You are here: Home > Franklin County Maritime Heritage Museum >
Brief History of Franklin County
Apalachicola
Apalachicola enjoys a history rich in maritime culture and natural resources. Apalachicola is an Indian word often translated as “those people residing on the other side” or “friendly people over there.” There were once more than 40,000 Indians in this region. The first non-natives were the Franciscan friars who arrived from Spain in the 1700s. Early trade between the Spanish and Creek Indians was in produce and fur.
Apalachicola was originally incorporated in 1829 as the Town of West Point but was changed to Apalachicola in 1831 to be consistent with the name of the post office established there. By the mid 1800s, Apalachicola’s waterfront was lined with brick warehouses and broad streets to handle the loading and unloading of cotton. At one point, Apalachicola was heralded as the third largest port on the gulf. Steamboats laden with cotton came down the river and were unloaded on the docks. From there, the cotton was reloaded onto shallow-draft schooners that shuttled the cargo to ships waiting offshore.
The invention of refrigeration in 1851 by Dr. John Gorrie proved revolutionary not only to Apalachicola but to the entire nation. Gorrie invented refrigeration and a form of air conditioning while attempting to treat yellow fever victims.
Prior to the Civil War, Apalachicola was the sixth largest town in Florida with 1,906 residents. Around that same time, Apalachicola had a racetrack, the Mansion House, which offered balls, socials and gambling, an opera house and a newspaper. The prosperity was not to last however.
By the late 1800s, railroads had expanded throughout the U.S. carrying cargo farther and faster. The resulting competition from east-west railroads north of Florida diverted trade from the port town. As a result, the steamboats slowly disappeared from the Apalachicola River and by 1869 through the 1880s, Apalachicola’s economy languished.
The emergence of the lumber industry revitalized the town, fueled by seemingly endless miles of rich forestland. Lumber mills were established and lumber magnates built many of the historic homes that line the town’s streets today. Late in the 19th century and on into the 20th, both Apalachicola and Carrabelle produced large quantities of lumber and turpentine.
By the late 1800s, Apalachicola’s economy had shifted into seafood production. Oysters were Apalachicola’s first seafood industry. Oysters were sold locally as early as 1836 and by 1850, oysters had begun to be packed in barrels and shipped aboard steamers headed north or to other neighboring states. There were several large and small seafood dealers in Apalachicola by the 20th century. By 1915, fishing and oystering ranked as Franklin County’s second most important industry behind lumber and Franklin County led the state in oyster production.
The seafood industry continues to play an important economic role in Franklin County both by both commercial and recreational fishermen. Today’s economy is increasingly dependent on the tourism industry that brings visitors interested in the area’s abundant natural resources to the town and surrounding areas.
Carrabelle
The history of Carrabelle is a story of Indians, shipping, bootlegging, logging and even war. Rio Carrabella, or “beautiful river” was the early name of Carrabelle. Early settlers in the area, both Indians and early Europeans, hunted game for food and furs, which were then shipped out of St. Marks.
Carrabelle was incorporated in 1881 and chartered in 1893 by the Florida Legislature. The Carrabelle area flourished after the Civil War when lumber and naval stores were the most important commodities. In 1875 the first lumber mill was established. Schooners would come through the pass and drop anchor behind Dog Island in Ballast Cove, so named because the ships would drop their ballast before sailing into Carrabelle to pick up their cargo. During this time, the area flourished – docks were stacked high with lumber and barrels of turpentine.
The town’s proximity to the coast made it particularly susceptible to hurricanes however. A series of hurricanes hit the area during the late 1800s. One that struck in 1899 destroyed much of the community. Following the hurricane, the town was rebuilt and the downtown relocated more inland to its present location.
In 1895 a lighthouse was erected just west of Carrabelle about a quarter of a mile from St. George Sound. It was known as the Crooked River Lighthouse. The historic lighthouse still stands today. The Crooked River Lighthouse Park and Keeper’s House Museum features an authentic period room from the first keeper, exhibits, a gift shop and playground.
Carrabelle became an important oil shipping port during the second world war. Oil was shipped to Carrabelle, sent by pipeline to Jacksonville where it was loaded on ships for delivery to Europe. The pipeline was removed at the end of the war.
St. George Island
The history of St. George Island is colored with pirates, Indians and shipwrecks. The Creek Indians first inhabited the island as early as the 1600s. The arrival of the Europeans to the island was followed by intensive struggles for control of the area. Pirate Captain William Augustus Bowles led the Creek Indians in their defense against the Spanish and French in the late 1700s. Legend has it that before Bowles died he buried a treasure somewhere on the island.
After the Forbes Purchase in 1803, commercial sailing traffic increased and a lighthouse was built (after the U.S. gained ownership of Florida on the west end of the island, which is now Little St. George Island. Following years of coastal erosion the Cape St. George Light toppled into the gulf in 2005. It has been rebuilt by lighthouse enthusiasts in its present location in the center of the St. George Island business district.
Dog Island
Dog Island’s history is rich and colorful. The island and its two neighbors, St. George Island and St. Vincent Island, were discovered by the French in 1536 and initially named the Dog Islands, presumably either because wild dogs were found on them, (the islands resemble a crouched dog) or the early ships put their common sailors - known as dogs - on the islands before docking on the mainland so they could not jump ship.
