Commercial Truck Insurance in White Springs, FL

In the wake of Hurricane Idalia's devastating impact, Nutrien's White Springs phosphate facility rallied to help employees and the community get back on their feet.

On August 30, Idalia made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast as a powerful Category 3 storm. It was the strongest hurricane to make landfall in the Big Bend region in more than 125 years and caused flooding, downed trees, electricity outages and widespread destruction to homes and businesses.

Volunteers from the White Springs phosphate facility stepped up to form a rapid action strike team to support their colleagues, many of whom had their homes damaged, and helped the community get back on its feet.

The group began by assisting Hamilton County with clearing important public roads for access to the site and supplying clean water to keep everyone hydrated. That quickly evolved to providing large amounts of ice to keep refrigerated food from spoiling.

Rachel Garland, Government and Industry Affairs Manager at White Springs, was part of that effort. “We spread the word that we were here to help,” she says. “We brought in an ice truck and provided bottled water and ready-to-eat meals – it was one less thing for employees and neighbors to worry about as they dealt with clean-up efforts.”

The White Springs team didn't stop there. They also helped employees with widespread power outages. “With the support of Nutrien's management, we were able to source and distribute several generators, which made a world of difference as the power company struggled to keep up with downed power lines,” says Rachel. “The team also set up mobile showers for staff and their families who were without water and electricity, and provided supplies, such as tarps.”

“This was a prime example of our Culture of Care in action,” says Jeff Joyce, General Manager at White Springs. “We look out for each other and our community, and it shows what can be achieved when a group of determined individuals come together to make a positive impact. I’m proud of our team for rising to the occasion, and I thank them all.”

We also thank the American Red Cross who provided the community with meal and clean-up kits as well as shelters and other resources to aid in the recovery. Nutrien has made a $15,000 donation to the American Red Cross.

White Springs, Florida, is a quintessential small Florida town. There are fun things to do in White Springs, including attending the annual Florida Folk Festival.

Considered to be “Florida’s Original Tourist Destination”, this area attracted well-heeled tourists in search of the relaxing, medicinal waters of the White Sulphur Springs.

There’s not a lot remaining from its heyday in the early 1900s, but we have pulled together a list of the six best things to do in White Springs today.

Things To Do in White Springs

Visit Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park

In 1851, composer Stephen Foster wrote the popular tune “Old Folks at Home,” and White Springs became a destination “Way Down Upon the Suwannee River.”

Nowadays, the Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center and Park, known for its carillon-playing melodic Stephen Foster tunes, is home to the annual Florida Folk Festival and an antebellum museum that pays homage to Foster and his music.

Check out: Celebrate the 70th Annual Florida Folk Festival Memorial Day Weekend

Shop and Stroll Down Spring Street

While there is no longer a bubbly spring, Adam’s Country Store has reopened as Suwannee Hardware and Feed.

We recommend a stop at this historic store followed by a stroll around this small town to absorb its charm.

If you plan to attend the 2024 Florida Folk Festival at Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center, don’t miss the Memorial Weekend Festival at the Suwannee Hardware & Feed Store.

The event features live bands, clogging, food, arts and crafts, a kid zone, and the soap box derby.

Suwannee Hardware & Feed Address: 10572 Bridge Street, White Springs, FL 32096.

You will see churches dating back to the late 1800s and several historic homes that stand as authentic reminders of the past.

Bike, Hike, Paddle & Bird Watch

White Springs is an eco-tourism destination, as hikers and bikers enjoy nearby Florida trails and paddlers also enjoy the rivers and springs.

White Springs is celebrated for its extensive array of hiking, biking, and paddling trails, excellent navigation, hospitable locals, and a rich blend of amenities and history.

Bird watchers flock to traipse through the woods where Eagles, Osprey, Pileated Woodpeckers, and Owls call home.

Outside White Springs, along the Suwannee River, is Big Shoals, State Park. This is home to Florida’s largest whitewater rapids.

Hike the trails that lead to the shoals (shallow, rocky rapids). The well-laid-out trail is in the pine Flatwoods, along wetlands, and beneath towering longleaf pines.

White Springs, renowned as the Florida Trail’s initial Gateway Community, has earned the prestigious title of a Trail Town by the Florida Office of Greenways and Trails.

This achievement is a testament to the dedicated efforts of the local community.

Stop at the Old Bathhouse

In 1908, the bathhouse was a four-story building with dressing rooms, examination and treatment rooms, and a concession stand. The circular balconies surrounded a 20 x 30-foot bathing pool cut from solid rock.

By the 1930s, the popularity of the resort had dwindled. The spring, which once flowed at a rate of about 47 million gallons a day, dried up in 1990.

