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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

The Great Jackson County Land Boom

During its earliest days, Jackson County was a land speculator's dream. When Florida because a U.S. territory in 1821, the county was pretty much wide open land.

From a population of only a few dozen in 1821, the county grew to become the home of several thousand people in just the next ten years. All of this rapid growth, of course, meant good business for those promoting the settling of the region.

This item appeared in the South Carolina State Gazette and Columbia Advertiser in August of 1828. I find it fascinating because it combines the great promise of the area with a bit of bad news about a local drought:

A letter from Chipola, Florida, dated 18th July, says, “Lands have risen at least 300 per cent in price, and are daily advancing – the trade of emigration is flowing in most rapidly, and the country still proves uninterruptedly healthy; the Physicians, to avoid starvation, are moving away. Our crops, two or three weeks ago, were as fine as I ever saw; the most gratifying prospects were presented to the planters; since then, however, we have had a drought which still prevails and produces much alarm; it is a critical time, for the corn is now in milk. The cane crops are not yet injured; they are said by persons acquainted with its growth to be as fine as were ever seen, indeed nothing can surpass the luxuriance of their appearance.

Maclay Gardens in Full Bloom

One of the most spectacular sites in the South can be found less than a one-hour drive from Jackson County each spring.

Maclay Gardens State Park, located only one-half mile from Interstate 10 in Tallahassee, reaches full bloom in March and the flowers remain quite beautiful into April.

Planted by Alfred B. and Louis Maclay beginning in 1924, the gardens are considered a "masterpiece of floral architecture." They cover dozens of acres along the shorts of Lake Hall and feature dogwoods, azaleas, camellias and a wide array of other blooming trees and shrubs. Donated to the people of Florida in 1953, Maclay Gardens is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

To reach Maclay Gardens from Jackson County, just head east on Interstate 10 until you reach Tallahassee and following the U.S. 319 Exit (Thomasville Road). Turn left as you come off the exit and the state park entrance is only one-half mile ahead on your left.

To read more about Maclay Gardens and see additional photographs, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/maclaygardens1.

Native American Hiding Places at Florida Caverns

Since a brief article about the archaeology of Florida Caverns State Park appeared online at www.jacksoncountytimes.net last week, I've had the pleasure of hearing from several individuals who trace their roots back to the families of Native Americans who once used the caves as hiding places during the Seminole Wars.

There are old legends in Jackson County that Native Americans regularly used the caves to elude capture during the Seminole Wars. According to the emails I've received, there is strong tradition in local Native American families that the legends are true.

One writer indicated that over the years her family had developed a tradition regarding the caves. She remembered how her grandfather would take the family children and show them the cave in which their ancestors hid to avoid capture and being shipped west on the Trail of Tears.

It is a little known fact that a number of small bands of Native Americans somehow managed to elude capture at the time of the Trail of Tears in the region (1836-1844) and remained hidden in secluded areas of Jackson County (and neighboring Calhoun) until they were able to blend with their white neighbors and enough time passed that the forced removals ended. Even so, the elder members of such groups urged continued secrecy about their ancestry out of fear of reprisals.

If you did not catch the original article and would like to read it, just click here. You can also learn more about the colorful history of Florida Caverns State Park by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com and looking for the Florida Caverns heading.

The Holden House and the Battle of Marianna

This beautiful old structure on West Lafayette Street in Marianna is the Holden House. Built in 1849, it is one of the oldest structures in Marianna.

During the Battle of Marianna on September 27, 1864, Confederate troops were positioned in ambush behind a fence and shrubbery in front of the house and a portion of the battle was fought on the grounds.

After the battle, Union troops engaged in widespread vandalism and theft around the town and the Holden House was not spared. According to legend, a Union soldier was looking through the house for valuables and became frustrated with a stuck closet door. He pulled out his saber and struck it against the door, splitting it from top to bottom to gain access to the contents of the closet. The residents of the house later put the door back together. I had a chance to examine the wooden door during the late 1980s and, sure enough, there is a repaired crack running down it from top to bottom. Near the middle, the clear mark of a sword impact could be seen.

