It`s our nature and our history

A Trail System to draw nature tourists into Putnam County
There no more popular naturalist than William Bartram It’s our nature and our history
WilliamBartram
• In 1765 John Bartram, the colonies’ Royal
Botanist traveled to Florida with his son
William. He was sent at the request of
King George III. William returned in 1774
under hire of Dr. Fothergill of England to
explore and document the resources –
plants, animals, water, soil, people – of
East Florida. He was to determine how
valuable were the resources and thereby
the value of the land.
• He published his book Travels in 1791.
Being the first scientific book published in
the colonies, it became hugely popular
particularly in England. His base for the
1774 excursion was Spalding’s Lower
Store located at Stokes Landing here in
Palatka. Many of his Florida exploits
took place right here – “we own them –
it’s our history!”.
WilliamBartraminPalatka
• First paddled past Palatka on December 25, 1765 with his father, John. He returned by sailboat in March of 1773. • His base for his Florida Travels was Spalding's Lower Store at Stokes Landing
• Passed by Palatka at least four times going and coming up the St. Johns River
• One of his most famous exploits detailed in his book was when he was summoned to the Seminole village at Palatka to kill a large rattlesnake. • Upon preparing his departure he was invited to a feast with the Seminoles of watermelons and other fruit. “Here being seated or reclining ourselves after smoking tobacco, baskets of the choicest fruits were brought and set before us”
• His words leaving Palatka were “We had a pleasant and prosperous voyage down the grand St. Johns…”
Bartram’sPalatka“RattleSnake’sHead”
TheTitlePageofHisBook
MicoClucco– The
KingoftheSeminoles
• The Long Warrior lived in Palatka. This is the first portrait of a Putnam County resident in history. William Bartram knew this man well and was friends with him. • The Long Warrior’s brother was named Cow Keeper and lived near Paine's Prairie in Alachua County. Hwy 21 is part of the old Indian trail between the two “capitals.” • The Long Warrior negotiated with the men at Spalding’s Lower Store for credit. He threatened to call for the spirits to strike Mr. McLatchie with lightening. He settled for a smaller loan and went to war against the invading Choctaws WhatDidHeSayaboutUs?
Bartram’s Palatka – probably at the Presbyterian Church
“As I continued coasting the Indian [western] shore of this bay, I suddenly saw before me an Indian settlement or village. It was a fine situation, the bank gradually rising from the water. There were eight or ten habitations, in a row, or a street fronting the water, and about fifty yards distance from it. Some of the youth were naked, up to their hips in the water, fishing with rods and lines, whilst others, younger, were diverting themselves in shooting frogs with bows and arrows. They were civil and appeared happy in their situation.”
Bartram at Spalding’s Lower Store – Stokes Landing
“ …. I bid adieu, and in a little time arrived at the trading‐house where I was received with great politeness, and treated during a residence of several months with the utmost civility and friendship by Mr. Charles McLatchie, Messers. Spalding and Kelfall’s agent.” Bartram wrote about Beecher’s Point, Mount Royal, Lake George, Drayton Island, Salt Springs. He expounded on many exploits while at Stokes Landing including the “Seminole Frolic”, the rattlesnake killing, the watermelon feast and more. ThereAreManyBartramTrails
• The closest to Palatka is the Bartram Trail Scenic Highway from Mandarin to
Putnam County on Highway 13. The William Bartram Trail in Alachua
County has 8 sites on its 30 miles of driving/biking trails.
• North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia have many designated
Bartram Trails- hiking, paddling, biking and driving. Alabama has an
extensive Bartram Paddling Trail complete with camping platforms and
landings.
• In 1979, the Bartram Heritage Report was published by the Bartram Trail
Conference for the Heritage, Conservation and Recreation Service, U. S.
Department of the Interior. Palatka and Putnam County are specifically
discussed and recognized as part of the Bartram Trail corridor.
• Each state and community has developed their own version of Bartram
Trails.
WhoTravelstoSeeBartramTrails?
• Bartram Aficionados ‐ All Nature Lovers – scholarly types and groups who appreciate and study his book for its historic, artistic, scientific and literary value
• Artist – His drawings are acclaimed for their authenticity and beauty. He drew birds, fish, snakes, plants, people and maps. All Artist appreciate Bartram
• Botanist – Since his father was the first Royal Botanist and documented his trip with William and was Benjamin Franklin’s good friend anything he wrote is of interest. William identified and named over 150 new plants. All botanist/plant lovers know Bartram. • Gardeners – The Bartram Gardens in Philadelphia is full of Putnam County’s plants. All plant lovers love Bartram.
