De Leon Springs in Volusia County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Sugar Mill Wheel

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 15, 2021

1. Sugar Mill Wheel Marker

Inscription. This artifact is all that remains of the original sugar mill wheel. The sugar mill was constructed in the 1830s and operated until 1864, when the property was Spring Garden Plantation. The wheel powered the machinery that pressed sugar cane for its juice. It was the only water-powered sugar mill in Florida!

In 1835, the mill was destroyed by Seminole Indians at the beginning of the Second Seminole War. In 1864, it was destroyed again, this time by Union troops during the Civil War because the owner, Thomas Starke, was supplying food to Confederate troops.

The abandoned mill deteriorated from insects and rot in the late 1800s. Around 1910 it was rebuilt, possibly as a tourist attraction. A project in 1998 removed this part of the wheel, replacing it with the current wheel, which is not operational.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Industry & Commerce • War, US Civil • Wars, US Indian. A significant historical year for this entry is 1830.

Location. 29° 8.044′ N, 81° 21.807′ W. Marker is in De Leon Springs, Florida, in Volusia County. It can be reached from the intersection

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of Ponce Deleon Boulevard and South County Road 3. Marker is located within De León Springs State Park, on the west side of the Old Spanish Sugar Mill. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 601 Ponce Deleon Boulevard, De Leon Springs FL 32130, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Florida’s First Coast.

It is also in the American South.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Who Built the Sugar Mill? (a few steps from this marker); Ponce De Leon Springs (a few steps from this marker); The Fountain of Youth (a few steps from this marker); Sugar Mill Machinery (a few steps from this marker); The Hotel Clubhouse (within shouting distance of this marker); De Leon Springs Becomes a State Park (about

Marker detail: Sugar Mill Wheel image. Click for full size.

2. Marker detail: Sugar Mill Wheel

Local residents pose at the mill wheel in the late 1800s.
The building is no longer standing.

400 feet away, measured in a direct line); How Old Are the Live Oak Trees? (about 400 feet away); Horse-Drawn Road Graders (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in De Leon Springs.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Spring Garden Plantation Sugar Mill

Also see . . . Old Spanish Sugar Mill.

Park lore has it that the Spanish here erected an actual sugar mill in 1570, a site dramatically destroyed and rebuilt in both the Seminole and Civil Wars before being finally rebuilt as the structure it is today. Fact-beholden park rangers will tell you, however, the land was once a sugar plantation and that the building came up in 1900. At any rate, in 1961, mill-enthusiast Peter Schwarze bought the property and raised the mill to either its former or newfound glory, depending on your interpretation.

(Submitted on December 30, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 15, 2021

3. Sugar Mill Wheel Marker

Sugar Mill Wheel image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 15, 2021

4. Sugar Mill Wheel

"The Old Spanish Sugar Mill" image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, December 15, 2021

5. "The Old Spanish Sugar Mill"

(about 20 yards east of the marker • currently houses a pancake restaurant • mill wheel is not operational)

Credits. This page was last revised on March 13, 2026. It was originally submitted on December 30, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 610 times since then and 58 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 30, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.