Another story that survives from the Battle of Marianna also involves the Holden House and shows that the prankster nature of some of the Union troops. According to family tradition, a group of Northern soldiers placed a cannonball in the center of the parlor floor and told the residents of the house that if they moved the projectile, it would explode. It sat in the middle of the parlor floor for more than 100 years before a local history teacher (Billy Grant) saw it and picked it up, much to the mortification of the lady then living in the house. It proved to be a 12-pound solid shot (made of solid iron with no gunpowder inside).

The pranksters who left the cannonball were probably members of Company M, 2nd Maine Cavalry. This company was at the Battle of Marianna and manned the regiment's two 12-pound howitzers.

The cannonball incident was the only recorded use of artillery at the Battle of Marianna.

If you would like to read more on the Battle of Marianna, please visit www.battleofmarianna.net.

An Early Description of the Florida Caverns

From the time human beings first discovered what is now Jackson County, they have been fascinated with the beautiful caves in the Marianna area. Written accounts of the caves date back to 1693, when Spanish missionaries wrote of them in their journals.

One of my favorite early accounts was written in 1842 by the editor of the Tallahassee Sentinel newspaper. He participated in an exploration of a cave at today's Florida Caverns State Park:

"A few weeks since, in company with some eight or ten ladies and gentlemen, we explored one of the largest and most interesting caves yet discovered in Florida. It is situated some four miles from Marianna, near the east bank of the Chipola river, and in the vicinity of Dr. Cheeseborough’s plantation. Its entrance is on the side of a small hill, the mouth sufficiently large to admit two persons at a time in a standing posture. After furnishing ourselves with lighted candles we commenced our “exploring expedition.” A few steps led us into a large subterranean hall, of very irregular and curious structure. Its floor was quite uneven; and its roof thickly studded with glittering stalactites, forming a splendid arch, apparently supported by finely chiseled pillars of solid rock. After proceeding some distance, clambering over rocks, jumping ravines, now ascending land, anon descending, we at length reached a fine, cool spring, which gushed forth from a cleft in a large rock situated in a remote corner of the first apartment. After refreshing ourselves at this beautiful fountain, we pursued our uneven course, into the next apartment, which presented much the appearance of the first. Having by this time become somewhat fatigued – the atmosphere being rather oppressive – we retraced our steps, and once more emerged into the light of day without meeting with any accident. We think the position of the cave we explored was about 150 yards in length and ranging, in height, from 6 to 16 feet. It is said to contain other apartments."

You can read more about the history of Florida Caverns State Park at www.exploresouthernhistory.com. Just follow the link and look for the Florida Caverns heading.

The Legend of Florida's "Rip Van Winkle"

You probably have heard or read Washington Irving's famous story of Rip Van Winkle, the old settler of the Hudson River Valley in New York who had an infamous encounter with the "little people," drank some of their liquor, and promptly went to sleep for decades.

You may not have heard, however, that a similar story is one of the legends surrounding Jackson County's Florida Caverns State Park. Local folklore holds that a group of picnickers were exploring one of the caves at the park during the 19th century when they unexpectedly came across an old man who claimed to have been sleeping in the cave for 100 years.

This story is one of the ones I've included in my new website on Florida Caverns. You can read it and learn much more about the history of the park by visiting www.exploresouthernhistory.com. Just follow the link and you will see the heading on the main page.

Shepard's Mill

If, like me, you grew up in or around Jackson County, you very well may have enjoyed cornbread or grits made from grain ground at Shepard's Mill across the river in Gadsden County.

The old mill has been grinding corn since 1875, when it opened for business at Telogia Creek on the outskirts of present-day Greensboro. It is one of the last operating commercial gristmills in the South.

Unlike many surviving gristmills that are now in parks or that operate occassionally, Shepard's Mill continues to serve the purpose for which it was built. The owners operate the mill to make cornmeal, grits and a variety of other products that are sold around the world. If you would like to read more on this unique old water mill, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/shepardsmill.

Shepard's Mill is similar to a number of such industries that once stood in Jackson County, at least one of which (Kent Mill) still operates from time to time.

