were formed, Escambia in the west and St. Johns in the east, with the Suwannee River the dividing line. After Florida 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
Suwannee County Courthouse 1940s or 1950s
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 decentsized 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-amonth mail service between Columbus, a community located within the presentday Suwannee River State Park, and 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
16 SUWANNEE CHAMBER IMPACT | 2026-2027