DIXIE COUNTY ADVOCATE, CROSS CITY, FLORIDA THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2006


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A Postcard From The Past


 Documentation can exist in different forms, such as old photographs, historic period maps,
archival texts, letters, newspaper and magazine articles, deeds and other legal documents and
postcards. The 1959 Fanning Springs postcard pictured in this week's edition features a scene of the
springs and the pavilion that included changing rooms and a roller skating rink, which was used
often as a dance hall.
 Today that portion of the hillside that surrounds the beautiful, crystal clear springs are a
concession stand, restrooms/changing rooms, picnic area and volleyball court. Walkways have been
constructed along the perimeter of the springs; making it much easier to reach the water from the
steep banks.
 Ranger Andrew Moody of the Florida State Division of Parks acquired the postcard for the Parks
historical files.
 As mentioned in a previous Fanning Springs feature, "Were You There", Ranger Moody has
been doing research on the Park since 2003 for the Park's files, the Levy County Archives and the
Division of Historical Resources in Tallahassee.
 Ranger Moody stated that some of these forms of old "Fannin Springs" history are still around in
private collections. If you think that you are able to help the Park in this research, please contact the
Fanning Springs State Park at 352-463-3420.


By Carolyn Jones
 Much to my surprise a
 couple of weeks ago, Fanning
 Springs State Park Ranger
 Andrew Moody contacted me
 through the Dixie County
 Advocate and asked if he could
 interview me. This came about
 because of my stories in the
 "Do You Remember" column,
 especially the ones where I
 told of the old original wooden
 bridge (constructed in the late
 1920's) and the day that the
 sides of the narrow bridge
 were removed. This happened
 during the day after we crossed
 over on our way that morning
 to shop in Gainesville, Florida.
 I was about 5 years old at
 the time, sitting in the. back
 seat between my mother,
 Madge, my grandmother
 Moulton, and with my Aunt
 Ruby Moulton, driving along
 with a family friend Nell
 Woods in the front passengers
 seat. Believe me, it was pretty
 scary when we arrived back at
 the bridge late that afternoon
 and realized that we would
 have to go across it sides or
 no sides to get back home to
 Cross City! As her habit was,
 my grandmother, not liking to
 ride over narrow bridges, got
 out of the car and walked
 behind the car as my aunt
 drove us over. The new steel
 bridge, still under construction,
 was not quite ready for cars
 but opened soon after and was
 dedicated later in 1934. I was
 there that 4th of July and saw
 the dedication and ribbon
 cutting that took place in the
 middle of the bridge. Canova
 Anderson, the beautiful young
 daughter of D.M. Anderson,
 official surveyor employed by
 Putnam Lumber Company in
.Shamrock, Florida, was the
one that cut the ribbon that hot
sunny day.
'. Ranger Moody was
extremely pleased to finally
find someone that had actually
.r'dden across the old bridge
aind also knew about the old
Fort Fanning Hotel and
Boarding House. It was located
on the spot that is now the Fort
Fanning Historical Park,
recently dedicated by Mayor
McQueen and others.
 Fortunately I have a
 snapshot of the Hotel and sign
 out front, showing me at about
 :age 5 and my little friend Ann
 Woods, about age 4. We had
 gone with my family to visit
 mom's sister, Jewell and her
 husband Toby Marshall. They
 had recently married and lived
 there at the Hotel Boarding
 .House. He worked for the
 Atlantic Coastline R.R.
 Company at the Wilcox
 station; often the night shift
 and she stated that sometimes
 she would stay with him. A
 family by the name of Sunday
 owned and operated the Hotel
 Sas well as a store and service
 station a few yards east,
 approximately where the
 present restaurant is today.
 My friend Vessie Brown


Mills lived in the Wilcox area
between 1925 and 1941, when
she married Cecil Jones and
moved to Dixie County in
1941. Her father, V.M. Brown
lived and worked in the river
area, deadheading logs to be
floated down river, possibly
Fanning Springs area logging
operation. This information
verifies things that we had
heard about as having taken
place in the 1920's and even
earlier. More about this in
future columns and verification
from others as to what they
were told by ancestors.
 Miss Vessie stated that her
 father helped to disassemble
 the old original wooden bridge
 and also worked on
 constructing the new steel
 bridge to replace it. This new
 bridge was to the north side of
 the wooden bridge. The new
 steel bridge was dedicated July
 4th, 1934, as I said earlier. She
 also remembered the Fred
 Sunday family that I spoke of
 as operating the old Hotel, at
 the front of the north side of
 the bridge, as well as a little
 store and service station a few
 yards further east along Hwy
 19 directly across from the
 entrance to the springs then, as
 well as now.
 Ranger Moody was also
extremely pleased that I was
able to verify some of the
events and rumors that he had
been hearing about for eleven
years he has worked on this
project. Such as, the old
original unpainted dressing
room building with knot holes
(where the boys sometimes
tried to look through) and the
very tall, monstrous wooden
slide on the opposite side of
the high dive over the boil.
This was the early 30's era.
 Later the old wooden slide
was removed along with the
old dressing room building.
Ranger Moody has talked to
the man who removed the slide
and who is still using the
lumber that it was made of.
 A new bathhouse and small
concession area was
constructed on, the same site
and new steps down to the
water edge, with a series of
docks or platforms used for
diving, and on over to the high
dive, (3 stories high) directly
over the deep, dark, very cold
boil.
 I recall that only the older,
bravest and strong boys dived
from this height. I personally
never saw any girls do this. I
told in a previous story of the
springs that I saw Wylie
Newman, Juanita Newman
Begue's brother performing on
that high dive many times. Of
course, there were others, a
few then, and others in later
years.
 Wylie was an outstanding
tall, well-built athlete helping
to win many trophies and
honors for the Dixie County
Bears back then. IHe and his
many future brother-in-laws,