• Bird Watchers ‐ All birders know Bartram and every one of his bird drawings. Audubon visited the SJR because of Bartram’s “flowery words” • Adventurers – Bartram hiked, rode horseback, camped, fished, sailed, paddled and swam. Tracing his footsteps is walking back in time. • Historians – Bartram's historic relevance spans from the Seven Year War in 1750 through Palatka’s growth as Florida’s first tourist destination in the mid‐19th Century. He advised Thomas Jefferson against the Seminole wars. He was asked to join Lewis and Clark on their epic journey. His documentation of the Seminoles in East Florida is truly historic. Bartram’sPresenceinPutnam
1. There are two historic markers placed by the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs in the 1980’s – One next to the Garden Club’s facility in the Ravine Gardens State Park
2. The second at the FPL wayside park in San Mateo (poor condition)
3. The Mount Royal historic kiosk in Fruitland has a full panel on Bartram and his illustrations.
4. The Palatka Water Works has a walking trail named after Bartram’s Indian name “Puc Puggy” – the Flower Hunter. It is lined with native plants. 5. Putnam County is spotlighted and mapped in the book An Outdoor Guide to Bartram’s Travels co‐authored by Charles Spornick. Spornick is one of our resources for the Putnam’s Bartram Trail. He will add our Trails to the next edition of his book. BartramTrailinRavineGardens
BartramTrailinSanMateo
BartramTrail‐ WaterWorks
BartramatMountRoyal
AlachuaCounty’sBartramTrail
Alabama’sBartramCanoeTrail
NorthCarolina’sBartramTrail
WhereinNorthPutnamCounty?
WhereinSouthPutnamCounty?
BartramTrailinPutnamPlan
• We have identified 25 sites the Bartrams have written about or visited in Putnam County. • Create a self‐guided ‘virtual trail’ using QR codes for Tablets and Smart Phones. Use Bartram’s own words to describe the sites on the trail. Each site will have a designated number that will correspond to information about that site – dialog, drawings, maps, etc. – on the web site and in brochures or booklets. • The Waterway Trail includes all of the St. Johns River in Putnam, Rice Creek, Dunns Creek and Lake Crescent, and Salt Springs Run – about 8o miles of water. Palatka’s River Taxi will be busy. • The Driving Trail will include Mount Royal, Stokes Landing, Hwy 310 and Lake Ocklawaha, Hwy 21 to Johnson and Hawthorn, Cowpen Lake in Interlachen, and from East Palatka to Hwy 13. • The Biking Trails will include Stokes Landing from the Palatka riverfront (8.6 Miles) on to the Hawthorne Trail and others. • The Hiking Trails will include the Palatka Water Works, Mud Springs and Ravine Gardens State Park. • Mark the trail sites with simple signs from the County sign shop. BartramTrailWaterwaySigns
Charlottia/Rollestown WhatAreWeThinking?
• Develop a Bartram Trail for Putnam County to attract eco‐tourist.
• Use existing assets to build a ‘virtual’ tour using the 25 Bartram sites. • Existing information will be stored on the County’s web site and linked to Google maps – we already do this with our Blueways
• Since most of the sites are on the river we’ll post signs with reference information for paddlers, boaters and tour boats. • Map out driving, hiking and biking trails. • The SJR Education Center on Palatka’s riverfront will become the headquarters for the Trail with information panels, brochures, artifacts, etc. • Install large Bartram Trail kiosks on the riverfront and Stokes Landing. WhattheCommitteeandCityhasDone
• The Bartram Trail in Putnam Committee identified a grant through the Florida Humanities Council that applies to our effort. The due date for the grant was 10/14/12. • With the Committee’s assistance, a Letter of Intent was submitted
by Jonathan Griffith to apply for $15,000. • We have received approval of our Letter of Intent. We need to submit the actual application by December 10. • The funds are to be used for Phase One of the Trail – i.e. the riverfront kiosk, brochures, maps, informational panels, web design and begin installing the Bartram Headquarters in the SJR Education Center.. • The concept of including the Bartram Trail in the SJR Education Center fits perfectly with the planned facility. • The water taxi now becomes very important since it will be docked at the Center. (We lost a group in 2009 because we had no river access) to Palatka
TheBartramTrailCommitteein
PutnamformedbytheSJRWaterways
Committee
• Dean Campbell
• Sam Carr (Chair)
• Lorraine Carr
• Jonathan Griffith
• Nancy Harris
• Marlene Lagasse
• Ella Lindsay
• Janice Mahaffey
• Ken Mahaffey
• Kraig McLane
• Yvonne Parrish
• Charlotte Porter
• Larry Pritchett
• Christy Sanford
• Bob Stevens
• Bob Virnstein
ScholarsInvolved
• Charlotte Porter, Ph. D. – retired Curator of the University Of Florida Natural History Museum, co‐author of Fields of Vision: Essays on the Travels of William Bartram, 1739‐
1823, and Professor at the University Of Florida.