March is Archaeology Month in Florida

Jackson County and the surrounding area has one of the richest archaeological heritages of any region in the South. March is Archaeology Month in Florida, so I thought we would spend some time this week exploring the archaeology of our county.

This photograph (taken from the air last week) shows the site of the Chattahoochee Landing/Curlee mound complex, one of the most signficant archaeological settings in the Jackson County area.

At its height during the Fort Walton era (A.D. 900 - A.D. 1540), the land seen in this photograph was the scene of at least 8 known Native American mounds and a major village site. Fort Walton (named for the large temple mound at Fort Walton on the Gulf Coast) was the name given to the Mississippian Culture in our region of Florida.

Seven of the mounds, comprising a unique ceremonial center, were located on the far bank of the Apalachicola River in Gadsden County. Consisting of six smaller mounds forming a semi circle around a large platform mound (visible here just to the right of the bridges and behind the boat dock), the Chattahoochee Landing complex was one of the most impressive in Florida. On the Jackson County side of the river, they were joined by the Curlee Mound, a large burial/platform mound that faced across the river at the main ceremonial complex at Chattahoochee Landing. A large village stretched along the riverbank around the Curlee Mound.

These mounds were constructed to function as a giant astronomical observatory. Standing atop the Curlee Mound on the Jackson County side of the river, it was possible to look across the river and see the sun rise directly above the main Chattahoochee Landing mound on the longest day of the year. The other mounds at Chattahoochee Landing were designed so that on certain days of the year, an observer could stand atop the largest mound and see stars and constellations oriented so that they appeared to be directly over the center of the surrounding mounds. In this way, the occupants of the site could predict the changing of the seasons. The entire complex was something of giant earthen calender/observatory, indicating that the people who built the mounds were much more advanced than we often given them credit for being.

Today the largest mound at Chattahoochee Landing and the remnants of two of the smaller mounds can still be seen. The landing is now a park area maintained by Chattahoochee and is open to the public on a daily basis. The mounds can be seen, but other than one small sign on the largest earthwork, no impretative displays are available at the park. The site is protected and digging can lead to a quick arrest.

The Curlee Mound, across the river in Jackson County, has been washed away by the Apalachicola River and no longer exists.

Historic Butler Road

This is a view of historic Butler Road as it leads west from Lake Seminole. This road is one of the oldest publicly constructed roads in Jackson County and (as you can see here) it hasn't changed much in the last 175 years or so.

The road was originally built in the 1830s to connect the Chattahoochee River settlement of Brownsville with the new county seat of Marianna. The name "Brownsville" only remained in use for a few year's before it was changed to Brown's Ferry.

Located on the river adjacent to the reservation established by the Treaty of Moultrie Creek for the Native American chief Econchatimico ("Red Ground King") and his followers, the ferry was one of the primary landing sites where passengers and commerce coming and going to Marianna caught the paddlewheel riverboats that steamed up and down the Chattahoochee and Apalachicola Rivers. A flatboat ferry also crossed the river to the Georgia bank at the site.

The Butler Road (then called the Brown's Ferry Road) was constructed to replace the originally woods trail that led from the landing to Marianna. It is clearly shown on survey plats dating from the late 1830s and early 1840s. Heading west from the landing, it passed Cowpen Pond before merging with the Blue Springs Road just west of today's Dellwood Community.

The name "Butler" came into use because Butler Landing was the final incarnation of the old Brownsville Settlement. Over time the landing site migrated slightly south and went through a series of names - Brownsville, Brown's Ferry, Port Jackson and finally Butler Landing.

The Site of San Carlos - Sneads, Florida

I've mentioned before here the site of the Spanish mission of Senor San Carlos de Chacatos near present-day Sneads.

The mission was the last Spanish settlement in Jackson County and was established in 1680 by Franciscan missionaries. The site is located at the west end of the Jim Woodruff Dam at the West Bank Overlook Park and is, of course, protected by Federal law.

This aerial photograph, taken last week, provides a good view of the San Carlos Site. The spillway of the dam can be seen in the right of the photograph, along with the blue waters of Lake Seminole. The mission was located on the hilltop overlooking the lake (a large swamp in 1680). The paved parking area visible in the left center of the photograph is the West Bank Overlook, where archaeologists found traces of the mission during the 1950s.

