We stopped through this little town on my Amtrak trip from Charlotte, North Carolina, to Miami Florida back in the winter of 2014. Of all of the nearly two dozen stops we made during my east coast trip I found this one the most intriguing because of its unique name and old timey station; so much so that I wrote the name down for future reference. I also Googled Palatka, Florida and was quite impressed with how much information that was listed about this town and its history. For example, it was established as a trading post in 1821 and today serves as the county seat of Putnam County which was founded 28 years later in 1849. The name means "crossing" and is derived from the Timucuan Indian word Pilotakata. In 1836 the original town was burned during the 2nd of the three Florida Seminole Indian Wars that lasted from 1817 to 1858. Fort Shannon -- a garrison, supply depot, and hospital for area forts -- was constructed there by the United States Government in 1838
Federal Troops occupied Palatka during the American Civil War (1861 - 1864) and riverboats traveled the nearby St. John's River to areas south of the city making it the gateway to the interior of Florida. The town became known as the "Gem of St. Johns" and boasted accommodations for 6,000 visitors in world class hotels such as the Arlington, Saratoga, La Fayette, and Putnam House. The late 1800's brought additional prosperity to the area via an enormous timber and citrus industry, and a reputation for natural beauty that attracted quite a few visitors to town. The grand hotels Downtown were destroyed by a devastating fire in 1884 and the citrus industry followed after deep freezes in 1894/95.
Today, the expanded Downtown business district
boasts a beautiful waterfront park, and many historic and cultural sites as well
has playing host to quite a few exciting festivals and events. It is because of
these discoveries that I decided then that I was going to stop back through
there and check it out more up close and personal.