APALACHICOLA

Hell, I was almost  to Apalachicola, Florida when I was in Savannah.

Why not take another day to visit there?  I had heard so much about the fishing, both finned and shelled. And hunting - - -  it was outstanding. I thought I may wish to settle there someday.

So I scouted the place out.

Of course the first place I headed for were the fishing warfs.

The fellows on this boat were quite friendly. I asked them how they shrimped.

They said they "oystered" most of the time. The shrimp and sponges were getting scarce. Then they gave me a demonstration with their rakes.

I asked if I could go out with the oyster pickers the next day. They said "NO!".

It was supposed to storm and they were not going out.

They normally raked the bay at the end of the river. The bay was shallow and when a storm came up the waves were horrendous.

This is the sponge exchange in downtown Apalachicola.

One of the fellows that sold sponges said that Apalachicola was previously known as a trading post called Cottonton.

Cottonton grew because of the bay and the river. On the other side of the river was a great forestland full of deer, turkeys and bears.

One fellow from the oyster boat said he was going hunting in the forest across the river becuse he could not fish. Asked me if I wanted to tag along.

I jumped at the chance.

Besides turkeys, deer and bears I saw a cotton-mouth moccasin, an alligator, a snapping turtle and some the the largest spiders I had ever seen.

I hate spiders!

There were some big old estates built in Apalachicola after the north won the battle with large ships.

The civil war ended but the port kept on growing.

This home was constructed in 1830 by George Raney

Apalachicola grew fast and became third busiest port in the Gulf of Mexico.

The port created wealth and a diverse population, building the foundation for a great city.

Thomas Ormon is credited with carving a large portion of the city out of wilderness.

The Ormon House was built partly in Syracuse, New York and shipped to Apalachicola. Then the parts were assembled here.

I wonder if it followed the same route as I did? I bet not. Probably took the Erie Canal from Syracuse to the Hudson River and then down to New York City. The remainder was probably on the ocean.

The original blueprints for Apalachicola were modeled after Philadelphia.

In 1831, the town changed its name. The change was made to recognize the Apalachicola Tribe.

The name of the tribe meant "Those on the other side of the river."

But somehow, and don't ask me why, I think Apalachicola will be famous far into the future - - - or
possibly - - - just a little into the future.

 

©W. Tomosky♠