Today you can visit the old bathhouse for free and learn about its historic past.

Lodge in a Slice of Old Florida

The White Springs Bed ‘n Breakfast is an original 1905 Boarding House located in the Historic District of White Springs. Even today, guests love to gather on the front porch and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Back in the day, several fancy hotels provided lodging as the railroad brought visitors to the town.

A fire destroyed most of the hotels, but The Telford Hotel has tried to remain open throughout the years and most recently served as a Bed and Breakfast.

Sadly, in 2020 there was a handwritten For Sale sign on the front door of The Telford Hotel.

Camping and lodging are also available at Suwannee River State Park, O’Leno State Park, and Spirit of the Suwannee to name a few.

For a comprehensive list of local public and private campgrounds, cabins, and also motels, visit Suwannee Valley.

Dine at Fat Belly’s Bar-B-Que & Grill

There are not a lot of dining options in White Springs. We did enjoy a meal (the fried shrimp was excellent) and sweet tea at Fat Belly’s Bar-B-Que & Grill.

We heard they have a good Southern bar-b-que, so we plan to try it the next time we’re in White Springs.

If you want to find other places to eat, Lake City is not too far away and offers many choices.

Looking for other recommendations for things to do and places to visit? See below.

White Springs, population 776.

Sited between Jacksonville and Tallahassee in North Central Florida, White Springs is Florida's version of a mountain town, where music, culture and outdoor recreation come together to form a celebration of the true heart and soul of the Sunshine State.

- Hamilton County Office of Tourism & Economic Development

During a regular week, things are typically pretty sleepy. Visit during an event (the Florida Folk Festival comes to mind) and you'll see the small town swell up into a sea of music lovers and fans of old Florida, riding bikes, peeking in the windows of the Suwanee Hardware and Feed store and imagining what this place looked like way back when.

Looking around, things haven't changed all that much since those early days.

A good portion of the day-to-day traffic in White Springs comes from outdoor enthusiasts, and you'll commonly see long-distance hikers, backpacks fully loaded for the long haul, passing through or resupplying for the journey ahead.

- Hamilton County Office of Tourism & Economic Development

Vehicles make the slow turn into Stephen Foster Folk Culture Center State Park to set up basecamp for a multi-day, multi-activity adventure, first stopping to marvel at the 200-foot carillon tower before heading to the campground.

Here's how to do the big three – hiking, biking and paddling – in White Springs. Afterward, treat yourself to some downtime around a campfire. You deserve it.

On Foot

With excellent views, plenty of services and just-rugged-enough topography, the Suwannee River section of the Florida National Scenic Trail is one of the most popular destinations for hikers in the state.

- Hamilton County Office of Tourism & Economic Development

Follow the orange "blazes" – dollar-sized painted symbols that mark the trail's route – heading into Stephen Foster Folk Culture State Park and along the Suwannee River Corridor. You'll have excellent views of the river from atop high banks, along with the occasional freshwater spring and small waterfall. At day's end, camp right on a sandbar (water levels permitting, of course) or in one of the state-owned river camps that dot the whole section. For maps and additional planning information, see www.floridatrail.org.

By Pedal

You might not know it, but White Springs has one of the strongest bike cultures in Florida. The town has attracted cyclists of all types to the area since the 1970's to tour lesser-traveled scenic back roads and ride wild off-road single-track trails. Each year, the Suwannee Bicycle Association hosts several organized rides and events, drawing in enthusiasts from all over the southeast. Choose your weapon – cruisers are great for seeing the historic buildings and houses downtown, road bikes can hit several routes along secondary roads with little traffic, and mountain bikes can bomb down over 50 miles of area off-road trails. See www.suwanneebike.org for maps and details.

- Hamilton County Office of Tourism & Economic Development

With a Paddle

No trip here is complete without a kayak or canoe trip on the legendary Suwannee River. Start things off at the launch at Stephen Foster Folk Culture State Park, the official start of the 170-mile Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Here, paddlers embark on the adventure of a lifetime, camping on sandy river beaches or living it up in one of the state's river camps, complete with showers and screened-in platforms.

- Hamilton County Office of Tourism & Economic Development

The Suwannee's scenery is top notch, with huge outcroppings of limerick, high banks and ancient bald bypress trees. You've surely heard the name, now it's time to get out there and experience it for yourself.

When you go…

White Springs is located directly along U.S. 41, just a few minutes from I-75 and I-10 near Lake City and Live Oak. For more information on the town's history and other things to do while there, take a look at www.whitesprings.org.

Wells near White Springs in Hamilton County are being tested for contamination after 84 million gallons of water from a fertilizer plant flooded a sinkhole, a state spokeswoman said Sunday.

