Steamboats at the Spring

Steamboats at the Spring. . , The first paddle-wheel steamboat to operate in northeast Florida was the Florida in 1834, running once a week from Savannah, Georgia to Picolata on the St. Johns River. After the Civil War, in late 1860s, travelers from northern states flocked to Jacksonville by train and ocean-going steamships originating in Boston and New York City. By the late 1800s, a network of steamboat lines, railroads and roads crisscrossed Florida. As steamboat traffic increased on the St. Johns and Ocklawaha rivers, Silver Springs became an important transportation hub and tourist destination., In 1860, Hubbard L. Hart, who had operated stage coaches in central Florida in the 1850s, bought the steamboat, James Burt. He began running between Palatka and Silver Springs. The trip took about 24 hours but was faster and safer than traveling by road. During the Civil War, Hart, although from Vermont, transported supplies for the Confederacy. This was the beginning of the Hart Line, which at its peak had at least 10 steamboats. They were smaller than the St. Johns River boats, in order to navigate the narrow and winding Ocklawaha River., Hart was instrumental in creating a tourist attraction at Silver Springs. A train depot was constructed next to the spring for easy transfer from his steamboats, and a hotel provided nice lodging for passengers enjoying the area or waiting for connecting trains. A passenger could travel just about anywhere in the country from Silver Springs, or take a train to Cedar Key for a steamship cruise to Havana, Cuba!, While on a business trip to Atlanta in 1895, Hart fell from a trolley and died. His family continued to operate the business, Ocklawaha Navigation Company, into the 1900s. By 1920, World War I and competition from railroads and automobiles forced Hart's family to close the business, bringing an end to the Hart Line and steamboats at Silver Springs.