the Begue boys were star
players, known all over the
state. A lot of you will
remember our beloved Coach
Spurgeon Cherry in the early
30's. Taylor County was our
archenemy in sports and often
claimed that the Begue boys
played past the age limit. They
didn't there were so many of
them coming along and they
started young. A young sister,
Shirley also played basketball.
More about school days later.
 In connection to
 ownership/leases of Fanning
 Springs back in the late 20's,
 30's and 40's, I knew or was
 pretty sure that Mr. M.L.
 Flcischel, owner of Putnam
 Lumber Company in
 Shamrock, Florida, also owned
 or leased Fanning Springs-and
 surrounding property.
 My old school mate Carson
 McLeod confirmed this when
 we talked to Ranger Moody in
 our interview on 11-08-06.
 Carson stated that his father
 "Mac" McLeod came to work
 for Mr. Fleischel at Putnam
 Lumber Company, moving
 here in 1931 from Deland,
 Florida. He was put to work
 designing and in charge of
 building the fire tower on the
 Jena road. It was very tall, in
 the likeness of a lighthouse and
 had ladder steps to the top of
 the observation point.
 Carson also verified that it
was a 99 years lease of
Fanning. We also think it was
highly possible that Mr. "Mac"
was in charge of building that
old wooden slide at Fanning
Springs about 1931 or 32,
since it was in the same style
as the High dive tower and
Jena Fire Tower.
 Speaking of the big slide at
the springs, it was about 3
stories high and had ladder like
steps on the side and back to
reach the top. The bottom of
the slide ended in the shallow
water and was kept wet by
constant use of older boys and
girls sliding down it. I recall
seeing my aunt Ruby and her
teenage girl friends in their
bathing suits, posed in a group
snapshot at the end of the slide
in the waters edge. This was in
1932, right after I started
school. Most of her friends in
the picture lived in Shamrock,
our neighboring mill town and
are no longer with us. My. aunt
is 94 years old, living in
Houston, Texas and we're
hoping that with her daughters
helping they can relocate this
old snapshot of the long gone
slide that I recall in her album.
 The old original unpainted
dressing room building was
replaced in the mid 30's along
with the big slide which was
located over the huge rock
boulders rising up over the
embankment on the opposite
(north side) from the boil
which was on the south side of
the springs as you went down
the steps to reach the water
below. We girls never ventured
beyond thile edges of the water


and toward the Suwannee
River a few yards out, due to
grasses, bonnets, cypress trees,
and a fear of snakes and
alligators.
 New dressing rooms were
built on the same site with an
attached small concession area
where you could buy bottled
soft drinks and pay an entrance
fee of a quarter, which entitled
you to a key to a dressing
room. You then proceeded to a
shallow deck overlooking the
springs below. The deck and
steps were built over more of
those huge rocks lining the
springs and when you reached
the bottom in shallow water,


 HOURS:
 SALES.
Mon.-Fri. 8:30 to 6
 Sat. 9 to 3
 .*J* 352


you could go to your left,
facing south and on to a series
of docks where most people
dived from, or go over to the
High dive, 3 stories high
directly over the big boil. The
top was reached by climbing a
lot of ladder steps.
 If you turned to your right,
north, at the bottom of the
entrance steps, you waded
shallow water where there
were many small springs in the
sandy edge and coming out of
the rocks surrounding the little
beach side of the springs. This
area was where children and
many adults played and swam.


 Cross City, FL 32628





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Many times watermelons were
placed in this area among the
rocks and bubbling small
springs, to cool off far later
eating. The water was
extremely cold and you would
often see children turn blue
and have the shivers!
 A short time later in the
30's a dance pavilion was built
alongside and to the north side
of the dressing rooms and
concession area. This sat above
where the big slide ran down
to the water below and was
after removal of the slide.
 See REMEMBER
 Page 3A


I E ~


MARINE CORPS RESERVE


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when you bring in a new unwrapped
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 $100 maximum


 $100
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 OlEr Endt rJoVember 30 2006


 Dixie Chevrolet Will Make A

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through Dec. 22nd!


MSRP (#46178) $34,755.00
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Carolyn Jones, left with her friend Ann Woods standing in front of the Ft. Fannin Hotel.


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