San Carlos was established to minister to a village of Christian Chacato Indians who had relocated to the site from western Jackson County and eastern Washington County between 1676 and 1680. The had been converted to Christianity in 1674-1675 by missionaries working at the missions of San Nicolas and San Carlos west of the Chipola River. Both missions were destroyed in a rebellion by part of the Chacato in 1675. The portion of the tribe that had accepted Christianity relocated to this hilltop near Sneads over the next few years and the Spanish responded by establishing a new mission for them.

Senor San Carlos was occupied for about 16 years and was the westernmost mission and Spanish post in Florida during its existance. It is described in several Spanish documents of the time and was destroyed in 1696 during an English inspired raid by Native American warriors from Alabama and Georgia.

There are no markers at the site.

The Cox Indian Mound - near Two Egg

This aerial photo shows one of Jackson County's least known archaeological sites, the Cox Indian Mound.

The mound is located on a small island in a pond about five miles east of Two Egg. It is on private property and is very well preserved, unlike many Native American mound sites in the area.

The Cox Mound has never been excavated, so its exact age is not known. Artifacts found in a plowed field nearby, however, are of the Weeden Island type, a strong indication that the mound probably dates from the same time period. This would mean it was likely built between A.D. 300 and A.D. 900 and is more than one thousand years old.

It is unknown whether the mound was a burial mound or was simply built to serve as a platform for a residence or other structure in the swampy area. A second mound (now largely destroyed) stood roughly 1/4 mile east of this one and appears to have been a platform mound.

One of the world's rarest trees - the Florida Torreya

Jackson County was once part of the natural habitat of the Florida Torreya tree.

Tens of thousands of these trees could be found growing in the region during the early 1800s, but today only around 200 survive on the entire earth.

Local legend holds that the Florida Torreya was the gopher wood from which Noah built the ark. While scientists do not confirm this, they do tell us that the Torreya is one of the oldest species of tree found on the earth. They are also working hard to try to save it from extinction.

The Atlanta Botanical Garden, working in cooperation with the Florida Park Service, has implemented a program to grow seedlings from the few surviving Florida Torreya trees. These seedlings are now being planted in the steephead ravines of Torreya State Park (across the river in Gadsden County). It is hoped that over time the replantings will lead to slow but steady growth in the living Torreya population.

If you are interested in seeing these extremely rare trees, the largest concentration in our area is at Torreya State Park between Chattahoochee and Bristol. A living Torreya can also be seen at Florida Caverns State Park. It is growing along the walkway leading from the parking lot to the Visitor Center.

Spring at Torreya State Park

If you are looking for a great place to get out and enjoy the spring weather over the next few weeks, Torreya State Park in neighboring Gadsden County is one of the most fascinating places in our area.

The spring blooms are beginning to come out at Torreya and things are starting to green up nicely.

The park is named for the extremely rare Florida Torreya tree. When first discovered by botonist Hardy Bryan Croom in 1835, the Torreya grew in magnificent groves along the Apalachicola River valley. From an estimated 600,000 trees in 1835, the Torreya population has fallen to a mere 200 today. Many of the surviving trees can be seen at Torreya State Park.

The park also features the historic Gregory House, an 1849 antebellum mansion that originally stood at Ocheese Landing. Just down the hill from the house are the surviving earthworks of a Confederate artillery battery constructed during the Civil War.

The park is located between Chattahoochee and Bristol and is easy to find (just follow the brown signs from pretty much any direction). To reach it from I-10, just head east and exit at the Chattahoochee exit and follow the signs. To learn more and see additional pictures, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/torreyastatepark.

The Willis House - Greenwood, Florida

The Willis House in Greenwood is another of the community's beautiful old historic homes.

Often mistaken for an antebellum mansion, the home actually dates from well after the Civil War. Even so, its setting amidst a grove of beautiful old oaks gives it a distinctly Southern feel and appearance.

The house faces Fort Road (Highway 69) on the east side of town. It remains a private home today, just as it has been throughout its century or so of history.