Sunday, May 18, 2008

Lake Seminole History, Part Four


This view of Lake Seminole was taken from the Mission San Carlos site looking out at the "big water" of the lake just above the Jim Woodruff Dam.
Beneath the water near the shore is the site of Pope's Trading Post, an important early Jackson County settlement.
William S. Pope first arrived in Jackson County shortly after the transfer of Florida from Spain in 1821. He lived for a time at Mt. Vernon (Chattahoochee), then relocated west to the Chipola settlement in Jackson County. Early land records show that he acquired property around Webbville (a few miles northwest of Marianna).
He lived in this area and speculated on the success of the community until nearby Marianna was established and secured the Legislative Council's backing to become county seat. Pope then relocated to the high ground just west of the confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers. Here he acquired land, established a trading post and began farming.
Pope's Store was listed as a Jackson County voting precinct during the 1830s and Pope was appointed to the role of U.S. Subagent to the Native Americans still living on reservations along the lower Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers. In 1833 he negotiated the "Treaty of Pope's" with several of these groups, by which they agreed to relinquish much of their land. The treaty ultimately led to their removal west on the Trail of Tears.
The site of Pope's first settlement is now covered by the lake, but his legacy lives on in a pattern of continuous occupation in the area that continues today in the Town of Sneads.
Our series will continue.

Thursday, May 15, 2008

Lake Seminole History, Part Three


This aerial view shows the western end of the Jim Woodruff Dam at the point it intersects with the commanding bluff overlooking Lake Seminole in Jackson County, Florida.
The paved parking area visible in the left center of the photograph is the West Bank Overlook, a park area near Sneads that provides a beautiful view of the main lake.
The overlook and surrounding hilltop was the site of Senor San Carlos de Chacatos, a Spanish mission established here in around 1680 to serve a village of Christian Chacato Indians.
The Native Americans who inhabited the village on this site had originally lived west of the Chipola River, but relocated here between 1675 and 1680 after the two missions originally established to serve them had been abandoned following an uprising by part of the Chacato nation.
Spanish missionaries returned to this site and established a church that functioned for sixteen years as the most outlying European settlement in Florida. The presence of the mission establishment here was mentioned in the 1686 journal of Marcos Delgado and again in the documents relating to the 1693 expedition of Don Laureano de Torres y Ayala. The latter official led the first known overland crossing of Northwest Florida from the Apalachicola River to Pensacola Bay by European explorers.
The mission at this site was attacked and destroyed by Alibamo (Alabama) and Apalachicoli (Lower Creek) warriors in 1696. Many of the inhabitants were carried away as slaves and sold to the English in South Carolina. The church was destroyed and the implements used in the religious services there were looted. The survivors of the raid fled to a new site near present-day Tallahassee.
Florida Park Service archaeologist Ripley P. Bullen relocated the site of Mission San Carlos in 1948 while conducting studies in the area as the Jim Woodruff Dam was being built. No structural traces of the mission were found, but he did locate broken fragments of Spanish ceramics and other items consistent with the presence of a 17th century settlement at the site.
There are no markers at the site, but it is open to the public. Searching for artifacts is strictly prohibited on U.S. Government property.
Our series will continue.

Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Lake Seminole History, Part Two


This photograph was taken looking west across the Apalachicola River to the Jackson County shore from the top of the large Native American platform mound at Chattahoochee Landing.
Known locally as the "Indian Mound," this mound has been reduced in height and size due to erosion but still is quite impressive.
Originally there were at least seven mounds at Chattahoochee Landing, with an eighth across the river on the Jackson County side. The large mound is the only one that remains fairly intact. A few traces of the others can still be seen at Chattahoochee Landing, but the mound on the Jackson County side was washed away by the river during the 1970s and 1980s.
During the Fort Walton Period (A.D. 900-1540), these mounds were part of an important ceremonial complex. Although archaeology at Chattahoochee Landing has been minimal, salvage excavations were conducted on the Jackson County shore as the site there was being washed away. They revealed the presence of a large village along the riverbank, in addition to the burial mound there. It is assumed that the landing site across the river was a ceremonial complex for the people of the village.
One of the more interesting finds was a human skull that revealed evidence the person had received brain surgery hundreds of years ago. A square hole had been cut in the skull, but had started to grow back, an obvious indication that the person had survived the surgery.
Our generation sometimes under estimates the knowledge of ancient peoples such as those who lived here along the Apalachicola River. Their mental capacity, however, was the same as the present generation and their knowledge of many things was probably superior to our own, especially regarding nature, wildlife, etc.
Our series will continue.

