I was excited when Linda invited me to join the inaugural Bartram Adventure Tour.

Can William Bartram Help Us Save the St. Johns River? See Associated Florida Resources for connections to organizations affecting all byways in Florida. First, we walked along the Puc Puggy Trail at the Palataka Waterworks Environmental Education Center. Paddling the St. Johns River is an opportunity to be immersed in history—literally, if you capsize, which I do not recommend. But this network of roads and bridges did not exist for Harriet Beecher Stowe, William Bartram, or the Native American populations who preceded them. Proud to Perform. This byway tells the story of the first Indian inhabitants of the region, the European pioneers, and plantation owners, and renowned naturalist William Bartram, who attempted to establish a plantation on the banks of the St. Johns River. The William Bartram Scenic and Historic Highway – State Road 13 (SR13) – winds its way along the St. Johns River through pine and palmetto barrens, oak hammocks and swamps, often canopied with trees. If you need one flower or doing a project in your yard, we have it or can get it quick. Byway Website: bartramscenichighway.com Byway Map: Downloadable PDF Map, William Bartram Scenic and Historic Highway Map, Byway Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ WILLIAMBARTRAMSCENICANDHISTORICHIGHWAY/. The blend of science and story, along with ethics, history, and beauty, can help us save our Florida waters. Biologist Mike Adams has been restoring the region’s native plants, including longleaf pine, for over 20 years. In the late 1700s, William Bartram, Quaker, naturalist, and adventuer, sailed the north-flowing St. Johns River and described the people, flora, and fauna he encountered. The sciences, arts, and humanities were not always considered as separate endeavors. In the late 1700s, William Bartram (1739-1832) sailed the north-flowing St. Johns River and recorded north Florida’s cultural and natural history in his Travels of William Bartram. We visited several springs, including Welaka Springs and Satsuma Springs. Palataka Waterworks Environmental Education Center. Artist Margaret Tolbert’s Aquiferious is one example, using a holistic approach to showcase and, hopefully, save our springs. Reading Bartram’s words is one thing, but seeing these sites from the seat of a kayak brings these stories to life. I came to love the St. Johns River after paddling in William Bartram’s Wake on a Paddle Florida trip on the Bartram Trail in Putnam County. He mentions Stokes Landing (Spaulding Lower Store) and Rollestown (Site 7), but his Travels portray a landscape unsettled by Europeans. The Rotary Club of Bartram Trail – Julington Creek in St. Johns, Florida will not let a global p. andemic stop us from doing good for those in need! On the water, I can almost imagine a time when the river was Florida’s main highway. all in intercourse performing their evolutions: there are no signs of enmity, no attempt to devour each other; the different bands seem peaceably and complaisantly to move a little aside, as it were to make room for the others to pass by. Bartram wrote extensively of his encounters with the different native populations he met. The day prior, diver and archaeologist Mike Stallings displayed some of his finds, including a mastodon tooth.

We had two short hikes that day. On an overcast day, Bartram enthusiast Dean Campbell met us in Welaka for a six-mile paddle. From atop this (excavated) Indian mound, Sam read aloud the ‘Bartram Prayer’ which offers insight into Bartram’s—and his own—feeling of stewardship towards the river and the surrounding land. Bartram Inn owner Linda Crider created this tour so that Bartram enthusiasts and adventurers could visit sites that naturalist William Bartram (1739-1823) described in his Travels of William Bartram. Bartram’s words have drawn adventurers, naturalists, and historians to the river and cultivated in them a deep appreciation for local history, flora, and fauna. We are a Landscape nursery, Which means that we have everything you need to landscape your yard. The restaurant is now in disrepair, like many fish camps along the St. Johns. FLORIDA SCENIC HIGHWAYS IS A PROGRAM OF FDOT. The Bartram Adventure Tour combines guided cycling, paddling, and hiking tours on the Bartram Trail in Putnam County with a stay in the Bartram Inn. The scenic byway is comprised of a portion of SR 13 southwest of Jacksonville along the east coast of the St. Johns River. And thank you to all of you that have already signed up. Looking out over a glassy St. Johns River, I wonder what stories the river holds. Find Bartram Trail High School test scores, student-teacher ratio, parent reviews and teacher stats. Bartram’s care extended to the many Native Americans he met whom, unlike his contemporaries, he viewed as equals. Following Bartram’s trail helps us imagine their lives in Florida’s many pasts. The west side of the St. Johns River, known as the “Indian shore,” was less populated than the east side, where British colonists and plantation owners had settled. These are specific resources for this byway. Then, we hiked down a newly cut trail in the Welaka State Forest that brought us to Orange Point and John’s Landing. Painting the landscape as harsh and unforgiving slowed the migration of newcomers. Through hard work and dedication, the BTHS Band Program has earned its reputation as a leading High School Marching Band from the St. Johns, Florida area. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Hearing Bartram’s  description helped me imagine the landscape he encountered so many years ago. The St. Johns River near Palatka is fossil-rich because the river level has varied over thousands of years, from 400 feet above sea level to 40 feet below. At the same instant innumerable fish are seen, some clothed in the most brilliant colors . He and his family bought and preserved a tract of land on the St. Johns River. St. John’s is the grand water-highway through some of the most beautiful portions of Florida; and tourists, safely seated at ease on the decks of steamers, can penetrate into the mysteries and wonders of unbroken tropical forests. We only protect what we know and love. While paddling downstream in a blustery December wind, I learned that Sam, Dean and others designed Bartram Trail in Putnam County  so that people could visit sites that Bartram described. Just beyond Welaka, we paddled past the remains of the Shell Harbor Restaurant which figured in Dean’s own family history. Our trip included a number of ‘Bartram moments.’ Sam read from Bartram’s Travels and explained the significance of a particular place. In Palmetto Leaves, Harriet Beecher Stowe offers advice for northerners heading south for the winter, but her words betray a concern about the sheer numbers of snowbirds  arriving in Florida. His book Travels details his experiences journeying through and documenting the  southeastern U.S.  in the 1760s. on Can William Bartram Help Us Save the St. Johns River? Bartram’s words have drawn adventurers, naturalists, and historians to the river and cultivated in them a deep appreciation for local history, flora, and fauna. Bartram wrote the first “tour guide” to Florida in the late 1700s. Travel on I-295 W to SR13S, approximately 17 miles along SR13 from the Julington Creek Bridge to SR16. The printed guide, trailside QR codes, and website provide locations, journal entries and commentaries so that visitors can follow Bartram’s footsteps and see (or imagine seeing) what he saw.