Chiefland in Levy County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Manatee Spring

Described by William Bartram July, 1774

Photographed by James Hulse, January 19, 2022

1. Manatee Spring Marker

Inscription. Having borrowed a canoe from some Indians, I visited a very grat and most beautiful fountain or spring which boils up from between the hills about 300 yards from the river, throwing up great quantities of white small pieces of shells & white shell rock which, glittering through the limped eliment as they rise to the surface, subside & fall again round about on every side. The bason of the fountain is nearly round and about 100 yards in circumferance, the banks round about of a moderate steep assent cover'd with broken white shell, & the water gradually deepens to the center of the fountain, where it is many fathoms deep. The fountain is full of fish and alegators & at great depth in the water appear as plain as if they were close at hand. The creek that runs from this immence fountain is above twenty yards wide & runs very swift into the river, carying its sea green transparent waters near 100 yards a cross the river, the depth of the water of the creek 10 or 12 feets - where we see a continual concourse of fish of various kinds such as garr, catfish, mullet, trout, bream of various species, silverfish & pike, and the monstrous

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amphabious maneta: a skeleton of which I saw on the bank, of the spring, which the Indians had lately killed. The hills that nearly incompassed the spring were about 15 or 20 yards in height next the river but the land falls away considerably from the top of the hills & becomes a lower flat or nearly levell forest of pine, oak, bay, magnolia & cabbage trees. The soil of the hills a loose greyish sandy mold on shelly & limestone rocks. The water of the spring cool & agreeable to drink. The Indians and traders say this fountain vents the waters of the great Alatchua Savanah.

Erected by Manatee Springs State Park.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Colonial Era • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Parks & Recreational Areas.

Location. 29° 29.365′ N, 82° 58.627′ W. Marker is in Chiefland, Florida, in Levy County. It can be reached from NW 115th Street (Florida Route 320) half a mile west of North Young Boulevard (U.S. 98). The marker is located 250 feet north of the Manatee Springs parking lot next to the boardwalk at the springs.

Manatee Springs Registered National Landmark image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, January 19, 2022

2. Manatee Springs Registered National Landmark

Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11650 NW 115th Street, Chiefland FL 32626, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in North Florida.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

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 8 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Waterfront Dining for Thousands of Years (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Sink Trail (approx. ¼ mile away); Old Town School (approx. 7 miles away); Dancing Dragonflies (approx. 7.1 miles away); Fanning Springs Bridge (approx. 7.4 miles away); Steamboat "City of Hawkinsville" (approx. 7.4 miles away); The History of Fort Fanning (approx. 7½ miles away); Oldtown (approx. 7.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chiefland.

More about this marker.

The Manatee Springs and Marker along the boardwalk image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, January 19, 2022

3. The Manatee Springs and Marker along the boardwalk

The marker is located inside the Manatee Springs State Park and does require a small entrance fee to view the springs and marker.

Also see . . . William Bartram.

William Bartram (April 20, 1739 – July 22, 1823) was an American botanist, ornithologist, natural historian, and explorer. Bartram was author of an acclaimed book, now known by the shortened title Bartram's Travels, which chronicled his explorations of the southern British colonies in North America from 1773–1777. Bartram has been described as "the first naturalist who penetrated the dense tropical forests of Florida." Source: Wikipedia

(Submitted on January 28, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.)

A Manatee display next to the springs image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, January 19, 2022

4. A Manatee display next to the springs

William Bartram (April 20, 1739 — July 22, 1823) was an American naturalist image. Click for full size.

Public Domain - Wikipedia, circa 1800s

5. William Bartram (April 20, 1739 — July 22, 1823) was an American naturalist

The view of the Manatee Springs along the boardwalk image. Click for full size.

Photographed by James Hulse, January 19, 2022

6. The view of the Manatee Springs along the boardwalk

Credits. This page was last revised on January 28, 2022. It was originally submitted on January 28, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 682 times since then and 39 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on January 28, 2022, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.