Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail

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Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail
IUCN category V (protected landscape/seascape)
Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail east end01.jpg
The east end of the Hawthorne-Gainesville Trail
USA Florida location map.svg
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Location Alachua County, Florida, USA
Nearest city Gainesville, Florida
Coordinates 29°35′28″N82°11′21″W / 29.59111°N 82.18917°W / 29.59111; -82.18917
Area16-mile (26 km) length
Governing body Florida Department of Environmental Protection

Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail is a paved rail trail in Florida.

Contents

It is protected as a 16-mile (26 km) long Florida State Park and runs from the City of Gainesville's Boulware Springs Water Works to the town of Hawthorne. It passes through the Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park and the Lochloosa Wildlife Management Area along a former Atlantic Coast Line Railroad line. The property was purchased by the state of Florida from CSX Transportation with money from the "trails from rails" program in late 1989. [1] The trail opened for use in January 1992. [2]

History

At the entrance of Witness Tree Junction, a trailhead along the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail, a trio of live oak trees sport carvings demanding notice of Colonel Daniel Newnan and his 100 soldiers' march to capture runaway Black Seminoles during the Patriot War of 1812. [3] These three trees are also marked by N.R. Gruelle, a surveyor for the Florida Southern Railway (originally the Gainesville, Ocala and Charlotte Harbor Railroad Company), to delineate one end of railroad property. [3]

Recreational activities

Activities include hiking, running, cycling, rollerblading, and horseback riding. A grassy equestrian pathway is available except east of the Lochloosa trailhead.

Hours and Locations

The Boulware Springs trailhead is located at Boulware Springs Nature Park, 3300 S.E. 15th St, Gainesville, and is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. November through April and from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. May through October.

Other trailheads with parking include (1) intersection of county roads 234 and 2082, Rochelle (at Prairie Creek Preserve); (2) 7902 S.E. 200th Drive, off County Road 2082, west of Hawthorne; and (3) 2182 S.E. 71st Avenue, Hawthorne. [4]

The Paynes Prairie portion of the trail is open from 8 a.m. until sunset, 365 days a year.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alachua County, Florida</span> County in Florida, United States

Alachua County is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 278,468. The county seat is Gainesville, the home of the University of Florida since 1906, when the campus opened with 106 students.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alachua, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Alachua is the second-largest city in Alachua County, Florida and the third-largest in North Central Florida. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 10,574, up from 9,059 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. Alachua has one of the largest bio and life sciences sectors in Florida and is the site for the Santa Fe College Perry Center for Emerging Technologies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gainesville, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Gainesville is the county seat of Alachua County, Florida, United States, and the most populous city in North Central Florida, with a population of 145,212 in 2022. It is the principal city of the Gainesville metropolitan area with a population of 350,903 in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hawthorne, Florida</span> City in Florida, United States

Hawthorne is a city in Alachua County, Florida, United States, incorporated in 1881. Indigenous peoples of the Americas had been living in the area since around 100 CE; Hawthorne grew around their trading trails. Throughout its history, Hawthorne has been known for its agriculture, railroad, and rural lifestyle. Hawthorne's population was 1,478 at the 2020 census, up from 1,417 at the 2010 census, with an area of 7.38 sq mi (19.1 km2). It is part of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park</span> Protected ecological system in Florida

Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park is a Florida State Park, encompassing a 21,000-acre (85 km2) savanna in Alachua County, Florida lying between Micanopy and Gainesville. It is also a U.S. National Natural Landmark. It is crossed by both I-75 and U.S. 441. It is in the center of the Paynes Prairie Basin. The basin's primary source of drainage is Alachua Sink. During occasional wet periods, the basin will become full. A notable period occurred from 1871 to 1891 when the Alachua Sink was temporarily blocked. During this period, shallow draft steamboats were a frequent sight on Alachua Lake in the center of the prairie. The region was also historically known as the Alachua Savannah. Its drainage has been modified by several canals. Since 1927, Camps Canal has linked the basin to the River Styx which leads to Orange Lake and eventually the Atlantic Ocean through the St. Johns River. That reduced the basins water intake by half. Additional changes to the prairie's environment have been detrimental to its hydrology. In 1970, the state of Florida acquired the land and has been in the process of restoring the environment to a more natural condition ever since.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">North central Florida</span> Region of Florida, United States

