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
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. Marker can be reached from the intersection 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
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. 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); DeLeon Springs Colored School (approx. 1.7 miles away); H.L. Wynns’s Commissary (approx. 4.9 miles away); Swedish Pioneer Memorial (approx. 4.9 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 . . .
1. The Old Spanish Sugar Mill History.
The mill was constructed back in the 1830s to crush sugar cane with the millions of gallons of water that flows from the nearby freshwater spring. The mill has been destroyed and rebuilt a few times over the years but has been restored to its current form and family-run since the 1960s.(Submitted on December 30, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. Old Spanish Sugar Mill.
Park lore has(Submitted on December 30, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)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.
2. Marker detail: Sugar Mill WheelLocal residents pose at the mill wheel in the late 1800s.
The building is no longer standing.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, December 15, 2021
3. Sugar Mill Wheel Marker
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, December 15, 2021
4. Sugar Mill Wheel
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, December 15, 2021
5. "The Old Spanish Sugar Mill"
Credits. This page was last revised on January 1, 2022. It was originally submitted on December 30, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 224 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on December 30, 2021, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