Monday, May 12, 2008

Lake Seminole History, Part One


This is an aerial view of the Jim Woodruff Dam between Chattahoochee and Sneads. Dedicated in 1957, the dam itself is now a historic site having turned 50 years old last year.
Just beyond the dam can be seen the "big water" of Lake Seminole. This was the point, about 5,000 feet north of the dam, where the Flint and Chattahoochee Rivers originally flowed together to form Florida's noted Apalachicola River.
Within this photograph can be seen scores of historic sites that are of considerable significance. In the lower right hand corner of the photograph, just below the U.S. 90 bridge, can be seen Chattahoochee Landing, a major archaeological and historic site. Just below the modern U.S. 90 bridge can be seen a surviving part of the old "Victory Bridge," built during the 1920s and named in honor of the Allied victory in World War I.
Now submerged beneath the waters of the lake just above the dam are an array of archaeological sites, some dating back thousands of years. Also beneath the lake above the dam is the site of Nicoll's Outpost, a British fort constructed during the War of 1812 in anticipation of an invasion of Georgia. The war ended before the invasion could take place.
Our series on historic sites around Lake Seminole will continue tomorrow with a look at the Chattahoochee Landing archaeological site and Native American mound complex.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Historic Sites around Lake Seminole


Forming much of the eastern border of Jackson County, Lake Seminole is a beautiful 37,500 acre reservoir located in the heart of one of the most historic settings in the United States.
The lake spreads across Jackson County, Florida and Seminole and Decatur Counties, Georgia. Formed by the Jim Woodruff Dam, built in the 1950s between Sneads and Chattahoochee, it covers the original confluence of the Chattahoochee and Flint Rivers.
This area was a major population center and strategic point for thousands of years. As a result, Lake Seminole covers and is bordered by literally hundreds of significant archaeological and historic sites. These include Native American mounds and villages, pioneer settlements, historic forts, Spanish mission sites, "ghost towns," plantations, riverboat landings, steamboat wrecks and more.
Beginning tomorrow, I will start a series on some of the most important historic and archaeological sites around Lake Seminole. I hope you will find this to be a good introduction to this fascinating area that is so vital to Jackson County.

Friday, May 9, 2008

The Unknown Confederate Dead of Riverside Cemetery


In the old section of Riverside Cemetery in Marianna can be found a small burial plot containing two rows of Confederate soldiers. Most of the graves are marked simply with the inscription "Unknown, C.S.A., 1861-1865," although a few still display the fading names of the unfortunate men buried there.
Local tradition holds that these men died fighting Union troops during the Battle of Marianna. The town was attacked by Union troops on September 27, 1864, and the presence of so many graves in two burial trenches has long led to the belief that they must have been victims of the battle.
Research reveals, however, that it is more likely that these men were the victims of illness instead of Union bullets.
Only a few of the men buried in the plot can be identified, but all of them died of sickness while patients at the Confederate military hospital in Marianna. Nasrey "Z.T." Brogden, for example, is buried in the small Civil War plot. Although tradition and a modern marker on his grave indicate that he died on September 27, 1864, the date of the Battle of Marianna, his military records actually reveal that he died in the hospital at Marianna from sickness on December 22, 1863, nine months before the battle.
The same is true of the other couple of soldiers who can be identified. In view of this information, it seems more likely that the burial plot was actually a place where soldiers who died while receiving hospital treatment were buried.
There are victims of the Battle of Marianna buried at Riverside. Several of their graves can be found nearby. But since all of the dead from the battle can be accounted for and identified, it seems that the "unknowns" likely died of disease.

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Visit with West Gadsden Historical Socity


I had a very enjoyable visit over the weekend with the members and guests of the West Gadsden Historical Society.
I was there for a lecture on the Native American history of the area and I was really pleased with the turnout and great conversation I was able to enjoy with those who attended.
The event was held on Sunday afternoon at the Old Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church.
Thank you to everyone who made the visit so enjoyable!

History of Parramore's One Room School

Parramore - A couple of weeks ago I mentioned this little one room school that still stands along Oak Grove Road just north of Parramore in eastern Jackson County.

A longer article will appear in this week's issue of the Jackson County Times and I thought you might be interested in reading it here as well:

Parramore – Along the side of Oak Grove Road just north of the Parramore community in eastern Jackson County can be found a rare relic of life in Jackson County’s early years. A historic one room school still stands, looking out on the old dirt road just as it has for many decades.

The Cox School was established during the 1870s as part of the early move to create public education in Jackson County. Originally located about one-quarter of a mile west of its present location, the little schoolhouse was located on land donated by members of the Cox family. There was a wood stove at one end of the building for heat and students of all ages sat on plank benches.

