Suwannee Springs

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For the unincorporated community see Suwannee Springs, Florida

Contents

Suwannee Springs bathhouse ruins FlSuwanneeSprings.jpg
Suwannee Springs bathhouse ruins
Cabin at Suwannee Springs, one of six remaining of the original 18 built Suwannee Springs Cabin.JPG
Cabin at Suwannee Springs, one of six remaining of the original 18 built
Suwannee Springs Bridge, built in the 1930s as part of U.S. Highway 129. It closed in 1974 when a new U.S. Highway 129 bridge was constructed Suwannee Springs Bridge.jpg
Suwannee Springs Bridge, built in the 1930s as part of U.S. Highway 129. It closed in 1974 when a new U.S. Highway 129 bridge was constructed
One of the original cabins owned by the Suwannee River Water Management District. It is in a deteriorated condition Suwannee Spring Cabins.jpg
One of the original cabins owned by the Suwannee River Water Management District. It is in a deteriorated condition
Bath house walls at the springs Suwannee Springs Bath house walls.jpg
Bath house walls at the springs

Suwannee Springs, once known as Suwannee Sulphur Springs is the site of natural springs and was a historic mineral spring tourist attraction and hotel in Suwannee Springs, Florida near Live Oak, Florida. It is now managed by the Suwannee River Water Management District. The area offers swimming, hiking, and paddling opportunities. [1]

At least six springs comprise Suwannee Springs, five spilling directly into the south side of the Suwannee River. The main spring flows inside a man-made wall 15 feet (4.6 m) high and 3 feet (0.91 m) thick of limestone rock built in the late 1890s. [2]

Suwannee Springs is a second magnitude spring with an average flow of 23.4 cubic feet (0.66 m3) per second. The spring emerges from Oligocene age limestone and discharges hard, sulphur water. The water maintains a year-round temperature of 70 °F (21 °C) to 76 °F (24 °C). [3]

The Suwannee Springs is also the place where the Lynching of Willie James Howard took place.

See also

Related Research Articles

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Suwannee County is a county located in the north central portion of the state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,474, up from 41,551 in 2010. Its county seat is Live Oak. Suwannee County was a dry county until August 2011, when the sale of alcoholic beverages became legal in the county.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">White Springs, Florida</span> Town in the state of Florida, United States

White Springs is a town in North Florida on the Suwannee River. The population was 740 at the 2020 census. Home of the annual Florida Folk Festival, it is a tourist destination noted for historic charm, antique shops, and river recreation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Johns River</span> The longest river in Florida, United States

The St. Johns River is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and it is the most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At 310 miles (500 km) long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in elevation from headwaters to mouth is less than 30 feet (9 m); like most Florida waterways, the St. Johns has a very slow flow speed of 0.3 mph (0.13 m/s), and is often described as "lazy".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suwannee River</span> 396km (246mi) river in Florida and Georgia, USA

The Suwannee River is a river that runs through south Georgia southward into Florida in the Southern United States. It is a wild blackwater river, about 246 miles (396 km) long. The Suwannee River is the site of the prehistoric Suwanee Straits that separated the Florida peninsula from the Florida panhandle and the rest of the continent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hillsborough River (Florida)</span> River in the United States of America

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

The Ichetucknee River is a spring-fed, pristine river in North Central Florida. The entire 6 miles (9.7 km) of the river average 20 feet (6.1 m) wide, 5 feet (1.5 m) deep and most of the 6 miles lie within the boundaries of the Ichetucknee Springs State Park while the rest is to the south of US Highway 27. Three Rivers Estates Property Owners (TREPO) is the property owner association that manages the area along the private side of the river as it travels and flows into the Santa Fe River.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manatee Springs State Park</span> State park in Florida, United States

Manatee Springs State Park is a Florida State Park located six miles west of Chiefland on SR 320, off US 19. Manatee Spring is a first magnitude spring that flows directly into the Suwannee River by way of a short run. Present also are swamps and hardwood wetlands along the Suwannee, along with many sinkhole ponds, including one with a cave 90 feet below the ground that connects to a popular divers' destination known as the catfish hotel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wakulla Springs</span> Spring and cave in the Floridan Aquifer under the Woodville Karst Plain of north Florida

Wakulla Springs is located 14 miles (23 km) south of Tallahassee, Florida and 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Crawfordville in Wakulla County, Florida at the crossroads of State Road 61 and State Road 267. It is protected in the Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aucilla River</span> River in Florida and Georgia, United States

The Aucilla River rises in Brooks County, Georgia, USA, close to Thomasville, and passes through the Big Bend region of Florida, emptying into the Gulf of Mexico at Apalachee Bay. Some early maps called it the Ocilla River. It is 89 miles (143 km) long and has a drainage basin of 747 square miles (1,930 km2). Tributaries include the Little Aucilla and Wacissa Rivers. In Florida, the Aucilla River forms the eastern border of Jefferson County, separating it from Madison County on the northern part, and from Taylor County to the south.