North central Florida is a region of the U.S. state of Florida which comprises the north-central part of the state and encompasses the north Florida counties of Alachua, Marion, Putnam, Bradford, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Lafayette, Levy, Madison, Suwannee, Taylor, and Union. The region's largest city is Gainesville, home of the University of Florida and center of the Gainesville metropolitan area, which is the largest metro area of the region. As of 2020, the region had a population of 575,622 people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park</span> State park in Florida, United States

Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park is a Florida State Park and historic site located on the former homestead of Pulitzer Prize-winning Florida author Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (1896–1953). A National Historic Landmark, it is located in Cross Creek, Florida, between Ocala and Gainesville at 18700 South County Road 325.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park</span> State park in Florida, United States

San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park is a Florida State Park in Alachua County, Florida. It is located northwest of Gainesville, Florida on CR 232, just south of the town of Alachua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cades Pond culture</span> Archaeological culture in Florida, US

The Cades Pond culture is defined as a Middle Woodland Southeast period archaeological culture in north-central Florida, dating from around 100 to 600 CE.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boulware Springs Water Works</span> Historic site in Gainesville, Florida, United States

The Boulware Springs Water Works is a historic site in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is located at 3400 Southeast 15th Street. On June 20, 1985, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. It is also the western terminus of the Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gainesville station (Florida)</span> United States historic place

The Old Gainesville Depot is a historic site at 203 Southeast Depot Avenue in Gainesville, Florida. It is located along the Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail State Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cross Creek, Florida</span> Unincorporated community in Florida, U.S.

Cross Creek is an unincorporated community in Alachua County, Florida, United States. It is located on Cross Creek, a short stream connecting Orange and Lochloosa lakes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rochelle, Florida</span> Unincorporated community in Florida, U.S.

Rochelle is an unincorporated community in Alachua County, Florida, United States. It was found in the 1830s on a former native settlement and mission site. and was built around the Plantation of Madison Starke Perry.

The Florida Southern Railway was a railway that operated in Florida in the late 1800s. It was one of Florida's three notable narrow gauge railways when it was built along with the South Florida Railway and the Orange Belt Railway. The Florida Southern was originally chartered to run from Lake City south through central Florida to Charlotte Harbor. However, with the influence of Henry B. Plant, it operated with two discontinuous segments that would be part of the Plant System, which would later become part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railway.

Orange Creek is a small stream in north-central and northeast Florida, that drains Orange Lake to the Ocklawaha River. Privately owned Orange Springs provides part of the water volume.

The city of Gainesville, Florida, USA, was incorporated in 1869.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Historic communities of Alachua County</span>

The historic communities of Alachua County were populated places and/or places with a post office that were established in the 19th century or early 20th century in what is now Alachua County, Florida, but which were abandoned, annexed into an incorporated municipality, or had a much reduced population by the later part of the 20th century.

The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad's High Springs—Croom Line was a historic rail line in northern Florida. The line dates back to the late 1800s and was used for both passengers and freight.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Turkey Creek Preserve</span>

Turkey Creek Preserve is a 375-acre preserve located in the Turkey Creek community of Alachua County, Florida.

References

  1. "Parcel: 19801-300-000". Alachua County Property Appraiser. Retrieved November 2, 2012.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. "Report to Congress: Land and Water Conservation Fund Grants-in-Aid Program". National Park Service. 1986. Retrieved November 19, 2019.
  3. 1 2 Altus, Kristen (March 7, 2019). "Behind The History That Rochelle's Trio Of Giant Trees Have Witnessed". WUFT News. Retrieved March 26, 2021.
  4. "Gainesville-Hawthorne State Trail". Florida State Parks. Retrieved March 26, 2021.