Walking tour
White Springs is a town steeped in history. Learn some of the back story of the buildings in our town.
Guided Walking Tours are offered on occasion. Click here for more information about the tours. For a list of Upcoming Tours (and other events in White Springs), Click Here.
The Walking Tour starts at the Tourism Center, a two mile walk along River Street and Spring Street.
If you wish to watch each property on YouTube, click here for the YouTube Walking Tour Playlist.
If you wish to look at the Walking Tour Pamphlet that was created back in 1994, click here.
Guided Walking Tours are offered on occasion. Click here for more information about the tours. For a list of Upcoming Tours (and other events in White Springs), Click Here.
The Walking Tour starts at the Tourism Center, a two mile walk along River Street and Spring Street.
If you wish to watch each property on YouTube, click here for the YouTube Walking Tour Playlist.
If you wish to look at the Walking Tour Pamphlet that was created back in 1994, click here.
River Street
Cross Bridge Street and turn right to River Street
1. Sophia Jane Adams House
This lovely Queen Anne home overlooking the Suwannee River was built in 1893 by the Adams family matriarch Sophia Jane, after her husband Captain Robert Watkins Adams' death. The two-story wood frame house has gabled roofs, ornate woodwork and decorative detailing, including sawn brackets and a spindle frieze. The interior features carved wood mantles, a central stairway with turned balustrade, and wainscoting of beaded paneling below plastered walls. Captain Adams served in the Florida Senate one term in 1871, while his son Francis (Frank) Adams served six terms from 1895 until 1905 including two consecutive terms as Senate President.
The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, and is considered an excellent example of Queen Anne architecture. The house is currently used as a private residence and is not open to the public.
The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997, and is considered an excellent example of Queen Anne architecture. The house is currently used as a private residence and is not open to the public.
2. Johnson House
Nathan Johnson's widow, Annie McDonald Johnson, built this bungalow style home in 1916 after fire claimed her earlier residence. Mr. Johnson, along with his partner Hayes Shipman McCallum, founded the Suwannee River Bank in 1910 and was the co-owner of Johnson-Patterson, Co. General Store. Mr. Johnson was the Town Mayor in 1907, and Mrs. Johnson served on the Town Council with three other women in 1931.
3. robarts House
William Robarts and his wife Mary Mizelle Robarts were farmers in 1886 with two hundred acres of cotton and grain, and a five-acre orange grove. Their daughter, Elizabeth married young pharmacist Ross A. Barnett and encouraged him to go to medical school. She ran a boarding house here in her parents' home while he was a student. Dr. Barnett, along with African-American midwife Ollie Scippio, delivered children and tended the sick in the community until his death in 1964.
4. Telford Hotel
The Telford Hotel was a historic hotel that was built in 1902. The hotel was named after its owner, James Telford, who was a Scottish immigrant and entrepreneur.
The Telford Hotel quickly became a popular destination for tourists and travelers. The hotel featured a large wrap-around porch, spacious rooms, and elegant dining areas, which were all decorated with ornate woodwork and stained glass.
Throughout the years, the Telford Hotel played host to many famous guests, including President Calvin Coolidge, who visited the hotel in 1928. The hotel was also a popular destination for wealthy winter visitors who sought to escape the cold northern winters.
Unfortunately, the Telford Hotel closed several years ago and has not reopened.
The Telford Hotel quickly became a popular destination for tourists and travelers. The hotel featured a large wrap-around porch, spacious rooms, and elegant dining areas, which were all decorated with ornate woodwork and stained glass.
Throughout the years, the Telford Hotel played host to many famous guests, including President Calvin Coolidge, who visited the hotel in 1928. The hotel was also a popular destination for wealthy winter visitors who sought to escape the cold northern winters.
Unfortunately, the Telford Hotel closed several years ago and has not reopened.
5. Neill House
Nathan Johnson sold this unique, graceful home built in 1904 to William Neill and his wife Martha Trammell Neill in 1909. Its semi-circular porch and gingerbread trim add detail to this vernacular style, quintessentially Southern home. William Neill was president of Neill and Smith, a mercantile business, and served as the Mayor of White Springs in 1917.
