Magnolia, Florida was a thriving
river port
An inland port is a port on an inland waterway, such as a river, lake, or canal, which may or may not be connected to the sea. The term "inland port" is also used to refer to a dry port.
Examples
The United States Army Corps of Engineers publ ...
town in southern
Wakulla County
Wakulla County is a County (United States), county located in the Big Bend (Florida), Big Bend region in the North Florida, northern portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 33, ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
(until 1843,
Leon County, Florida
Leon County is a county in the Panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. It was named after the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León. As of the 2020 census, the population was 292,198.
The county seat is Tallahassee, which is also the state cap ...
), established in the 1820s and is classified as an "extinct city" by the State Library and Archives of Florida. All that remains of the city is the cemetery; the last known burial was in 1859.
["The Old Magnolia Cemetery" The Magnolia Monthly, Vol. V, No. 3 arch, 1967/ref> The cemetery is on land now owned by the St. Joe Paper Company. The town was located near the small city of St. Marks, Florida.
]
History
Establishment
In June 1827, only 6 years after Spain
, image_flag = Bandera de España.svg
, image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg
, national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond")
, national_anthem = (English: "Royal March")
, i ...
ceded Florida to the United States, four brothers from Maine
Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and north ...
, John, George, Nathaniel and Weld Hamlin founded the town of Magnolia on the St. Marks river just north of the existing town of St. Marks. The Ladd family also married into the Hamlin family and helped settle the new town of Magnolia. Their primary purpose was to establish a profitable shipping port for the export of cotton that would be delivered to the port from points north, primarily from the rail terminus in Tallahassee about 20 miles north. The Hamlins had relatives in Maine who owned and operated a large textile mill.
Growth and business
The town experienced initial growth as lots were platted and sold. Several stores, warehouses and a hotel that billed itself as the "best on the gulf" were established.
Imports also came through the port to supply the growing Florida panhandle
The Florida Panhandle (also West Florida and Northwest Florida) is the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Florida; it is a Salient (geography), salient roughly long and wide, lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia (U. ...
area. Such items of record include brown and loaf sugar, Canary, Málaga
Málaga (, ) is a municipality of Spain, capital of the Province of Málaga, in the autonomous community of Andalusia. With a population of 578,460 in 2020, it is the second-most populous city in Andalusia after Seville and the sixth most pop ...
and Bordeaux wine
Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the ...
(known then as Claret wine), bleached osnaburg, powder, shot, lead, cordage, leans soup, foolscap sealing wax and Scotch snuff.
Although a crude road made of dirt and wooden boards was constructed to run from this area to Tallahassee, a railroad was needed (In the early 1850s an upgraded plank road was constructed). By 1835 a rail connection was launched from Tallahassee to the town of St. Marks situated a little farther south on the St. Marks river. The rail effectively by-passed Magnolia. Although the rail line was crude and initially relied on mules to pull open cars along loosely anchored rails, this connection gave St. Marks a transportation advantage over Magnolia.
By the late 1830s, the fate of Magnolia was sealed and most of the inhabitants picked up and moved either to St. Marks or to the new town of Port Leon south of St. Marks. Some of the buildings were moved along with the people. Port Leon later suffered a devastating hurricane that destroyed the town and caused its inhabitants to move back up closer to the original town of Magnolia and settle the town of Newport.
In 1829 a US customs house was established at Magnolia. Magnolia, St. Marks, and sister river port town Port Leon, thrived from the commerce from Tallahassee
Tallahassee ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat and only incorporated municipality in Leon County. Tallahassee became the capital of Florida, then the Florida Territory, in 1824. In 2020, the population ...
merchants and cotton plantation
A plantation is an agricultural estate, generally centered on a plantation house, meant for farming that specializes in cash crops, usually mainly planted with a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. The ...
s of the Red Hills Region
The Red Hills or Tallahassee Hills is a region of gently rolling hills in the southeastern United States. It is a geomorphic region and an ecoregion.
Location
The Red Hills physiographic region of northern Florida was defined in 1914 as most of ...
of north Florida and south Georgia when their products were hauled south to Tallahassee and beyond. These products were shipped to the port via wagon train
''Wagon Train'' is an American Western series that aired 8 seasons: first on the NBC television network (1957–1962), and then on ABC (1962–1965). ''Wagon Train'' debuted on September 18, 1957, and became number one in the Nielsen ratings. It ...
s and the 24-mile-long Tallahassee Railroad
The Tallahassee Railroad, headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida, was one of the first two railroads in Florida, starting operations in 1836 or 1837. It did not successfully use steam locomotives until 1855, with trains being pulled by mules for mo ...
. From that point, steamboat
A steamboat is a boat that is marine propulsion, propelled primarily by marine steam engine, steam power, typically driving propellers or Paddle steamer, paddlewheels. Steamboats sometimes use the ship prefix, prefix designation SS, S.S. or S/S ...
s and sailing schooner
A schooner () is a type of sailing vessel defined by its rig: fore-and-aft rigged on all of two or more masts and, in the case of a two-masted schooner, the foremast generally being shorter than the mainmast. A common variant, the topsail schoon ...
s then picked up these items at the port and transported them to other ports. As Magnolia waned and St. Marks thrived, the US Customs House was transferred to St. Marks in the 1830s.
Maps show six named streets running northeast to southwest and five named streets running northwest to southeast with 34 blocks containing lots, homes, or businesses.
On September 13, 1843, a dangerous hurricane hit the area with a 10-foot storm surge
A storm surge, storm flood, tidal surge, or storm tide is a coastal flood or tsunami-like phenomenon of rising water commonly associated with low-pressure weather systems, such as cyclones. It is measured as the rise in water level above the n ...
, severely damaging what was left of Magnolia as well as destroying nearby Port Leon and damaging St. Marks.
There was another town named Magnolia that existed around the time of the American Civil War in Clay County, Florida
Clay County is located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2020, the population was 218,245. Its county seat is Green Cove Springs. It is included in the Jacksonville metropolitan statistical area. It is named in honor o ...
, on the west bank of the St. Johns River
The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...
. Period maps place this town just north of present-day Green Cove Springs, Florida
Green Cove Springs is a city in and the county seat of Clay County, Florida, United States. The population was 5,378 at the 2000 census. As of 2010, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 6,908.
The city is named after the portio ...
. (Some maps (Atlas To Accompany The Official records of the Union and Confederate Armies) name the location as "Magnolia Hotel & Steam Mill," but it appears in dispatches as Magnolia.)
Mayors, Councilmen, & Officials
nknown
U.S. Postmasters of Magnolia
1831 - Edward Sexias (see Floridian, 24-Oct-1831, p2)
Photo gallery
File:Magnolia Florida Map rc04168.jpg, Old map shows location of Magnolia
File:Magnolia Florida map rc04167.jpg, Old map with close view of Magnolia's streets
File:Magnolia Florida Croquet Players no34362.jpg, People enjoying croquet in an oak grove in Magnolia
File:Magnolia Florida Steamboat Pier n034371.jpg, The steamer pier at Magnolia
File:Magnolia Florida Cemetery 2008-07-31.jpg, Cemetery headstone worn by age
Magnolia was large enough that the US Government permitted the Bank at Magnolia to issue its own Currency from 1832 through 1838.
Sources
St. Marks River History
References
Other reading
External links
{{authority control
Pre-statehood history of Florida
Former populated places in Wakulla County, Florida
Cemeteries in Florida
Former municipalities in Florida
Former populated places in Leon County, Florida
1827 establishments in Florida Territory
Populated places established in 1827