• Kathryn Braund, Ph. D. ‐ a Hollifield Professor of Southern History at Auburn University, past president of The Bartram Trail Conference and co‐author with Charlotte Porter. She has published five other books. • Mary G. Padua, Ph. D., Associate Professor, College of Design, at the University of Florida will assist in planning and site design. CollaboratorsandPartners:
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Bartram Trail Conference
Florida Humanities Council
Putnam Blueways & Trails CSO
Putnam Historical Society Florida Public Archeology Network Florida Trail Association
Putnam Land Conservancy
Keep Putnam Beautiful Palatka Main Street
Santa Fe Audubon Society
Palatka Water Works Putnam Art Council • Putnam County Board OF Commissioners
• Putnam County Parks & Recreation Department
• Palatka City Commission
• Palatka Planning Board
• Palatka Historic Preservation Board
• SJR Water Management District
• Putnam County Environmental Council
CollaborationsPlanned:
We plan to work with:
• The John Bartram Society
• The Seminole Tribe of FL
• Georgia Pacific
• SJR Alliance
• University of Florida Natural History Museum
• St. Johns River State College
• The British Museum
• The Royal Society of London
Bartram’sDrawings
Bartram Celestial Lilly
Map of East Florida
Bartram’sDrawings
Warmouth/Yellow Bream
Fire‐breathing Alligators
Little Green Heron
Mount Royal
WhattheBoardof
CommissionersCanDo
• Designate the Bartram Trail In Putnam
• Provide resources to develop and establish the Trail – Parks and Recreation Department to oversee, assist in grant writing, IT personnel for web site management, mapping personnel for design, signs from the sign shop, publish information, meeting rooms, etc. • Ask TDC ‐ Chamber of Commerce to assist in marketing. • Be enthusiastic about the Trail and keep the project going. This can be a huge addition to Putnam County for tourism – its our history, our river and our county – “We own it!” Bartram’sDrawings
Sand Hill Crane dancing
Great Blue Heron
Bartram Celestial Lilly
Today’sSiteofSpalding’sLowerStore
ATriptoSpalding’sLowerStore
Mr.WilsonPointsat
ExcavationSites
TheSiteofTheTrading Post‐
OwnedbyMr.Goodson
Mr.Wilson’sHomestead–
“Iwasbornbetweenthoseoaks”
Mr.WilsonSaid“DoYouWanttoSeetheTreasure
Map?”
Mr. Wilson’s
Treasure Map
BartramTrailScenicHighway
WhereinPutnamCounty?
WhatDidHeSay?
Bartram’s Palatka – probably at the Presbyterian Church
“As I continued coasting the Indian [western] shore of this bay, I suddenly saw before me an Indian settlement or village. It was a fine situation, the bank gradually rising from the water. There were eight or ten habitations, in a row, or a street fronting the water, and about fifty yards distance from it. Some of the youth were naked, up to their hips in the water, fishing with rods and lines, whilst others, younger, were diverting themselves in shooting frogs with bows and arrows. They were civil and appeared happy in their situation.”
Bartram at Charlottia or Rollestown – at the FPL site in San Mateo
“The river gradually narrowing, I came in sight of Charlottia, where it is not above half mile wide, but deep; and as there was a considerable current against me, I came here to an anchor. This town was founded by [Denys] Rolle, Esq., and is situated on a high bluff on the east coast, fifteen or twenty feet perpendicular from the river, and is in length half a mile or more upon its banks.” WhatDidHeSay?
Bartram on Murphy Island
“Having obtained from the people here directions for discovering the little remote island [Murphy’s Island] where the traders and their goods were secreted, which is about seven miles higher up [south], I set sail again, with a fair wind and in about one hour and an half arrived at the desired place, having fortunately taken the right channel of the river, amongst a multitude of others occasioned by a number of low swampy islands. Bartram at Stokes Landing / Spalding’s Lower Store
“ …. I bid adieu, and in a little time arrived at the trading‐house where I was received with great politeness, and treated during a residence of several months with the utmost civility and friendship by Mr. Charles McLatchie, Messers. Spalding and Kelfall’s agent.” Bartram wrote about Beecher’s Point, Mount Royal, Lake George, Drayton Island, Salt Springs. He expounded on many exploits while at Stokes Landing including the “Seminole Frolic”, the rattlesnake killing, the watermelon feast and more. BartramTrailinGeorgia
PutnamBluewaysontheWeb