6. Methodist Parsonage
This vernacular styled home is built of native yellow pine and served as a home for families of Methodist pastors from 1898 until the 1970s. Since the Telford Hotel, the Hamilton Hotel and the Florida Normal School and Business College all surrounded the parsonage, the pastor was well situated to counsel, and perhaps convert tourists, travelers, and students.
Town lore maintains that when Reverend W. A. Betts came to serve the White Springs congregation, he found the town to be very sinful and decadent - if only because the Spring House was open on Sunday for bathers. When a traveling circus came to town, the Reverend Betts cloistered his children in the parsonage and prayed that fire and brimstone would rain down upon the sinners of White Springs. Legend has it that the Baptists answered his prayers because on February 24, 1911, a fire started in the Baptist parsonage and eventually destroyed thirty-five buildings in White Springs, including most of the business district.
Town lore maintains that when Reverend W. A. Betts came to serve the White Springs congregation, he found the town to be very sinful and decadent - if only because the Spring House was open on Sunday for bathers. When a traveling circus came to town, the Reverend Betts cloistered his children in the parsonage and prayed that fire and brimstone would rain down upon the sinners of White Springs. Legend has it that the Baptists answered his prayers because on February 24, 1911, a fire started in the Baptist parsonage and eventually destroyed thirty-five buildings in White Springs, including most of the business district.
7. Johnson Tenant Houses
These three adjoining houses were built by the B. B. Johnson family in 1908 as rental properties and their home using the same vernacular plan. By this time, White Springs needed housing for the growing number of workers at the Camp Lumber Mill and in the burgeoning resort hotels of the town. The walls and ceilings of these homes are paneled in pine beadboard, a product of local sawmills. A center hall runs the width of each house, and each house originally featured an open front porch.
Spring Street
Turn Left on Hendrick Street one block, then Right on Spring Street
8. White Springs Presbyterian Church
When Camp's Lumber Mill came to town in 1896, three Presbyterian men, the McCallum brothers and William Stanley moved here from North Carolina. With eight others of their faith in town, they set about to build a church. B.F. Camp donated and raised funds, Hayes Shipman McCallum donated land and helped with financing, and James Bynum erected the Gothic Revival structure. The building was dedicated in 1907, debt-free.
8a. TAYLOR HOUSE
This two-story 1905 vernacular style home was built by Mudd Taylor. Ben and Texie Bullard Carter bought the home around 1920. The Carters owned a naval stores operation near White Springs. Visitors are treated to a view of the staircase in the foyer, while rooms branch off on either side for a parlor and dining. The low limestone fence that follows the sidewalk in front of the house has been a favorite balancing beam for generations of White Springs' children.
9. McCLEOD HOUSE
Norman and Essie McAlpin McCleod built this house in 1890 after moving from the Belmont
area. Norman was a farmer from South Carolina and then a logger and Essie operated a
boarding house here. Essie was the daughter of WW McAlpin and Mary Tuten McAlpin, old and
prominent Hamilton County families. By 1930, Norman was the proprietor of a drug store in
town.
The McCleod House is a vernacular Queen Anne style. Two gable-roofed wings extend from the
main hipped roof of this wood-frame house.
area. Norman was a farmer from South Carolina and then a logger and Essie operated a
boarding house here. Essie was the daughter of WW McAlpin and Mary Tuten McAlpin, old and
prominent Hamilton County families. By 1930, Norman was the proprietor of a drug store in
town.
The McCleod House is a vernacular Queen Anne style. Two gable-roofed wings extend from the
main hipped roof of this wood-frame house.
10. Waldron House
This vernacular style home was built in the early 1890s by the town's postal carrier, Newton Oliver Waldron, for his wife Susan Knowles Waldron and their four daughters. With a center hall running through the entire structure, and a door at both ends, this breezeway kept the house cool in the days before air conditioning. Waldron met trains as a mail carrier and carried the postal bags about a mile from the depot to the post office. Two of the Waldron daughters, Mollie Kate and Jean, served as nurses in World War I. Another daughter, Laura, served as the assistant leader of the White Springs Girl Scout troop the first troop in Florida. While visiting White Springs for health reasons, Juliet Gordon Lowe founded the White Springs troop in 1912, and dedicated it as the second troop in the United States after the one in Savannah.
