Howell's Mills: 1829 mill site on the Chipola River

The Chipola River flows past the site of Howell's Mills.
Joseph H. Howell owned the west or right bank of the river
at this point. Richard Keith Call owned the east or left bank.

The year 1829 was a significant one in the history of Jackson County, Florida.

Marianna was founded that year by Robert and Anna Maria Beveridge, igniting an almost instant political war with nearby Webbville over which town would emerge as the permanent county seat. Webbville in turn announced a sale of town lots to fund the construction of Jackson County's first public school. Dr. H.B. Crews of Webbville fought the first recorded duel in county history against Mr. J.O. Sewall at the Alabama line near present-day Campbellton on July 30, 1829. Please see: A Duel near Campbellton in 1829.

The Florida Territorial Council, meeting in Tallahassee on November 10, approved the construction of a water mill south of Marianna on the Chipola River by Mr. Joseph H. Howell:

Be it enacted by the Governor and Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida, That Joseph H. Howell, be, and he is hereby authorised and vested with all the rights and privileges of building a set of mills, gins, or any other machine on the Chipola river in Jackson County, where the same runs thro' section twenty three, in Township four, range ten, north and west, and to use the waters of said river for the use of said mills, or machine, in any way he may think proper. Provided he shall in no case, obstruct the passage and free navigation of said river.

The measure was passed and became effective on November 10, 1829. It was signed by Gov. William P. Duval a short time later.

Paddlers stop to climb a tree at the site of Howell's Mills.

The site selected by Howell for his mills was on the west bank of the river immediately below the mouth of Spring Creek. Thousands of people paddle, boat or tube pass this point annually now, enjoying the scenery and cool water along a particularly beautiful stretch of the Chipola River. Few if any realize that they are passing an important industrial site from Florida's Territorial era.

It is not known how long it took for Joseph Howell to get his mills into operation following the receipt of approval from the Territorial Council. He clearly had activity underway on the site by the end of 1830 when he obtained a patent for 79.68 acres from the Tallahassee Land Office in a cash entry purchase. The parcel made up the West 1/2 of the Southeast 1/4 of Section 23, Township 4 North, Range 10 West.

The other half of the quarter section was claimed on the same date by Richard Keith Call, a noted associate of President Andrew Jackson and future governor of Florida. He was also involved in the simultaneous development of Marianna and his acquisition of land directly across the river from Howell's Mills is a clear indication that he expected them to become a landmark on the Chipola.

Section 23, the site of Howell's Mills, as shown on an 1826
survey plat. Spring Creek enters the Chipola River at upper
right. Bridge Creek flows in at lower right. The mills stood on
the left side of the river near the bottom of Section 23.

The 1830 U.S. Census for Jackson County shows that Joseph Howell was prosperous at the time he developed his mills. His household included four occupants, all over the age of 20, as well as 10 slaves, three of whom were under the age of 10.

The mills probably included a grist mill, sawmill and cotton gin. Timber and cotton were among the county's earliest exports, with Florida newspapers reporting the arrival of cargoes of each from up the Chipola on barges and pole boats. Most Chipola River commerce went to Apalachicola (then called West Point), but some was portaged over from the river into Bear Creek and St. Andrew Bay for transport via the small port that had developed near the site of today's Deer Point Dam.

The Chipola River would continue to be used as a way of moving commerce for more than 100 years, proving the wisdom of the Legislative Council's requirement that Howell's operation not "obstruct the passage and free navigation of said river."

The author paddles down crystal clear Spring Creek on the way
to see the site of Howell's Mills in Jackson County, Florida.

Additional research will be required to learn more about the commercial success and durability of Howell's Mills. Joseph Howell himself never saw his dream realized. The 65-year-old businessman died shortly after receiving title to the land on which the mills stood. The property passed to his son, also named Joseph H. Howell, who by 1841 was living in today's Hillsborough County, Florida. He remained in Hillsborough County for the rest of his life, dying at Plant City in 1862.

The mills no longer stand. A few cut limestone blocks can still be seen beneath the water at the site when the river is clear, silent reminders to one of Jackson County's earliest industries.

