The Haddocks of Wiregrass

Mills Ferry

During British possession between 1763 and 1783, many Loyalists immigrated to Florida, built homes, stores, plantations and developed communities, including the predecessor of Kings Ferry, the trading post at Mills Ferry.

Author of Yesterday's Reflections II, Jan Johannes, Sr. (left) and Tracy Connors during a trail blazing hike in 1977 through central Nassau County to create a Fort Tonyn Trail hike for area Boy Scouts.

The post itself, and probably the ferry service across the St. Mary’s about 1774 was operated by the R. Seagrave & Co., traders that ranged up and down the river.

William Bartram, in his travels, told of the crops he saw near the ferry, including cotton, rice, corn and indigo. Bartram described “an old settlement that had grown up around a river crossing, a place the Indians came from the great swamp at the head of the St. Mary’s to trade with the white men.”

As the Revolutionary War approached, tensions set off an influx of Loyalists into Florida. The area’s first land boom was on.

Near the mouth of the St. Mary’s, at what was later called Crandall, the British built Hillsborough Township in 1772. Homes, stores and farms were built and the town prospered for a few years from the efforts of British Loyalists that had fled the harassment and indignation inflicted on them by Patriots further north.

For more information on Crandall and other towns along the St. Marys and their fascinating history find or purchase: Johannes, Jan H., and Lynne L. Johannes. Yesterday's Reflections II, Nassau County, Florida: A Pictorial History. Fernandina Beach, Fla: Lexington Ventures, 2000. Yesterday's Reflections II (YRII) is a collection of dozens of Nassau County, FL community histories in word, photograph, and map image. It is a heavily revised and updated version of the Yesterday's Reflections that was first published in 1976, and again in 1984. Those original old images have been rescanned, new photos, maps, graphics, and a name/place index have been added in high resolution format. YRII is available at BooksPlus in Fernandina Beach, FL and can be ordered by mail using the link above.

As military operations moved closer, these settlers moved further South, closer to St. Augustine and the safety of its massive fortress. The settlement at Hillsborough slowly disappeared and the lands finally incorporated into agriculture.

In June 1975, members of the Eagle Scout Association of the North Florida Council of BSA blazed a trail from Orange Bluff on the St. Marys River to Callahan in Nassau County that approximated the general route taken by the East Florida Rangers retreating from the Georgia Militia in 1778, following the destruction of Ft. Tonyn. During the July 4th weekend of America's Bicentennial, a large number of Scouts from all over the region followed the trail to commemorate the Revolutionary and Civil War actions that took place in Northeast Florida. Members of the Association hiked some 36 miles from Orange Bluff to Callahan blazing the trail, identifying good campsites and collecting information on the new trail that was used to prepare a leaflet and map that included compass headings, topography, flora and fauna on the route. Pictured at left, members of the Ft. Tony NESA Trail Blazers included: Edward Mellor, Larry Key, Jan Johannes, Sr., Tracy Connors, Richard Suddath, Robert Wilkerson, Colonel Joseph Alexander, USMC, Project Leader, and Maurice Protheroe.

The town was revived in the mid-1800’s as Port Henry and later renamed Crandall for a local family that lived there.

With the independence of Georgia as a part of the 13 original colonies, Loyalist Florida stood alone in its allegiance to the Crown. Little effect was seen in the steady growth of quiet Mills Ferry. Whether controlled by the Spanish, British or Americans, the ferry continued to operate.

All sides needed its services.

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