Wakulla County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

located in the Big Bend region in the northern portion of the U.S. state of

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, a ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 33,764. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Crawfordville. Wakulla County is part of the

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 populatio ...

, FL

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally Incorporated town, incorporate ...

. Wakulla County has a near-absence of any municipal population, with two small municipalities holding about 3% of the population. The county seat, Crawfordville, is one of only two unincorporated county seats among Florida's 67 counties.

History

First Spanish period

In 1528, Pánfilo de Narváez found his way to what would be Wakulla County from the future

Pinellas County, Florida Pinellas County (, ) is a county located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 959,107. The county is part of the Tampa– St. Petersburg– Clearwater, Florida Metropolitan Statistic ...

, camping at the confluence of the Wakulla and St. Marks rivers. Narváez determined this was a very suitable spot for a

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. In 1539, Hernando de Soto's expedition passed through ''La Florida'' with a similar route. The

Fort San Marcos de Apalache :''This article deals with Fort Ward, Florida, in the United States. For other Fort Wards, see: Fort Ward (disambiguation).'' Fort Ward was a Confederate States of America fort located in Wakulla County, Florida, at the confluence of the Wakul ...

began with a wooden fort in the late 1600s. The vicinity around the fort was not settled until 1733. Spanish colonial officials began constructing a stone fort, which was unfinished in the mid-1760s when

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...

took over.

British period

The British divided Florida into East Florida, which included present-day Wakulla County, and

West Florida West Florida ( es, Florida Occidental) was a region on the northern coast of the Gulf of Mexico that underwent several boundary and sovereignty changes during its history. As its name suggests, it was formed out of the western part of former S ...

. The boundary was the Apalachicola River; at that time, West Florida extended all the way to the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it ...

. Twenty years later when the Spanish returned, they kept the East and West divisions, with the administrative capitals remaining at St. Augustine and Pensacola, respectively.

Second Spanish period

The area to become Wakulla County was an active place in the early 19th century. 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 five weeks later to restore control. In 1818, General Andrew Jackson invaded the area, capturing Fort San Marcos. Two captive British citizens,

Robert Ambrister The Arbuthnot and Ambrister incident occurred in 1818 during the First Seminole War. American General Andrew Jackson invaded Spanish Florida and captured and executed Alexander George Arbuthnot and Robert C. Ambrister, two British citizens charged ...

and Alexander Arbuthnot, were tried, found guilty of inciting Indian raids, and executed under Jackson's authority – causing a diplomatic nightmare between the U.S. and

Britain Britain most often refers to: * The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands * Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...

. The U.S. Army garrison of 200 infantry and artillery men occupied the fort for the better part of a year (1818-1819). In 1821, Florida was ceded to the United States and Fort St. Marks, as the Americans called it, was again garrisoned by U.S. troops.

Florida's territorial period

In 1824, the fort was abandoned and turned over to the Territory of Florida. By 1839, the fort was returned to the Federal government and a merchant marine hospital was built. The hospital provided care for seamen and area

yellow fever Yellow fever is a viral disease of typically short duration. In most cases, symptoms include fever, chills, loss of appetite, nausea, muscle pains – particularly in the back – and headaches. Symptoms typically improve within five days. In ...

victims.

American forts in 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 Sopchoppy is a city in Wakulla County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 457 at the 2010 census. As of 2018, the population was estimated by the U.S. Census Bureau to b ...

. * 1839-1843 - Fort Stansbury was located on the

Wakulla River The Wakulla River is an U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map accessed April 18, 2011 river in Wakulla County, Florida. It carries the outflow from Wakulla Springs, site of the Edward ...

from St. Marks. * 1841-1843 - Fort Port Leon. Abandoned after a hurricane destroyed it. Site was later used for a

CSA CSA may refer to: Arts and media * Canadian Screen Awards, annual awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television * Commission on Superhuman Activities, a fictional American government agency in Marvel Comics * Crime Syndicate of Amer ...

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

artillery battery. * 1839 - James Island Post located on James Island. ''Source:'' Florida Forts

Antebellum Wakulla

Wakulla County was created from Leon County 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 Spring(s) may refer to: Common uses * Spring (season), a season of the year * Spring (device), a mechanical device that stores energy * Spring (hydrology), a natural source of water * Spring (mathematics), a geometric surface in the shape of a he ...

, both in terms of depth and water flow. In 1974, the water flow was measured at per day—the greatest recorded flow ever for a single spring. In an 1856 book, adventurer Charles Lanman wrote of the springs: Another possible origin for the name Wakulla, not as widely accepted, is that it means "mist" or "misting", perhaps in reference to the

Wakulla Volcano The Wakulla Volcano was the name given to a prominent column of smoke, sometimes accompanied by bright light, seen coming from deep in the swamps of Wakulla County, Florida, from at least the Spanish occupation of Florida through 1886. The scien ...