To learn more about the early history of Jackson County, please consider my book: The History Of Jackson County, Florida: The Early Years.

Dale Cox
January 27, 2017

Jackson County's Oldest American Settlement

Campbellton - The smoke had barely cleared from the First Seminole War when the first settlers began to make their way back to the rich lands they had explored with Andrew Jackson in 1818. It was a risky proposition at best. The area that would become Jackson County was still Spanish territory at the time and there was the possibility of violent confrontation with Native American warriors still angered over their losses in the war.

It is unclear whether the first settlers actually intended to cross the international border. Moving down through southern Alabama, they crossed into Florida just north of present-day Campbellton and began to clear farms along Spring Creek. The land in the area was rich, with a good water supply, and the border dividing the United States from Spanish Florida was poorly marked.

Although there are some old Florida history books that claim Campbellton was founded during the American Revolution, this is an inaccurate claim. A community of a similar name existed during the 1700s north of Pensacola, but the Jackson County community was not settled until the early 1800s.

Exactly when the first settlers arrived north of Campbellton is not known, but it was sometime in either late 1818 or early 1819. By the time Florida was transferred from Spain to the United States in 1821, several dozen families had staked claims in the area, clearing small farms ranging in size from 15 to around 40 acres.

Many of the names of these original settlers can still be recognized in Jackson County today. They included members of the Williams, Falk, Nelson, Philips, Hamilton, Cadwell, Parrot, Ward, Farmer, Thomas, Hays, Fowler, Hudson, Blount, Brantley, Robert Thompson, Moore, Daniel, Gwinn, Jones, Roach, Moses, Porter, Cook, Smith and Scurlock families. Their farms stretched from Holmes Creek near present-day Graceville and along Spring Creek in a curving arc just north of the present Campbellton site to the west side of Forks of the Creek.

As the settlement grew, it spread south across the site of Campbellton and by the time of the cession of Florida from Spain to the United States, a settlement had begun to grow there. The area was incorporated into Jackson County in 1822 and in 1825 a landmark event in Florida history took place in the little settlement.

On March 12, 1825, seventeen residents of the area gathered in a grove of oak trees to form what was then known as the Bethlehem Baptist Church. Known today as Campbellton Baptist Church, it is the oldest Baptist congregation in the State of Florida.

The original members of the church were John Beasley, Miller Brady, Sarah Brady, Sexton Camp, Ephriam Chambless, James Chason, Lucy Chason, Elizabeth Daniel, Benjamin Hawkins, Clark Jackson, Richard Lonchsten, Martha Parker, Martha Peacock, W. Peacock, Nancy Phillips, Elizabeth Taylor and Sarah Williams. Elizabeth Owens was taken under the “watch care of the church” for unclear reasons and William Brady was appointed as the first clerk of the congregation. James Chason and Clark Jackson were ordained as the first deacons.

The historic church continues to meet today, a living reminder of the first settlement in Jackson County and of the determination of the early settlers that carved homes and built a new county from the wilderness of Northwest Florida.

An Early Mill on the Chipola River

While doing research some time ago, I stumbled across the following while reading through old copies of the Pensacola Gazette. This newspaper served all of West Florida during the 1820s and 1830s, and the following was found on page one of the issue from February 6, 1830:

AN ACT

To authorize Joseph H. Howell to build a Mill on the Chipola River.

Be it enacted by the Governor and Legislative Council of the Territory of Florida, That Joseph H. Howell, be, and is hereby authorized, and vested with all the rights and privileges of building a set of mills, gins, or any other machine on the Chipola River in Jackson County, where the same runs through section twenty three, in Township four, range ten, north and west, and to use the waters of said river for the use of said mills, or machine, in any way he may think proper, Provided, he shall in no case, obstruct the passage and free navigation of said river.

Sec. 2. And be it further enacted, That this act shall be in force from and after its passage.

Passed, November 10th, 1829.

The location provided in the act was on the Chipola River just south of Marianna and near the point where Spring Creek flows into the river. The river was then used for barge traffic, which explains why the Legislative Council was clear in its intent that Howell not obstruct the channel in any way.