Discover White Springs
White Springs carries the remains of an inland resort economy built around mineral water and river travel. In 1836, Bryant Sheffield bought the ferry operation and spring, then used local timber to build a hotel and spring house. By 1882, new investors were dividing surrounding land for shops and leisure businesses, and the town incorporated as White Springs.
More about White Springs
The later spring-house structure used coquina shells mixed with cement. Its multiple balcony levels and associated rooms belonged to an era when visitors sought supposed health benefits from bathing. That historical belief is part of the resort story, not a medical claim about the water.
The Suwannee River also connects the town with Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park. The park commemorates the composer whose song Old Folks at Home made the river widely known, while interpreting regional cultural traditions. The surviving spring-house setting and the park present different chapters of the community's visitor history. Check official notices before planning access; historical descriptions do not establish current bathing conditions or facility availability.
Sources
- Florida State Parks: The Spring House at Stephen Foster: https://www.floridastateparks.org/learn/spring-house-stephen-foster
- Town of White Springs: Stephen Foster State Park: https://whitespringsfl-us.com/community/stephen-foster-state-park/