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Madison Blue Spring State Park is a Florida State Park, located approximately ten miles east of Madison on the west bank of the Withlacoochee River. It contains one of the state's 33 first magnitude springs.This title entails that the spring is discharging at least 2,800 liters of water per second.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Santa Fe River (Florida)</span> River in the United States of America

The Santa Fe River is a 75-mile (121 km) river in northern Florida. The watershed of the river is approximately 1,380 square miles (3,574 km2) and spreads across southern Columbia, southern Suwannee, western Bradford, far southern Baker, Union, northern and eastern Gilchrist, and northern Alachua counties. The headwaters of the river are Lake Santa Fe, near Keystone Heights. The Santa Fe River is usually a slow-flowing river. This slow speed, combined with the abundant leaf-drop from nearby trees, especially Bald Cypress, leads to a very dark-brown river due to dissolved tannins.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bellamy Road</span> Improved 19th century road in Florida, USA

The Bellamy Road was the first major U.S. federal highway in early territorial Florida.

Suwannee Springs is an unincorporated community located on the Suwannee River in Suwannee County, Florida, United States. At least six springs comprise Suwannee Springs, of which five spill directly into the south side of the Suwannee River. The main spring flows inside a man-made wall fifteen feet high and three feet thick of limestone rock, this wall was built in the late 1890s.

The Gulf Coastal Lowlands is a geomorphological province in Florida. The province extends along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico from the western end of the Florida Panhandle to near Ft. Myers in southern Florida. The average width of the province is 40 km. While much of the province is less than 15 m above mean sea level (msl), it rises to about 100 feet (30 m) above msl along its inland side. It is the largest geomorphological province in Florida. Due to its low elevation, the province was at sea level during warmer periods of the Pliocene and Pleistocene, and features such as ancient dunes and sand bars are found far inland. Marine terraces found in the Gulf Coastal Lowlands include the Silver Bluff terrace, 1 to 10 feet above mean sea level (msl), Pamlico terrace, 8 to 25 feet above msl, Talbot terrace 25 feet (7.6 m) to 42 feet (13 m) above msl, Penholoway terrace, 42 to 72 feet above msl, and Wicomico terrace, 70 to 100 feet above msl.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mattair Springs</span>

Mattair Springs is a natural spring and 1,188-acre (481-hectare) preserve in northeastern Suwannee County, Florida. It is managed by the Suwannee River Water Management District. The property includes upland mixed forest, pine plantations, and sandhills. The sandhill areas are undergoing restoration. Camp Branch is a 200-acre (81-hectare) tract nearby. It includes slope forest, xeric hammock, upland mixed forest, bottom land forest and sandhill habitats. Wildlife in the area include gopher tortoise, Suwannee cooter, deer, turkey, and squirrel. Hooded pitcher plants and cedar elm are also present. The Florida Trail passes through the area.

The Wekiva River, also known as Wekiva Creek or Wekiva Run, is a tributary of the Waccasassa River in Levy County, Florida that originates at Wekiva Spring. From the spring the river meanders westward and then southward about 7 miles (11 km) to where it flows into the Waccasassa River. It is fed along the way by Mule Creek and the Little Wekiva River. The river is centrally located in the area between the Withlacoochee and Suwannee Rivers that is often referred to as the Gulf Hammock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gulf Hammock (wetlands)</span> Wetlands area in Florida

Gulf Hammock is a wetlands area in the southern end of Levy County, Florida. It extends along the Gulf of Mexico coast from Cedar Key to the Withlacoochee River, and reaches several miles inland. Gulf Hammock includes the largest expanse of hydric hammock in Florida. The area is mostly uninhabited, with the area closest to the Gulf coast in a state park, and the inland areas primarily used for logging and hunting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Big Bend Coast</span> Coastal area in Florida

The Big Bend Coast is the marshy coast extending about 350 kilometres (220 mi) from the western end of Apalachee Bay down the west coast of peninsular Florida to the Anclote River or Anclote Key. It partially overlaps the coast line of the Big Bend region of Florida, and is coterminous with the coast line of the Nature Coast region of Florida. Most of the coast remains undeveloped, with extensive salt marshes, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and oyster reefs offshore, and coastal hammocks onshore.

References

  1. Suwanne Springs Florida Springs
  2. "Suwannee River Water Management District". Srwmd.state.fl.us. Retrieved 2012-03-24.
  3. "An Archaeological Investigation of the Suwannee Springs Property." Prepared for Suwannee River Water Management District by Myles Bland, RPA and Sidney Johnston, MA

Further reading

30°23′40″N82°56′03″W / 30.394467°N 82.934303°W / 30.394467; -82.934303