At that time, Parramore was a growing and thriving community. Located on the hills overlooking the Chattahoochee River, the community was an important riverboat port that grew to have a number of stores, a post office, sawmill, gristmill, cotton gin, blacksmith shop and several turpentine operations. The need for education was filled several of these small one room schools.
In addition to the Cox School, the community also had little schoolhouses at Oak Grove Church, Circle Hill Church and a number of other nearby locations. Only the Cox School survives today, a unique reminder of life in the days of one room schools.

In 1979, I had an opportunity to interview several students who had attended class at the little school. They remembered how the structure was sweltering hot in warm weather and freezing cold in winter. They also recalled walking to class with a baked sweet potato in their pocket for lunch.

According to their memories, some of the teachers and officials who served at the early landmark were Florence Worline, Ely Johnson, Clemmy Nichols, Floyd Allen, Louise Bevis and Estel Hart.

The school, along with the other nearby one room schools, closed in around 1920. At that time it was returned to the Cox family and converted for use as a kitchen on the nearby home of William Henry Cox. Using round logs as rollers, family members and neighbors pushed the little building to its present location and connected it to the house with a covered walkway.

The house and walkway are gone today, but the old school still stands. Despite its age and years of use as a barn, the little building is still structurally sound. The massive hand-hewn floor joists remain strong and the old plank floors, worn smooth by more than a century of flood traffic, are in good condition.

Talks are currently underway to further stabilize and begin a slow restoration of the structure, assuring that it is preserved for future generations as a landmark of the early days of public education in Jackson County.

Sunday, May 4, 2008

Book Sale ends Tomorrow at Noon

Just a quick reminder that you can purchase my books - The Battle of Marianna, Florida, Two Egg Florida: A Collection of Ghost Stories, Legends and Unusual Facts and The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida at discounted prices through tomorrow at noon.

The special online sale was originally scheduled to end on the 30th, but I received a number of requests that I extend it through the weekend so it will be available until Monday at 12 noon.

The books will not be available at a lower price this year and will return to the normal retail price Monday afternoon.

For more information, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/dalecox.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Gadsden County Presentation of Interest

I want to let you know about a presentation in Gadsden County this weekend that might be of interest to you.

I will be speaking on Sunday afternoon at 3 p.m. (2 p.m. central) to the West Gadsden Historical Society. The topic will be the Native American history of the Gadsden County and the Apalachicola River Valley.

Due to illness, I severely limit my public appearances these days, but I am doing this one because I wanted to show my support for this outstanding organization and its wonderful members. They have an active, vibrant organization developing at a time when so many historical societies have all but faded away.

I am donating my time for the presentation, so all proceeds will go directly to the society. Admission is $10 for the general public and $8 for current WGHS members. Lifetime members of the society and children under 12 will be admitted for free.The presentation will take place at Old Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church on U.S. 90, five miles east of Chattahoochee. The time will be 3 p.m. (2 p.m. central) and there will be a question and answer time after the presentation.

Saturday, April 26, 2008

Last Days of Special Book Sale


Just a quick reminder that if you would like copies of any of my 2007 books, now is a great time to purchase them at special prices, but time is running out!
To celebrate the upcoming release of my new The History of Jackson County, Florida: Volume One, my publisher is having a special online sale on the three books published last year.
The sale includes Two Egg, Florida, The Battle of Marianna, Florida and The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida and all are available at the lowest prices you will find this year.
The special offer ends ends this coming week, so if you would like to take advantage of it, please do before April 30th. Normal prices remain in effect in bookstores and other online sellers.
For more information and to order, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/booksale.

Friday, April 25, 2008

The Apalachicola River


The Apalachicola River, which forms part of Jackson County's eastern border, is one of the most historic rivers in Florida.
I've started a new series on historic sites along the river on our sister page, Civil War Florida. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be sharing information with you on a wide variety of interesting places along the Apalachicola River. Some are in Jackson County and most of the others are less than one hour away.
You can access it by visiting http://civilwarflorida.blogspot.com.

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Circle Hill Baptist Church - Parramore Community

This is Circle Hill Baptist Church, located in the Parramore community near Two Egg.

The church was founded during the late 1800s by residents of the surrounding area. Originally formed under a brush arbor, the church is one of the oldest still functioning Baptist churches in its area of the county.

The original brush arbor was replaced by a series of wooden structures that eventually gave way to the sanctuary now in use.

A center of activity for residents of the "lost town" of Parramore, Circle Hill survived even though the small riverboat port eventually faded away. The church is still active today.

Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Cox School - A One Room Schoolhouse


This old wooden structure near the Parramore community in Jackson County has a fascinating history.
This was the Cox School, a one room school used during the 1870s and 1880s. The school served around 30 students who walked to class each day from a distance of as far as three or four miles. All ages attended class together and sat on wooden benches.
There were once many such schools in Jackson County, but very few remain today. The Cox School survived the fate of most of the others because it was converted for use as a detached kitchen on the home of William Henry Cox, a veteran of the Battle of Marianna. When the school closed in favor of a larger facility nearby, the little schoolhouse was rolled on logs to its present location and connected to the back of Cox's large dogtrot house by a covered walk. The house no longer stands, but the "old kitchen" still remains.
A privately funded stabilization and partial restoration of the structure is expected to begin this fall.

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

The Headless Indian Chiefs of Jackson County


Although few people remember it today, there is an old legend about a spot on the Apalachicola River near Sneads that is said to be haunted by the restless spirits of two Indian chiefs. It is said that on foggy nights, their headless bodies can be seen standing by the river, evidently hoping for the return of their heads.

Whether you believe in their supernatural aspects or not, old stories like this one are important reminders of the days before radio and television when long winter evenings were spent telling stories by firelight. As such they represent an important part of Southern culture and often have a basis in some real incident.
The story of the headless Indian chiefs, for example, preserves the dim memory of real events that took place along the Apalachicola River during 1830s. The area bordering the river just north of today’s Gulf Power Plant was then a Native American village called “Walker’s Town.”
The village was part of a reservation set aside by the Treaty of Moultrie Creek for a chief called the “Mulatto King” by the U.S. Government and the “Black King” by the Spanish. He had lived in this spot for many years and gained his name because his father had been a black Spanish trader and he died at his home during the early 1830s.
Following the death of the Mulatto King, the leadership of the village passed to his nephew, a man named John Walker. He stayed on good terms with the neighboring whites and was well known to many Floridians in his day.
During the early years of the Second Seminole War (1835-1842), a large party of refugee Creeks came down into Florida from Alabama. After engaging in a series of battles with white troops, they agreed to surrender if they would be allowed to keep their arms and live with other Native Americans until a boat could be arranged to transport them to the new Indian Territory in what is now Oklahoma. John Walker offered to let them live at his village and they assembled there in 1837.
One of their leaders was a well-regarded chief named Coa-Hadjo. Shortly after he arrived at Walker’s Town, however, Coa-Hadjo became embroiled in an argument with one of Walker’s followers, a warrior named Lewis. The argument grew out of control and Lewis drew a knife and stabbed Coa-Hadjo. When their chief died from his wounds, Coa-Hadjo’s followers then dragged Lewis from his home and executed him by firing squad according to traditional Creek law.
It would seem that the story might end here. The people of Walker’s Town left for Oklahoma less than one year later and most of Coa-Hadjo’s former followers, now led by the chief Pascofa, fled back into the swamps to continue their war against the whites.
Strangely, though, the heads of both Coa-Hadjo and Lewis soon wound up in the possession of Dr. Joseph R. Buchanan of Cincinnati, Ohio. He wrote a letter from Pensacola in 1839 indicated that he had acquired the skulls of the two men, along with the skull of the long-dead chief Mulatto King as well. Apparently he either dug them up himself or purchased them from some local citizen who did so.
Dr. Buchanan believed he could learn the personality and other aspects of the dead by studying their skulls. He wrote a brief report on the “information” he gathered from the skulls of Coa-Hadjo, Mulatto King and Lewis and then added them to his macabre collection.
The old Apalachicola River legend preserves the memory of this bizarre grave-robbing incident and the headless Indian chiefs of the story are undoubtedly Coa-Hadjo and Mulatto King. What eventually became of their heads is not known.

Friday, April 11, 2008

Econchattimico Goes to Court

This article appeared in this week's issue of the Jackson County Times. I thought you might enjoy reading it:

Econchattimico Goes to Court

by Dale Cox


Lake Seminole – One of the most remarkable court cases in American history took place in Jackson County in the year 1836.

On one side was the Lower Creek chief Econchattimico (“Red Ground King”) who lived on a reservation about 10 miles north of present-day Sneads. On the other side was a white speculator that hoped to take a group of African Americans living on the chief’s reservation into slavery. This man’s name was John Milton and he was the future Confederate governor of Florida.

