Place Information
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Wakulla County is a county located in the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 22,863. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 28,212 . Its county seat is Crawfordville.6
History
Prehistoric WakullaThe 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 ruleIn 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 centuryThe 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, General 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
Source: Florida Forts [1] Antebellum WakullaWakulla 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: 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 WarDuring 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. Timeline
Population History
Research TipsExternal linkshttp://mailer.fsu.edu/~rthompso/wakulla.html
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