ida became a territory , dozens of U . S . Army officers were commissioned to survey the land and construct military roads to deal with the threat of Indians . One of the roads followed the old Camino Real between Pensacola and St . Augustine . Usually called the Bellamy Road after the Tallahassee planer who constructed the eastern portion of the road , it was Florida ’ s first Federal highway .
The region grew in population slowly during the pre-Civil War years , partly because of the Second Seminole War that raged in the area between 1835 and 1842 . Suwannee County was a frontier , with the few residents struggling to
survive not only the wilderness , but the periodic Seminole raids as well . The hardy nature of the citizens was proven as they made a home for themselves , clearing the vast forests to establish their farms , churches , and businesses . Several communities arose during these early years , including Pine Grove , Columbus , and Little River .
In 1851 , a young musician was searching for a Southern river that would fit into a song he was composing . Initially settling on the Peedee River , a search on an atlas gave him the idea of using “ Suwannee ”. Taking out the “ u ” and an “ n ” to fit the melody , Stephen Foster created one of the most well-known melodies in the world . Originally published on October 1 , 1851 as “ Old Folks at Home ”, the song is more familiarly known by its first line , “ Way Down Upon the Swanee River ”.
Capitalizing on the fame of the recently released song and an increase in population , Suwannee County was created on December 21 , 1858 out of the western portion of Columbia County . The temporary county seat was designated as the “ house of William Hines ”, the County ’ s first judge , until permanent facilities could be determined . The community of Houston , one of the few decent-sized hamlets within Suwannee County , became the first permanent county seat . By the fall of 1859 , County records were showing Houston as the county seat .
Steamboats began operations on the Suwannee River in the 1830s , but it was not until the 1850s that there was any regular steamboat traffic on the river . Captain James Tucker built the steamboat Madison in 1854 or 1855 and brought her to the Suwannee River . Tucker won the contract for twice-a-month mail service between Columbus , a community located within the present-day Suwannee River State Park , and
Dowling Park , Early 1900s the community of Bayport in what is
now Hernando County . Besides being a mobile post office , Madison was used as a floating country store , carrying goods between the Suwannee County region and Cedar Key at the mouth of the Suwannee River . When the Civil War broke out in 1861 , Madison was used as a gunboat , capturing three schooners loaded with railroad irons at the mouth of the Suwannee River in a daring night mission on July 4 , 1861 . By 1863 , the changing tide of war and orders to Virginia meant that Captain Tucker had Madison scuttled in Troy Springs . What is left of the wreck continues to lie in the spring run today .
Shortly before the start of the Civil
War in 1861 , a railroad bridge for the Pensacola & Georgia Railroad was completed over the Suwannee River at Columbus . This railroad became a primary supply line for Confederate forces outside of Florida . It became all the more important after July of 1863 , when the fall of Vicksburg , Mississippi cut off Confederate supplies from the western portion of the Confederacy . In 1864 , Union troops under General Truman Seymour landed in Jacksonville with orders to take the bridge over the Suwannee River . At the start of the campaign , Confederate forces in Florida were heavily outnumbered , but eventually numbers increased as troops from other states were moved into the area via railroad and forced marching . Brigadier General Joseph Finegan , commanding Confederate forces , was concerned that Union forces would outflank him and attack the railroad bridge on the Suwannee River . Union forces of about 5,000 men were turned back at the Battle of Olustee ( also known as the Battle of Ocean Pond ), east of Lake City , on February 20 , 1864 by a similarly-sized Confederate force under Finegan . It was the largest Civil War battle in Florida . Remains of the earthworks at the
16 SUWANNEE CHAMBER IMPACT | 2022-2023