Discover Branford
Branford developed where river crossing and transport created opportunities for a settlement. Formerly known as Rowland's Bluff, it included a ferry connection into Lafayette County. The town incorporated as New Branford in 1886, taking a name associated with railroad builder Henry Plant's hometown; the shorter Branford name followed.
More about Branford
The Suwannee County history also connects the town with Captain Robert Ivey, a prominent builder of river steamships. Ivey Memorial Park preserves his name on Branford's riverfront. This makes the waterfront a useful place to consider the passenger and freight traffic that once linked scattered settlements along the Suwannee.
Nearby Troy Spring offers another surviving trace of that river economy. The remains of the steamship Madison lie in its spring run. Before being scuttled during the Civil War, the shallow-draft vessel carried mail and served as a floating trading post. The spring is a regional destination, not a claim that the wreck is inside Branford. Together these sites connect the town to a working river rather than just a scenic one.
Sources
- Suwannee County Clerk: County History: https://www.suwgov.org/history/
- Visit Suwannee: Ivey Memorial Park: https://visitsuwannee.com/listing/ivey-memorial-park/
- Florida State Parks: Troy Spring History: https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/troy-spring-state-park/history