During the 17th century and 18th century Dog Island became a haven of piracy and smuggling. Beginning in 1838, a series of three lighthouses were built on the western tip of the island but were destroyed by hurricanes. A third 40-foot brick tower was built in 1851 and during The Civil War, Confederate forces burned the stairs in the lighthouse tower and damaged the lens to prevent the tower from being used as a lighthouse or a watchtower.
During World War II Dog Island, like much of the eastern end of the county, was part of Camp Gordon Johnston, and the island was used for amphibious landings and airdrops.
After World War II, Jeff Lewis, a Florida businessman, saw its potential as a vacation area and paid $12,000 for the island and then sold a portion of it to The Nature Conservancy which still owns a major portion of the island.
An archaeological research project, the Dog Island Shipwreck Survey, was initiated in 1999 by Florida State University to systematically search the waters off Dog Island, using acoustic and electromagnetic devices, to discover historic shipwrecks. Many of these shipwreck relics have since been turned into diving and fishing destinations.
Lanark
Lanark Village, located on the gulf about four miles east of Carrabelle, began as part of a promotion plan carried out by the Georgia, Florida and Alabama Railroad. It became a fashionable resort for people in nearby counties. The Lanark Springs Resort included a two-story hotel. A swimming area was fenced near shore where tourists could swim in a large freshwater spring emerging into the salt water of the bay.
During WWII Camp Gordon Johnston was built at Lanark Beach for use as an amphibious training facility. More than 25,000 trainees passed through the camp with about 10,000 housed there at a time. For many it was the last stopover before going to the Pacific or European theaters. Many of the officers’ quarters still exist today in the Lanark Village retirement community.
Eastpoint
During much of the early 1800s, Eastpoint was little more than a geographical description of the land that lay across the bay from Apalachicola. There was no town there but it was the connecting point for Apalachicolans headed east to Tallahassee and beyond. Scattered settlers lived there before the Civil War.
The village of Eastpoint was eventually settled in 1896 by a religious collective of farming families. Led by Virginia native David Brown, the group of six farming families from Great Plains Georgia, strapped all their belongings to two handmade barges and floated 11 days down the Chattahoochee River until they reached Apalachicola on April 15, 1896. The group initially purchased a small amount of land across the bay at Eastpoint from Apalachicola seafood businessman Samuel E. Rice, Sr. There, it is recorded that the group dissembled the barges and used the wood to build their first homes.
Larger tracts were bought the following year when late settler Harry C. Vrooman, a Harvard graduate and pastor, arrived and took the lead to set up a cooperative colony the Co-Workers Fraternity whose members were dedicated to spiritual, philosophical, and religious study, as well as a separate but related industrial colony focusing on economic production. The early settlers owned their own land but all profits were shared in what they hoped would be a profitable venture in lumbering, fishing and manufacturing.
A post office was opened in in the village in 1898 and soon there was a school and a church. The steamboat ferry the Crescent City stopped there on a daily trip to Carrabelle with supplies, mail and passengers. Despite this, the village did not attract many people. Eastpoint lacked Apalachicola and Carrabelle’s strategic location and despite the early vision, the village remained more a community than a town until the area’s seafood industry’s potential helped solidify the community’s economic base.
With the completion of the John Gorrie Bridge in 1935 Eastpoint became an inexpensive site for the seafood industry to locate along the shore. The population of Eastpoint grew from 65 people in 1939 to 800 people just 15 years later. One impediment to the seafood industry in Eastpoint was the lack of deep water along the waterfront. Although the seafood processing houses were typically built out over the water, at low tide the houses were high and dry. Boats could reach the processing houses to unload only on a high tide.
After the end of the Second World War the local community began advocating for the dredging of a channel to the Eastpoint waterfront, along with other waterway improvements in Apalachicola Bay. In 1954, the Eastpoint channel was dredged to a depth of 8 feet. The spoil that was dredged up was placed on the waterward side of the channel to create two sand bars, each 2,000 feet long, which provided some protection from rough weather. The new channel had an immediate economic impact on Eastpoint. Boats could unload their catch at the processing houses at any time of the day, and larger boats could reach the Eastpoint waterfront, resulting in larger catches being landed.
Today, Eastpoint is the seafood central hub of Franklin County and probably one of North Florida’s most authentic fishing communities. Located across the bay from Apalachicola and St. George Island, Eastpoint features a few rustic seafood houses and weather-worn docks where oystermen haul their heavy burlap bags of freshly harvested Apalachicola Bay oysters to be washed, shucked, packed and transported across the country. Most of the county’s entire commercial oyster industry is concentrated here within about a mile along coastal Highway 98 overlooking St. George Sound and Apalachicola Bay.
Eastpoint is also considered the Gateway to St. George Island. To the north, Eastpoint is a gateway to the Apalachicola National Forest and Tate’s Hell State Forest through scenic Highway 65 – part of the Big Bend Scenic Byway. Eastpoint is also home to the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve (ANERR) and Visitor Center. Considered one of the state’s premier research and education facilities, the ANERR facility features a visitor center complete with fish tanks, walking trails, interactive displays and ongoing public education programs and activities.