Spring Street (westbound)
Turn around and proceed West on Spring Street
11. Kendrick Tenant Houses
These three homes were built in 1905 by Dr. Ivey Kendrick (See 12) as rental properties. They are built of native yellow pine and cypress and are raised on piers, a typical way of adding ventilation in old Florida homes.
Kendrick Homes a and b ~ These twin bungalows feature a front 2 gable and L-shaped porches that once fronted the street on each home. Each house also features double fireplaces that warmed the parlor and master bedroom.
Kendrick Home c~ This two-story vernacular style home featured a 2 double fireplace that heated one downstairs bedroom and two bedrooms upstairs. A sleeping porch upstairs on the back cooled the entire family on hot summer nights.
12. Kendrick House
The town dentist, Dr. Ivey Kendrick and his wife Myrtle, built this two-story vernacular boarding house in 1905. At the turn of the century it was billed as "quite a favorite with the traveling public," and was operated by Archibald and Berta Avriett. Four large rooms upstairs and two downstairs were available to guests, as well as a dining room where boarders took their meals. The window to the right of the front door features square colored panes of stained glass.
13. Cate House
This wood-framed bungalow was built in 1920 by Will Cate, an executive at the Suwannee River Bank and owner of the Florida House Hotel. Native limestone and Suwannee River coral were used as novelty siding in the construction of the deep-set front porch and steps. Its most prominent feature is its front gable on the roof. During the Great Depression, the Suwannee River Bank failed, never to open again and Will Cate left White Springs in the middle of the night, never to return.
14. McCallum House
This 13-room Mediterranean Revival home was built in 1925 by banker Hayes Shipman McCallum's widow, Nellie, after her large two-story house burned in nearby Facil. This stucco home is the only Mediterranean Revival style building found in White Springs and was originally topped with handsome Spanish tile. It has a dining room, a separate breakfast room with a butler's pantry, and a dumb waiter. It was originally heated by at least eight fireplaces. Nellie McCallum served on the Town Council with three other women and one man in 1931.
15. Cone House
Dr. Daniel Newnan Cone, the town doctor, and his wife Sally May Rowlett built this two-story Vernacular style home in 1930 for his family and medical practice. The spacious parlor opens into a large dining room, serviced by a butler's pantry, which opens into the kitchen. Upstairs are four large bedrooms used by the five Cone children, and a private entrance for his patients was available off the wide front porch. Dr. Cone delivered most of the children born in this community during the 1930s. Dr. Cone served as a Florida State Senator from 1923 - 25 and his wife was a founding member and officer of the White Springs Woman's Club. His sister, Amy Cone Mathers, owned the Spring House from 1916 - 1940.
16. White Springs United Methodist Church
The Methodist Church was first founded in the early 1850s in a building near the entrance to the Stephen Foster Center. This Vernacular-style church was built in 1890 by John Ellis, David Robarts, and C. E. Oats directly behind its present location, on the corner of Hamilton and Wesson Streets. In the 1940s the sanctuary was moved one block to the corner where it now stands. The congregation has added to the original building, often in memory of loved ones. Stained glass windows bear the names of many prominent White Springs residents.
A World War II vintage barracks was brought in from the Lake City Navy Base after the war to serve as the education building. The steeple holds a bell that still peals forth an invitation each Sunday morning. This elegantly simple chapel features a carved altar that has beckoned many generations forward in Christian communion.
17. Adams Brothers Store
After serving in the Confederate Army and being wounded and taken captive at Gettysburg, Robert Watkins Adams returned to his hometown of White Springs when the Civil War ended. Unable to resume farming, he and his wife, Sophia Jane Broward Adams, opened a general merchandise store in White Springs around 1866. This building was completed in 1892 and two sons, Francis and Nathaniel, incorporated the family business as Adams Brothers Store in 1905.
