The Palatka news and advertiser., 1915-08-06
A VOICE FROM OUT
THE PALATKA PAST
When u. S. Mail was Brought
Here from Jacksonville
and Dumped
In Hart's Warehouse and People
Sorted 1t Over and Selected
Their Own.

From 1866 to 1872 the late Capt.
r. ]. Adams sailed the regular weekly
steamboat which piled up the Ockla-
waha river from Palatka to Leesburg.
The first two or three years after
the war he sailed the steamer Griffin
on this route; it was the only steamer
the federal forces failed to capture.
During the last year or two of his ser
vice on the line, Capt. Adams sailed
the old steamer Ocklawaha. In 1872
he quit the line and entered the mer-
camille business in Palatka.
Last weeks Leesburg Commercial
publishes a letter written by a Mrs.
Fred Childs, under date of Dec. 18th,
1870, who hard taken the trip from
Palatka to Leesburg on Capt. Adams
boat. The letter was written to her
people living in New York state, and
| is as follows:
Dear People:-The last time we
Iwrote you, we were about starting up
the Ocklawaha river of which this is
the shape (here follows a series OF
loops and curves) the crookedest con-
cern that was ever invented. | doubt
not that Providence derides the plan
of ever having it navigated-it is one
hundred and fifty miles by water and
about ninety by land-but there is nc
land conveyance. Saw plenty of alli-
gators, wild turkey, cranes, etc, on
the route and the time passed pleas
antly. 1t requires two days and
nights to get here from Jacksonville
When we arrived here at the landing
Capt. Adams of the steamer, intro
duced US to DR.. Bauknight and told US
he was one of the finest men in Lees
burg. The village is one mile from
the landing and the doctor was down
on horseback and he insisted on my
riding his horse and he walk with
Fred, and took US to his boarding
place that is kept by widow lady
Mrs. Edwards, where we are now. She
iss well educated lady. We like her
ever so much. This is a new village
of about two years growth. 1t con.
sists of two stores, two groceries, one
hotel, one private boarding house
where we are, masonic hall, court
house-church is held in the hall
cotton gin, and private houses. We
are now just in the parallel Of latitude
to raise all kinds of fruit. The or.
anges here are beautiful, have all
can eat all the while and have wished
lots of times that you could. FREQ
has Just gone over to the store tx
weigh one that was lying OIL the ia
ble-about one pound is the weight
People are coming constantly to Free
with places 70 sell and very cheap, but
he says he believes in taking a tho
rough look of affairs before he makes
up his mind which to take. like i
here the best of any place in Florida
l have seen. Seems to me anybody
can have a home here and a good one
Most of the people are northerners
There is man here by the n2me Of
! F. S. Woodward from Connecticut. He
is planting forty acres of sugar cant
from which he expects to realize {
thousand dollars. We get the mai
here only once a week. 1t comes OF
Tuesday and goes out Wednesday
Hope we will get a letter from yor
by the next boat. Have got so | car
tell hammock from pine land. CAM
think of anything more to write a
present. Write soon. Love to all.
MATE.
P .S.-Direct to Leesburg, Sumter
c., Florida, care H. L. Hart, Palatka
You are obliged to put all that OF
every time as there is no P. 0. here
and by putting mail in care of Hart
he esnds it to us by his boat and tina
is the only way we can get it.