, a 19th-century phenomenon in which a column of smoke could be seen emerging from the swamp for miles. The town of

Port Leon Port Leon, Florida was a river port town located in what is now Wakulla County, Florida (at the time Leon County, Florida), which existed for only about six years in the first half of the 19th century. Port Leon is classified as an "extinct cit ...

was once a thriving cotton-shipping hub, with a railroad from Tallahassee that carried over 50,000 tons of cotton a year to be put on ships, usually for shipment direct to Europe. Port Leon was the sixth-largest town in Florida, with 1,500 residents. However, a hurricane and the accompanying storm surge wiped out the entire town. New Port (today known as Newport, Florida) was built two miles (3 km) upstream but never quite achieved the prosperity of Port Leon.Jahoda, Gloria (1967). ''The Other Florida'', Florida Classics. .

Civil War

During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...

, Wakulla County was blockaded from 1861 to 1865 by a

Union Navy The Union Navy was the United States Navy (USN) during the American Civil War, when it fought the Confederate States Navy (CSN). The term is sometimes used carelessly to include vessels of war used on the rivers of the interior while they were und ...

squadron at the mouth of the St. Marks River. Confederates took the old Spanish

known as San Marcos de Apalache, or Fort St. Marks, and renamed it Fort Ward. The

Battle of Natural Bridge The Battle of Natural Bridge was fought during the American Civil War in what is now Woodville, Florida near Tallahassee on March 6, 1865. A small group of Confederate troops and volunteers, which included teenagers from the nearby Florida Milit ...

eventually stopped the Union force that intended to take Fort Ward and nearby

, the only Confederate state capital other than Austin Texas which had not been captured. The Union was not able to land all of its forces, but they still outnumbered the Confederates, who chose to make their stand at a place where the St. Marks River goes underground: the "Natural Bridge" referred to. However, the

Confederate Army The Confederate States Army, also called the Confederate Army or the Southern Army, was the military land force of the Confederate States of America (commonly referred to as the Confederacy) during the American Civil War (1861–1865), fighti ...

had over a day to prepare its defenses, and the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

retreated. Most of the dead were

African-American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

Union soldiers.

20th century & beyond

In Gloria Jahoda's book, ''The Other Florida'', she writes movingly of the

extreme poverty Extreme poverty, deep poverty, abject poverty, absolute poverty, destitution, or penury, is the most severe type of poverty, defined by the United Nations (UN) as "a condition characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, includi ...

of Wakulla County from the early 1900s to 1966, when Wakulla still had no doctor and no dentist, few stores, and a county newspaper produced just once a month on a

mimeograph A mimeograph machine (often abbreviated to mimeo, sometimes called a stencil duplicator) is a low-cost duplicating machine that works by forcing ink through a stencil onto paper. The process is called mimeography, and a copy made by the pro ...

machine. Today, Wakulla has several doctors and dentists, several supermarkets and big-box retailers, a

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

resort, and a thriving seafood business.

Etymology

The name ''Wakulla'' is corrupted from ''Guacara''. ''Guacara'' is a Spanish phonetic spelling of an original Indian name, and ''Wakulla'' is a Muskhogean pronunciation of ''Guacara''. The Spanish ''Gua'' is the equivalent of the

Creek A creek in North America and elsewhere, such as Australia, is a stream that is usually smaller than a river. In the British Isles it is a small tidal inlet. Creek may also refer to: People * Creek people, also known as Muscogee, Native Americans ...

''wa'', and as the Creek alphabet does not exhibit an "R" sound, the second element ''cara'' would have been pronounced ''kala'' by the Creeks. The Creek voiceless "L" is always substituted for the Spanish "R". Thus the word ''Guacara'' was pronounced ''Wakala'' by the

Seminoles The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

who are Muskhogean in their origin and language. Since Wakulla was probably a Timucuan word, it is unlikely that its meaning will ever be known. It may contain the word ''kala'' which signified a "spring of water" in some Indian dialects.. It may also be a reference to the

Whip-poor-will The eastern whip-poor-will (''Antrostomus vociferus'') is a medium-sized (22–27 cm; 8.7-10.6 ins.) bird within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae, from North America. The whip-poor-will is commonly heard within its range, but less ...

, known as ''waxkula'' in Creek.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (17.6%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Leon County - north * Liberty County - west * Franklin County - southwest * Jefferson County - east

National protected areas

* Apalachicola National Forest (part) * St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge (part)

State and local protected areas

* Ochlockonee River State Park *

San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park San Marcos de Apalache Historic State Park is a Florida State Park in Wakulla County, Florida organized around the historic site of a Spanish colonial fort (known as Fort St. Marks by the English and Americans), which was used by succeeding nat ...