Farmers brought their cotton in wagons to be weighed on the cotton scale behind the store, and cash was paid or credit was then entered in the mercantile records to purchase goods. The cotton was cleaned on the Broward Gin located on Mill Street. Bales were carried by wagon to Wellborn to be shipped by the train until rail service reached White Springs in the 1890s. This rare structure is one of Florida's oldest wooden-framed mercantile stores still standing in its original location.
18. Pritchard's tea room
This wood-frame bungalow was built in 1910 near the spring house and served as the social gathering place for elite tea and card parties. Most of the town's social activities centered around the nearby spring house and overflowed to The Tea Room operated by Mrs. Lou Cone Pritchard. Old photographs show many celebrities seated on the steps leading up to the open porch where wooden rockers invited guests to linger and view the happenings across the street at the spring. Pritchard was the White Springs Postmistress in the 1940s.
19. DeLegal House
This Georgian style two-story home was built in 1910 and features a traditional porch with railing. Suwannee River limestone lines the foundation and also serves as porch pillars. There are double fireplaces inside, and there is a sleeping balcony on the rear upstairs bedroom. Luther M. DeLegal, a relative of Dob DeLegal, was the proprietor of a local general store. This home is now a commercial property and is also known locally as the "Jay Smith house" after one of its former residents.
20. Woman's Club
Now the town's Community Center, this Vernacular style gathering place was built in the 1940s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) after the Woman's Club purchased the land from Dr. Cone (See 14) for $200. Over the years, the structure has hosted the American Legion Post 150 Saturday Night Square Dances, piano recitals, wedding receptions, high school banquets, town council meetings - and many a fundraising fish fry and chicken pilau political supper.
21. Fenn Summer Cottage
This Georgian cottage was built in 1936 as a summer home for John E. Fenn, a prominent Miami businessman with the Standard Oil Company, after vacationing in the resort town to escape the summer heat of South Florida. A full-time caretaker lived in a small home that was located behind the main house. At one time the garden featured a stone 6-foot tall tiered waterfall adorned with small statues of people and animals. A shiny, gazing ball resting on a NT pedestal caught the eye of all passersby. This house has always had a picket fence around it. Daughter Elizabeth Fenn Griffin, a trained interior designer, assisted with some of the interiors at the Stephen Foster Center during the 1960s and also served as a museum guide.
Camp Avenue
Turn on CR 25A for one block
22. Camp House and School
In 1897, Dr. Benjamin Franklin and Annie Camp moved to White Springs with his brother Robert Judson to establish the R.J. and B.F. Camp Lumber Company and Basket Factory. The Camp brothers were from the Camp family of Virginia that organized the Union Camp Corporation. Their interests in White Springs helped fuel the industrial growth of north Florida. This Queen Anne styled home was built in 1906 using choice lumber from his mill and featured cedar lined closets the size of modern rooms, specially cast six-foot claw-foot iron bathtubs, and beautifully milled woodwork throughout. Bob Scott, a Cherokee/African American, and his wife Sallie lived in the caretaker's home that is still located behind the house. The Camps also built the school across the street for some of their eight children and their private tutor, Mamie Pearson. (The school is currently located beside the Library on Roberts St.)
23. first Baptist Church
This 100-year old Vernacular style sanctuary was built from heart of pine lumber in 1898 by Dr. Benjamin Franklin Camp and his brother, Robert J. Camp. (See F) The basic structure has changed very little over the years. The fourteen clear paned windows standing 8 feet tall originally opened to let in the cool air but were replaced with stained glass in 1988. Sunday school rooms and a fellowship hall were added as the church family grew. At the back of the sanctuary is a small balcony with wooden railings that once seated twenty people. The 14-foot high ceilings are supported by exposed rods that hold up the two side walls.
Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center SP
Spring Street and Lillian Sanders Drive
24. Riverside Filling Station
This Vernacular style building was first constructed in 1914 as a store before Roberts Street was paved. In the 1920s when the road became part of US 41, the major highway into Florida, a service attendant collected the money, washed the windshield, checked the oil and filled cars with gas from pumps located on two cement islands under the covered porch. White Springs native Glover "Dob" DeLegal and his wife Elizabeth lived in the rear of the building and operated this gas station from 1924 until it closed in 1970. Guests at the nearby Colonial Hotel kept conversations lively at the station, with political gossip the topic of choice. During the 1970s the State of Florida purchased the station and the building served as the home and studio for The-Artist-in-Residence at the Stephen Foster Center. The Council on Aging used the building in the 1980s, but the structure was unused until 1997 when the first White Springs Public Library was opened. A new library was built in 2013 farther up Roberts St.
25. white sulphur springs SpringHouse
The natural spring in White Springs, Florida is a freshwater spring located in the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. The spring is known as the "Big Spring" or "White Sulphur Spring" and is one of the largest springs in Florida.
The spring has a constant flow of water that stays at a relatively constant temperature of around 72°F (22°C) year-round. The water from the spring is crystal clear and has a bluish-green tint, which is a result of the water's high mineral content. The spring water is also believed to have therapeutic properties due to the high sulfur content.
The natural spring in White Springs is surrounded by lush vegetation, including cypress trees and Spanish moss. Visitors can access the spring by walking down a set of stairs that lead to a platform overlooking the spring. The spring is also a popular spot for swimming, kayaking, and canoeing.
Overall, the natural spring in White Springs is a beautiful and unique natural wonder that attracts visitors from all over Florida and beyond. It is a must-see destination for anyone interested in the natural beauty and history of Florida.
The spring has a constant flow of water that stays at a relatively constant temperature of around 72°F (22°C) year-round. The water from the spring is crystal clear and has a bluish-green tint, which is a result of the water's high mineral content. The spring water is also believed to have therapeutic properties due to the high sulfur content.
The natural spring in White Springs is surrounded by lush vegetation, including cypress trees and Spanish moss. Visitors can access the spring by walking down a set of stairs that lead to a platform overlooking the spring. The spring is also a popular spot for swimming, kayaking, and canoeing.
Overall, the natural spring in White Springs is a beautiful and unique natural wonder that attracts visitors from all over Florida and beyond. It is a must-see destination for anyone interested in the natural beauty and history of Florida.
26. carillon Tower
The Carillon Tower at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park is a 208-foot tall tower that houses a 60-bell carillon. It is located in White Springs, Florida and is a popular attraction for visitors to the park.
The carillon is a musical instrument consisting of a set of bells that are played by striking them with a keyboard or by using a mechanical system. The carillon at the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park was donated by the Coca-Cola Company in 1958 and features 60 bells, which range in weight from 17 pounds to 6,000 pounds.
The Carillon Tower was designed by John Hall and is made of coquina rock from St. Augustine, Florida. The tower is decorated with ornate carvings and features a balcony that offers stunning views of the surrounding area.
Throughout the year, visitors to the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park can enjoy musical performances on the carillon, which is played by a carillonneur. The carillon is also used to mark special occasions and events, such as weddings and holidays.
Overall, the Carillon Tower is a unique and beautiful attraction that adds to the rich cultural history of the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. It is a must-see destination for anyone interested in music, history, and architecture.
The carillon is a musical instrument consisting of a set of bells that are played by striking them with a keyboard or by using a mechanical system. The carillon at the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park was donated by the Coca-Cola Company in 1958 and features 60 bells, which range in weight from 17 pounds to 6,000 pounds.
The Carillon Tower was designed by John Hall and is made of coquina rock from St. Augustine, Florida. The tower is decorated with ornate carvings and features a balcony that offers stunning views of the surrounding area.
Throughout the year, visitors to the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park can enjoy musical performances on the carillon, which is played by a carillonneur. The carillon is also used to mark special occasions and events, such as weddings and holidays.
Overall, the Carillon Tower is a unique and beautiful attraction that adds to the rich cultural history of the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. It is a must-see destination for anyone interested in music, history, and architecture.
