Palatka Fla. Trip-Trend Mag Online-Art.-Mo.-Nov'15

QCT Palatka Florida Trip
Trend Magazine Online
Article November 2015

By Staff

Trend Magazine Online™

Quaint Little Town!

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 2^nd 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.

It was time to head back to North Carolina this past spring and as promised I scheduled an overnight stop in the quaint little town of Palatka, Florida, this past May 2015. I also planned a visit to the oldest city in the United States -- St. Augustine, Florida -- the very next day. Read about that stop in an upcoming edition of Trend Magazine Online^tm. My first stop shortly after arriving in East Palatka was Corky Bell's Seafood; since it was Friday -- fish day. Read my review of this cool eatery in the next (December 2015) edition of Trend Magazine Online^tm.

I drove west and just up the street to my hotel -- The Best Western -- which is in walking distance to the St. John's River Bridge leading to Downtown Palatka. Read about my stay in this edition of Trend Magazine Online^tm. I then ventured across the bridge into Downtown after getting settled into my room. One of my first objectives was to locate the old historic-looking Amtrak Station that was responsible for this entire visit. Not surprisingly it was not too far from Downtown and near a predominately African-American neighborhood. I got a chance to get out and take a closer look at the station and surrounding area before heading back downtown past what appeared to be one of the historic Black churches in town.

The waterfront park is adjacent to the St. John's River and it was nice to see that the town planners set aside a section in honor of our nation's veterans - including me. The park also provides a great view of the river and folks crossing over the bridge. I was especially pleased to find that the town planners also set aside a dozen or so blocks just north of Downtown as their historic district called Reid's Garden.

This area is equipped with seven Kiosks and eight homes built between the mid-19^th to early 20^th Century that display the Victorian, Colonial Revival, Bungalow, Greek Revival, and Queen Anne-style designs. The anchor home is known as the Bronson-Mulholland House which was built in 1855 using the Greek Revival style. This 2-story structure was originally the home of Judge Isaac H. Bronson and is now a public museum owned by the City of Palatka

All in all it was a good choice to return to this quaint little town in Central Florida that is well on its way to being restored to its original glitz and glamour.

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QCT Palatka Florida TripTrend Magazine OnlineArticle November 2015

QCT Palatka Florida Trip
Trend Magazine Online
Article November 2015