Sorrento in Lake County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Welcome to the Historic Ethel Trail
| | Rock Springs Run State Park | |
Photographed by Brandon D Cross
1. Historic Ethel Trail Marker
Establishing Ethel
The first settler at Rock Springs was William S. Delk, descended from English colonists who landed at Jamestown in 1623. Aged 38, he purchased 3,000 acres of land in 1854 and built a home close to the springs at what is now Kelly Park. With his son and 19 slaves, he cleared 400 acres for farming.
The Civil War
The Civil War (1861-5) turned families and neighbors against each other. Delk Senior was a Unionist; his son William P. Delk was a Confederate, who went off to war in 1861. The son died from pneumonia in Tallahassee on July 15, 1862, at the age of 22 without seeing action. At the end of the war, freed slaves and homesteaders moved into the Rock Springs area and the township of Ethel was born although how it got this name remains a mystery.
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Take a walk back in time along the Historic Ethel Trail to learn about the township that once thrived on this land.
Trail Markers Follow the Historic Trail markers to remain on the right path.
Erected 2024 by Florida State Park and the Wekiva Wilderness Trust.
Topics. This memorial is listed in these topic lists: Parks & Recreational Areas • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1854.
Location.
this page online
Regionally, this memorial is in Greater Orlando and in Central Florida. 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: Early Settlement in Florida (here, next to this marker); The Delk Plantation (here, next to this marker); Ethel Township (a few steps from this marker); Homesteading (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Ethel School (approx. 0.2 miles away); Living Off the Land Marker (approx. Ό mile away); The Railway (approx. 0.3 miles away); Life in Ethel (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sorrento.
Also see . . .
1. Historic Ethel Trail. (Submitted on January 24, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. Ethel. (Submitted on January 24, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
Photographed by Brandon D Cross
2. Historic Ethel Trail Marker
Photographed by Brandon D Cross
3. Historic Ethel Trail Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 28, 2025. It was originally submitted on January 24, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 233 times since then and 20 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on January 24, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