Wakulla Springs State Park Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park is a Florida State Park in Wakulla County, Florida, United States. This 6,000 acre (24 km2) wildlife sanctuary, located south of Tallahassee, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, ...

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States census, there were 33,764 people, 11,382 households, and 8,362 families residing in the county.

2000 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses in ...

of 2000, there were 22,863 people, 8,450 households, and 6,236 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 9,820 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 86.10%

White White is the lightness, lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 11.51%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.59% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of Ocea ...

, 0.29% from other races, and 1.23% from two or more races. 1.94% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to viceroyalties for ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $17,678. About 9.30% of families and 11.30% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 15.40% of those under age 18 and 15.10% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

County representation

Transportation

Roads

Although there are no

Interstate highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...

s in Wakulla County, several major routes pass through the area, including

U.S. Route 98 U.S. Route 98 (US 98) is an east–west United States Highway in the Southeastern United States that runs from western Mississippi to southern Florida. It was established in 1933 as a route between Pensacola and Apalachicola, Florida, and has sinc ...

and U.S. Route 319. Other important roads in the county include State Road 267, State Road 363 and County Road 375.

Railroads

No railroads currently operate within Wakulla County. In the past the

Georgia, Florida and Alabama Railroad :: The Georgia, Florida and Alabama RailroadSources differ on the use of ''Railroad'' vs ''Railway'' in the official name of the company. (the GF&A), known as the Sumatra Leaf Route, and colloquially as the Gopher, Frog & Alligator was a -long rai ...

passed through

on its route between

and

Carrabelle Carrabelle is a city in Franklin County along Florida's Panhandle, United States. The population was 2,778 as of the 2010 census. Carrabelle is located east of Apalachicola at the mouth of the Carrabelle River on the Gulf of Mexico. Geography C ...

until its abandonment in 1948; that portion of the line was referred to as the Sumatra Leaf Line, referring to a tobacco grown in the area. South of Sopchoppy the line followed H.T. Smith Road. The railroad bridge crossing the Ochlocknee River at MacIntyre still exists as pilings blocking all but a portion of the river on the south side. while the Tallahassee Railroad, the first railroad in Florida, was abandoned by its successor, the

Seaboard Coast Line Railroad The Seaboard Coast Line Railroad was a Class I railroad company operating in the Southeastern United States beginning in 1967. Its passenger operations were taken over by Amtrak in 1971. Eventually, the railroad was merged with its affiliate li ...

, in 1983.

Airports

The Wakulla County Airport (2J0), located south of Panacea, is a small public-use airport with a single , north–south turf runway.

Seaports

St. Marks is a small commercial seaport. Panacea and

Ochlockonee Bay The Ochlockonee River ( ) is a fast running river, except where it has been dammed to form Lake Talquin in Florida, originating in Georgia and flowing for before terminating in Florida. Background The name is from the Hitchiti language words ...

also support small fishing fleets.

Education

Wakulla County is served by the Wakulla school district with the following schools: * Crawfordville Elementary School * C.O.A.S.T. Charter School * Medart Elementary School * Shadeville Elementary School * Riversink Elementary School * Riversprings Middle School * Wakulla Middle School *

Wakulla High School Wakulla High School is the only public four year high school located in Wakulla County, Florida, United States. It is part of the Wakulla County Public Schools network. The Florida Department of Education has labeled Wakulla High School as a "Scho ...

* Wakulla Christian School The former Sopchoppy Elementary School now serves as the Sopchoppy Education Center, a Pre-K, adult, and second chance school. The former

Shadeville High School Shadeville High School was located at 87 Andrew Hargrett, Sr., Road, Shadeville, Florida, east of Crawfordville, Florida. It was built in 1931 and was the first and only high school for black people in Wakulla County, Florida. It was closed wit ...

served African-American students from 1931 to 1967.

Library

The Wakulla County Public Library is the main library of Wakulla County and is a part of the

Wilderness Coast Public Libraries Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally ...

Communities

Towns

* St. Marks

Census-designated places

* Crawfordville * Panacea

Other unincorporated communities

* Arran * Buckhorn * Curtis Mills * Hyde Park * Ivan * Medart *

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay Europe Ireland *Newport, County Mayo, a town on the ...

* Sanborn * Shadeville * Shell Point * Smith Creek *

Spring Creek A spring creek is a type of free flowing river whose name derives from its origin: an underground spring or set of springs which produces sufficient water to consistently feed a unique river. The water flowing in a spring creek may additionally b ...

* Wakulla * Wakulla Beach

Notes

References

Sources

Florida forts
{{authority control Florida counties Florida placenames of Native American origin 1843 establishments in Florida Territory Populated places established in 1843 Tallahassee metropolitan area Charter counties in Florida North Florida