Bradenton in Manatee County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Manatee Mineral Spring

Photographed By Tim Fillmon, March 21, 2019

1. Manatee Mineral Spring Marker after restoration

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

Here flowed a spring which had been used by Indians and was found by Manatee's first white settler, Josiah Gates, who settled nearby in January 1842. It served Branch Fort, when the early settlers camped nearby for protection from the Seminole raid of 1856. During this encampment, the first child born (March 4, 1856) was Furman Chairs Whitaker, who became Manatee County's first native born doctor, practicing here from 1896, until shortly before his death in 1945. In the early 1900's the spring became the center of a small park which included a picnic pavilion.

Erected 1965 by Florida Board of Parks and Historic Memorials in cooperation with Manatee County Historical Society. (Marker Number F-126.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical month for this entry is January 1842.

Location. 27° 29.876′ N, 82° 32.959′ W. Marker is in Bradenton, Florida, in Manatee County. Marker is at the intersection of 14th Street East and 2nd Avenue East on 14th Street East. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1312 14th Street East, Bradenton FL 34208, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least

Manatee Mineral Spring Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By PaulwC3, March 14, 2014

2. Manatee Mineral Spring Marker

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8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. First Settler's Homesite (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Curry Houses National Register Historic District / Refuge of Peace (about 700 feet away); First Manatee Courthouse / Manatee Methodist Church (about 700 feet away); The Florida Cracker Trail (approx. 0.2 miles away); Old Cabbage Head (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Wiggins Store (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Fogarty Boat Works (approx. 0.2 miles away); Florida Naval Stores (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bradenton.

Also see . . . Manatee Mineral Springs Park - City of Bradenton. (Submitted on March 22, 2014, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia.)

Wide view of the Manatee Mineral Spring Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed By PaulwC3, March 14, 2014

3. Wide view of the Manatee Mineral Spring Marker

The marker stands at the City of Bradenton - Manatee Mineral Springs Park. The concrete cap in the center covers the last of the springs.

Remains of old Manatee Mineral Spring. image. Click for full size.

Manatee County Public Library Historical Image Digital Collection, November 1964

4. Remains of old Manatee Mineral Spring.

Pipes are all that is seen of the formerly free-flowing Manatee Mineral Spring that greeted the earliest settlers to the Manatee settlement. The modern site of the spring is near the sugar cane field and small park on 14th Street East.

Credits. This page was last revised on May 5, 2021. It was originally submitted on March 19, 2014, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia. This page has been viewed 664 times since then and 31 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 21, 2019, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. 2, 3, 4. submitted on March 22, 2014, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia.