Wakulla County History

Wakulla County was established as the state's twenty-third county by the Florida legislature in 1843, Wakulla's rich history dates back to the Paleo-Indian period, when groups of Native Americans made use of and enjoyed the region's abundant natural resources. Today, over three-quarters of the county's total acreage is contained within wildlife refuge areas that protect tens of thousands of acres of timber, marshlands, and coastal estuaries, creating an unmatched natural beauty that is Wakulla's greatest asset. The port area of St. Marks, host to the Panfilo de Narvaez expedition in 1528 and the Hernando de Soto expedition in 1539, was an important shipping port to Middle Florida and South Georgia. Wakulla County was also once the site of long forgotten settlements such as Magnolia and Port Leon, ports along the St. Marks River that played important roles in the economic development of Middle Florida during the antebellum period. Home to outlets to the Gulf of Mexico along Apalachee Bay such as Panacea, Spring Creek, and Shell Point, Wakulla also boasts one of the world's largest and deepest freshwater springs and a premier tourist attraction.  (Page, Eddie:  Images of America Wakulla)