by Adele Woodyard
Preserving the state’s history and/or ecology has been an underlying aim for the Florida state parks since the first ones were built for recreation in the 1930s. Here are three of them, near or on the Apalachicola River, that I visited during my recent Panhandle trip.
Torreya State Park lies on the eastern edge of the river about midway between I-10 to the north and Bristol, on S.R. 20 to the south. As such it’s an easy drive to or from the Panhandle Pioneer Settlement I wrote about last week. One of the first of the eight parks built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) it was named after the Torreya tree (Taxifolia), a species of conifer also known as Stinking Yew. Decimated by an unknown fungus, this rare and endangered tree can be found in the high bluffs and deep ravines along the river, and in southernmost Georgia.
Being a history buff, I was more interested in the Gregory House, a plantation home that sits atop a bluff and overloooks the Apalachicola River 150 feet below. Originally built about 1849 at Ocheesee Landing, by planter Jason Gregory, it was moved across the river by the CCC in 1935. Ranger Dan Cole tells us how they dismantled the house and carried it piece by piece, up the steep hill only to be stored on the property for the next two years.
Apalachicola River 150' below
During a tour of the house, he points out one of the four bedrooms that was rented to an eye doctor or river captains, a common practice in those days. Cole tells us why one object is called a “courting” candle (the “date” is over when it burns down to a certain point); that a sewing machine on display was one of the first Singer built; and that the handsome young Gregory. was only an inch over 5 feet tall.
Cole’s most intriguing tale featured daughter Chaffa. With no slaves left to care for the property after the Civil War, the family moved out. Chaffa, an unmarried teacher, returned to the homestead at age 50, and eventually wed a childhood sweetheart whose wife had died. Two years later he was beaten to death on the front porch, by the son of a former slave. Ranger-guided tours 10 a.m. weekdays, 10 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. weekends. 850-643-2674; www.floridastateparks.org/torreya
The next two are in Apalachicola, on U.S. Hwy 98. The town was named one of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Dozen Distinctive Destinations, in 2008. Over half the buildings listed on the Historic Walking Tour pamphlet date back to the 1800s, when the town was the third-largest cotton port on the Gulf Coast. Today the cotton and sponge warehouses hold shops, art galleries and restaurants serving seafood fresh from the ships that line the waterfront.
The Orman House was built in 1838 by Thomas Orman , a cotton merchant who was instrumental in helping the tiny town grow in importance during the mid-19th century. Used for both business and social gatherings, the antebellum house was built in sections at the very beginning. The wood was pre-cut in Syracuse, New York and shipped to Apalachicola by sailing vessel. Like the Gregory House it was
Orman House
assembled on a bluff overlooking the Apalachicola River. It became one of the state park’s more recent acquisitions in 1999. . Open 9 -12 a.m., 1- 5 p.m., Thurs.-Mon. Closed major holidays.one
Also on site, the adjoining Chapman Botanical Garden, honors a prominent southern botanist, physician and Apalachicola resident in the 1800s. Dr.Alvan Chapman and his wife, are buried in the Chestnut Street Cemetery, established in 1831. Construction had me miss the garden, but the elaborately carved marble headstones in the cemetery made for an interesting stop in itself. Open 8 a.m.-sunset daily. 850-653-1209. www.floridastateparks.org/ormanhouse
John Gorrie Museum State Park honors a little-known physician whose invention gave Florida—in fact, the world—a way to beat the heat. Shortly after moving to Apalachicola in 1833, he donned a number of hats, serving as mayor, postmaster, city treasurer, bank director, council member and founder of Trinity Church. But it was as a doctor that Gorrie gave his most important, and least recognized, contribution to humanity. After developing a Rube-Goldberg device to cool the rooms of yellow fever patients, Gorrie invented an ice-producing machine. Although he received the first U.S. patent for mechanical refrigeration in 1851, he was unable to market his invention before he died four years later. A replica of his ice machine is on display, as well as exhibits depicting Apalachicola history Open 9-12 a.m., 1-5 p.m. Thurs-Mon. 850-653-9347. www.floridastateparks.org/gorriemuseum
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