Under Creek law, the property of a chief passed down to the chief’s brother, rather than to his sons. When the brother died, the former chief’s property then passed on to the chief’s sister’s oldest son. This was because under Creek law, the chief’s oldest nephew (his oldest sister’s oldest son) was next in line to become chief. The sons of a chief had no rights to his estate.
Econchattimico was the nephew and heir of a chief named Falehigee. Living with Falehigee at the time of his death were four African Americans named Sally, Hannah, Tyler and Tom. Under white culture of the time, they were considered slaves. Under Native American culture, they were under the guardianship of the chief. A portion of their crops was given to the chief each year, but otherwise they were free to enjoy life pretty much as they chose. They could come and go, marry, participate equally in tribal events, own firearms and property, and take part in Creek war parties on equal terms with other members of the village.

In 1832, a group of Creek chiefs signed what became known as the Treaty of 1832. This document, signed against the wishes of most in the nation, provided an agreement for the Creeks to either leave for new land west of the Mississippi or lose their protection from the Federal government.

Anticipating the wholesale “removal” of the Creeks, white speculators began to purchase rights to Indian property. One of these speculators was a Columbus, Georgia, resident named John Milton. A future Florida resident who would become the Confederate Governor of the state, Milton purchased a bill of sale for ten African Americans from a Creek man named Hawkins. It had been obtained from Wamelika, a son of Falehigee.

When Milton tried to take possession of the individuals covered by his “bill of sale” to take them into slavery in Georgia, however, he found that they were living with Econchattimico and that the chief had no intention of allowing the whites to take them. Milton promptly filed suit in Jackson County.

The matter was referred to James D. Wescott, the acting Governor of Florida, who notified U.S. District Judge J.A. Cameron. The judge placed a hold on any action by the Jackson County court until he could review the matter. Milton quickly realized that there were problems with his “purchase” and dismissed his claim. He did, however, sell his “bill of sale” to other speculators.
After a detailed review of the matter, Judge Cameron issued a remarkable ruling that Creek law should be followed in the matter. Econchattimico, the judge determined, had acted legally when he defended the individuals in question. It was a remarkable case of a Federal judge upholding the rights of Native Americans and African Americans at a time when non-white individuals were extremely limited by law in their rights to participate in the judicial system.

Sadly, it did not end there. Just weeks after Cameron’s ruling, the speculators that had purchased Milton’s claim entered Econchattimico’s reservation, severely beat the old chief and carried away ten African American members of his band. Although a U.S. Grand Jury in Marianna indicted the speculators for felony theft, they were never brought to justice and the kidnapped members of Econchattimico’s tribe were never returned.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

New Two Egg website is now online


If you are interested in learning more about Florida's favorite hometown, Two Egg, a newly updated website dedicated to the community is now online.
You can visit it at www.twoeggfla.com and learn more about Two Egg. Special sections feature the history of Two Egg, the story of the Ghost of Bellamy Bridge, points of interest in the area and much more.

Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Special Sale on Books by Dale Cox

To celebrate the upcoming April 30th release of my looooooooooong awaited multi-volume book, The History of Jackson County, Florida, www.exploresouthernhistory.com is having a special sale this month on my 2007 releases.

Included in the sale are:

  • The Battle of Marianna, Florida - Regularly $19.95; On Sale for $15.
  • The Battle of Natural Bridge, Florida: The Confederate Defense of Tallahassee - Regularly $19.95; On Sale for $15.
  • Two Egg, Florida: A Collection of Ghost Stories, Legends and Unusual Facts - Regularly $16.95; On Sale for $12.00.
For the first time, a package deal on all three is also available for $40.

This sale is for a limited time only and will end with the release of the new book on April 30th.

It is available only through www.exploresouthernhistory.com/booksale. Prices through stores and other outlets remain as normal.

If you would like a copy of any or all of these books, this likely the best price you will find this year.

Thursday, April 3, 2008

Namesake of Jackson County's first church


This is a painting of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino, the Italian saint for whom the early Jackson County Spanish mission of San Nicolas de Tolentino was anmed.
The mission was established on June 22, 1674, by a party of Spanish missionaries and soldiers who had entered the area to minister to the Chacato Indians then living between the Chipola River and Holmes Creek. The journal of Fray Rodrigo de la Barreda, a Franciscan missionary, indicates that Mission San Nicolas stood in a Chacato village located at the mouth of a large cave. Of the more than 200 known caves in Jackson County, the only one that closely matches the description left by Fray Barreda is Gerrard's Cave located about two and one-half miles northwest of Marianna.
Spanish documents indicate that a church was built at San Nicolas in June of 1674 and was dedicated on June 22, 1674, with a special mass. This was the first recorded Christian religious ceremony in Jackson County history. An infant nephew of the Chacato chief of the village was baptized on the same day, the first recorded baptism in the history of the county.
Mission San Nicolas lasted only about one year before the church was destroyed and the resident missionary driven away in a Chacato uprising. It was visited several times in later years by Spanish explorers, but each time was described as "abandoned."