Wakulla County, Florida

Wakulla County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 22,863. Its county seat is Crawfordville, Florida.⁶

History

Prehistoric Wakulla

The ancient lands to be later called Wakulla County was home to Upper Paleolithic - Paleoindians over 12,000 years ago and were descendants of people who crossed into North America from eastern Asia during the Pleistocene epoch. Clovis spear points have been found at Wakulla Springs and would have been used in the hunting of Mastadon, Columbian Mammoth, Equus (prehistoric horses), Camelops (ice age camel), and other fauna. The spears would have also helped these ancient people defend themselves from Ice Age lions, Short-faced bear, and Saber-toothed tiger.

Spanish rule

In 1528, Panfilo de Narvaez found his way to what would be Wakulla County from Tampa, Florida camping at the confluence of the Wakulla River and St. Marks River. Narvaez would find this a very suitable spot for a fort. In 1539, Hernando de Soto followed with his soldiers establishing San Marcos de Apalache.

Early 19th century

The area to become Wakulla County was an active place in the early 1800s. A former British officer named William Augustus Bowles attempted to unify and lead 400 Creek indians against the Spanish outpost of San Marcos capturing it. This provoked Spain and a Spanish flotilla arrived some 5 weeks later and assumed control of San Marcos. In 1818, Genral Andrew Jackson invaded the territory (Wakulla) taking control of San Marcos. Two captured British citizens, Robert Ambrister and Alexander Arbuthnot, were tried and found guilty of inciting Indian raids and executed causing a diplomatic nightmare between the United States and England. In 1821, Florida was ceded to the United States and the San Marcos was occupied by U.S. troops. In 1824, the fort was abandoned and turned over to the Territory of Florida. By 1839, the fort was returned to the U.S. and a federal marine hospital was built. The hospital provided care for victims of yellow fever in the area.

Forts of Wakulla County

Wakulla County:

1840 - Camp Lawson, northwest of Wakulla and northeast of Ivan, on the St. Marks River. A log stockade also known as Fort Lawson (2).
1841-1842 - Fort Many located near Wakulla Springs.
1839 - Fort Number Five (M) located near Sopchoppy.
1839-1843 - Fort Stansbury was located on the Wakulla River 9 miles from St. Marks.
1841-1843 - Fort Port Leon. Abandoned after a hurricane destroyed it. Site was later used for a CSA gun battery.
1839 - James Island Post located on James Island.

Antebellum Wakulla

Wakulla County was created in 1843. It may (although this is disputed) be named for the Timucuan Indian word for "spring of water" or "mysterious water." This is in reference to Wakulla County's greatest natural attraction, Wakulla Springs, which is one of the world's largest freshwater springs, both in terms of depth and water flow. In 1974, the water flow was measured at 1.23 billion gallons per day—the greatest recorded flow ever for a single spring.

In an 1856 book adventurer, Charles Lanman, wrote of the springs:

"An adequate idea of this mammoth spring could never be given by pen or pencil; but when once seen, on a bright calm day, it must ever after be a thing to dream about and love. It is the fountain-head of a river... and is of sufficient volume to float a steamboat, if such an affair had yet dared to penetrate this solemn wilderness... It wells up in the very heart of a dense cypress swamp, is nearly round in shape, measures some four hundred feet in diameter, and is in depth about one hundred and fifty feet, having at its bottom an immense horizontal chasm, with a dark portal, from one side of which looms up a limestone cliff, the summit of which is itself nearly fifty feet beneath the spectator, who gazes upon it from the sides of a tiny boat. The water is so astonishlingly clear that even a pin can be seen on the bottom in the deepest places, and of course every animate and inanimate object which it contains is fully exposed to view. The apparent color of the water from the shore is greenish, but as you look prependicularly into it, it is colorless as air, and the sensation of floating upon it is that of being suspended in a balloon; and the water is so refractive, that when the sun shines brilliantly every object you see is enveloped in the most fascinating prismatic hues."

Another possibile origin for the name Wakulla, not as widely accepted, is that it means "mist" or "misting", perhaps in reference to the Wakulla Volcano, a 19th century phenomenon in which a column of smoke could be seen emerging from the swamp for miles.

Civil War

During the Civil War, Wakulla County was partly involved. From 1861-1865 a Union squadron blockaded the mouth of the St. Marks River. Confederates took the old Spanish fort site known as San Marcos de Apalache and renamed it Fort Ward. The Battle of Natural Bridge eventually stopped the Union force that intended to take Fort Ward.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,906 km² (736 mi²). 1,571 km² (607 mi²) of it is land and 334 km² (129 mi²) of it (17.54%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there were 22,863 people, 8,450 households, and 6,236 families residing in the county. The population density was 15/km² (38/mi²). There were 9,820 housing units at an average density of 6/km² (16/mi²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.10% White, 11.51% Black or African American, 0.59% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.29% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. 1.94% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,450 households out of which 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.10% were married couples living together, 12.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.20% were non-families. 22.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 2.99. In the county the population was spread out with 25.60% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 31.70% from 25 to 44, 24.70% from 45 to 64, and 10.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 107.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.80 males. The median income for a household in the county was $37,149, and the median income for a family was $42,222. Males had a median income of $29,845 versus $24,330 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,678. About 9.30% of families and 11.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.40% of those under age 18 and 15.10% of those age 65 or over.

Municipalities

Incorporated

City of Sopchoppy
City of St. Marks

Unincorporated

Wakulla County stands out in one statistical category: there is a near-absence of any municipal population in this county of perhaps 27,000. Two tiny municipalities hold maybe 3 percent of the population. The county seat, Crawfordville, is the only unincorporated county seat among Florida's 67 counties, and, lying only 20 miles from Tallahassee, that district has grown dramatically in recent years to an extraordinarily large and dense population for a "rural" place not touching or having any continuity with any incorporated town. The Crawfordville population center may now have 12-18,000 inhabitants in 10-20 square miles.

(The County's boosters claim that Crawfordville is the only place that has preserved one of Florida's old wooden courthouses, a handsome 3-story building used until after World War II.)

The prevailing unincorporated status of Wakulla County is used to support a claim of an inviting rural environment. Ironically, however, the traditional rural enterprise of farming in the County declined over the past several decades even faster than real estate activity grew. Crops and livestock as a livelihood may have been as nearly eliminated now from the society and economy of this county as anyplace in Florida-- certainly more so than in some of Florida's most populous counties.

External links

Government links/constitutional offices

Special districts

Judicial branch

Wakulla County Clerk of Courts
Public Defender, 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida serving Florida, Gadsden, Jefferson, Leon, Liberty, and Wakulla counties
Office of the State Attorney, 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida
Circuit and County Court for the 2nd Judicial Circuit of Florida

Tourism links

Florida counties | Wakulla County, Florida

Wakulla County | Condado de Wakulla (Florida) | Condado de Wakulla

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