its Tupelo honey ,

3038-675: The river is surrounded by extensive swamps and wetlands , except at the coast. The watershed contains nationally significant forests, with some of the highest biological diversity east of the Mississippi River and rivaling that of the Great Smoky Mountains . It has significant areas of temperate deciduous forest as well as longleaf pine landscapes and flatwoods . Flooded areas have significant tracts of floodplain forest. All of these southeastern forest types were devastated by logging between 1880 and 1920, and

3100-711: The river links the coastal plain and Gulf Coast with the Appalachian Mountains . Some of the remaining important areas of natural habitat along the river include Apalachicola National Forest , Torreya State Park, The Nature Conservancy Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines Preserve, Tates Hell State Forest , and Apalachicola River Wildlife and Environmental Area, as well as the Apalachicola River Water Management Area. It has been suggested that this watershed should be nationally ranked and appreciated as being as significant as

3162-520: The route was over very flat, forested land. Drainage was poor, and rain often washed the sand from under the tracks, throwing them out of alignment. This left the track in poor condition, with high maintenance costs. (A traveler on the railroad in 1855 reported being told that the rails had initially been laid directly on the sand without ties to hold the rails in alignment.) The French naturalist, Francis de Laporte de Castelnau , visited Middle Florida from November 1837 until March 1838. While admitting that

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3224-469: The site. The Port Leon, Florida Hurricane of 1843 struck Port Leon in September of that year. The hurricane was accompanied by a storm surge of 7 to 10 feet (2.1 to 3.0 m). While only one person was killed, every structure in the town was destroyed or severely damaged. The bridge across the St. Marks River was carried upstream past the town of St. Marks. The town of St. Marks also suffered damage from

3286-594: The storm. Many residents of Port Leon moved to a new town north of St. Marks, Newport . The railroad company quickly repaired its line into St. Marks, and made it the new shipping terminal for the line. Port Leon then faded away. Trains on the railroad were pulled by horses or mules for many years. The company had purchased two locomotives (the Tallahassee Floridan reported the purchase of one locomotive in December, 1837), but could not use them because of

3348-408: The strap curled up. At one point a forest fire had set the ties on fire for a distance of two miles (3.2 km), which the train nevertheless proceeded across. When the slave driving the train was asked why he did not try to fight the fire, he replied that he was not a fireman. The passenger train was delayed because a freight train had derailed, and the passengers had to help place the freight cars on

3410-414: The town in 1841, killing 139 residents. About 200 residents were still in Port Leon in early 1843 when it was made the county seat of Wakulla County , which was newly created out of Leon County. When it began selling lots at Port Leon, the railroad company had claimed that site was the highest on Apalachee Bay , above the highest tides. The Apalachee Bay Storm of 1837 apparently had not seriously flooded

3472-494: The track again. As there was no way for the passenger train to pass the freight train, it was further delayed by the slow speed at which the freight train moved. The traveler noted that delays of this sort occurred almost every day. In 1855, Richard Keith Call sold his majority interest in the Tallahassee Railroad to the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad . The following year, the line was completely rebuilt, with iron rails replacing

3534-457: The water from the shore is greenish, but as you look perpendicularly into it, it is colorless as air, and the sensation of floating upon it is that of being suspended in a balloon; and the water is so refractive, that when the sun shines brilliantly every object you see is enveloped in the most fascinating prismatic hues. Another possible origin for the name Wakulla, not as widely accepted, is that it means "mist" or "misting", perhaps in reference to

3596-629: The wood rails, and the introduction of two Baldwin 4-4-0 steam locomotives. In 1857, the president of the Pensacola and Georgia Railroad declared that the Tallahassee Railroad was "one of the best paying roads in the country". The Union Army and Navy mounted a raid on the area around St. Marks in March 1865 as part of an attempt to cut off peninsular Florida from the rest of the Confederacy . Seamen and soldiers were landed at various points on Apalachee Bay in an attempt to capture or burn bridges over

3658-444: The work on the railroad and the plantation. Daily passenger service in each direction was provided with a single car pulled by two horses. The horses were changed at the half-way mark, and the one-way trip took two-and-a-half hours at a speed of about 9 miles per hour (14 km/h). Passenger fare was $ 1.50 per passenger, and some 4,000 passengers were carried in 1838. Freight trains of five to eight cars also ran in each direction once

3720-419: Was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $ 37,149, and the median income for a family was $ 42,222. Males had a median income of $ 29,845 versus $ 24,330 for females. The per capita income for the county was $ 17,678. About 9.30% of families and 11.30% of the population were below

3782-523: Was a very suitable spot for a fort . In 1539, Hernando de Soto 's expedition passed through La Florida with a similar route. The Fort San Marcos de Apalache began with a wooden fort in the late 1600s. The vicinity around the fort was not settled until 1733. Spanish colonial officials began constructing a stone fort, which was unfinished in the mid-1760s when Great Britain took over. The British divided Florida into East Florida , which included present-day Wakulla County, and West Florida . The boundary

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3844-595: Was the Apalachicola River ; at that time, West Florida extended all the way to the Mississippi River . Twenty years later when the Spanish returned, they kept the East and West divisions, with the administrative capitals remaining at St. Augustine and Pensacola, respectively. The area to become Wakulla County was an active place in the early 19th century. A former British officer named William Augustus Bowles attempted to unify and lead 400 Creek Indians against

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