Tests so far haven't found any evidence of tainted water beyond the property of PCS Phosphate Company's Swift Creek chemical complex, said the spokeswoman, Dee Ann Miller of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.

Tests are also looking for water seeping into the Floridan aquifer.

PCS makes phosphate fertilizer at the complex east of US 41, about 10 miles northwest of White Springs. The complex is also used to stack phosphogypsum, a byproduct of processing phosphate ore.

The sinkhole affected one of five distinct cells the gypsum stack is divided into, said Mike Williams, a company spokesman.

An employee inspecting the stack discovered the hole Thursday and the company contacted state and local agencies. Williams said the area around the sinkhole has been sealed off, but work has continued at the rest of the complex, which employs about 700 people.

Miller said an initial estimate described the hole as being 100 feet across, narrowing to about 40 feet. Williams said an Orlando engineering firm is trying to establish the exact size of the hole and the way to fix it.

Water used in phosphate processing drained into the sinkhole, and at least part of it then flowed into wells that PCS uses for its operation.

Much of the land around the sinkhole is owned by PCS, and the nearest drinking water wells are about two miles away. Tests over the weekend didn't find any evidence of contamination at those, Miller said.

Tests to measure saltiness and acidity are being used as an immediate gauge of whether an underground plume of the spilled water has reached a well, Miller said.

Water samples are being checked for levels of radioactivity, arsenic, sulfate and other factors, but those will be measured in lab analyses that take more time.

Phosphogypsum is radioactive, with levels varying by the location where the ore is mined. While federal regulations ban selling gypsum with radiation above certain levels, Williams said his company is allowed to sell its material as a soil supplement to farmers who grow crops including peanuts and mushrooms.

If tests find household wells are contaminated, arrangements will be made to provide clean water, Miller said. She said people concerned about their drinking water supply should call the Hamilton County Health Department at (386) 792-1414.

Sinkholes happen in Florida after acidic water seeps into underground limestone formations and erodes them. Most rainwater is slightly acidic, and that increases when it's exposed to decaying plant debris, according to a DEP primer on sinkholes.

Phosphate mining is a leading industry in Hamilton County, located off Interstate 10 along the Suwannee River about 80 miles west of Jacksonville.

Williams said he could only recall one other sinkhole developing at his company's facilities around White Springs, and said the earlier one did not involve gypsum stacks.

With the death of President George H.W. Bush this week, my thoughts turned to that “Greatest Generation.” The President was one of the nation’s youngest aviators during the Second World War.

Again, I am going to turn to some history about Hamilton County and share with you some information I garnered from “Those Were the Days,” a personal narrative history done by the late Mr. John C. “Buddy” Camp, and the late Mrs. Virginia Johnson Daniel, both were born in 1915, and their book is a treasure.

Robert B Billinger, Jr., wrote a book entitled “Hitler’s Soldiers in the Sunshine State,”

“The last of the branch POW camps in Florida opened in the spring of 1944 at White Springs, Florida. It was one of twenty-six (26) POW camps in the Florida. The German POWS housed in White Springs were shipped from Fort McClellan, Alabama. A company of two hundred and fifty (250) German POWS arrived at Camp Blanding, on April 18, 1944, and immediately were shipped to White Springs.

“Like most other branch camps the workers furnished labor in the piney woods. They were employed exclusively in the cutting and loading of pulpwood and in the repairing of firebreaks for R.W. Hillcoat, a New Orleans Timber Company.

“The German POW Branch at White Springs was a tent camp providing temporary housing for the POWs. According to research done on these branch camps there were usually one large tent for kitchen and mess hall, smaller tents housed two latrines, a shower house, an infirmary, a canteen, and barracks.

“Wooden guard towers rose above the fence at intervals at each corner.

“By the end of 1946 all prisoners of war housed in Florida had been shipped back to their respective countries.”

The late Mr. John C. Camp stated in his personal narrative “I don’t know why White Springs was selected as the site for the German Prisoner of War Camp, but I suspect since electricity was not common in rural area, they needed to be adjacent to water and power. Since my father had enough land inside the White Springs city limits, the War Department rented land from my father and erected a temporary camp on part of my grandfather’s farm near the city limits of White Springs.

“The government had a certain amount they were allowed to pay land owners for rent, so my father never did get rich from these fees. By the time the war ended the temporary prisoner of war camp had been abandoned and the buildings and fence were left intact.”

The Prisoner of War Camp was located where the old VFW Building, Post 150, was located for many years. Tracy and Woody Woodard own part of the property on which the POW Camp was situated.

One story related to the Prisoner of War Camp in White Springs is one regarding the late Mr. Ray Morgan, who was a guard at the German Prisoner of War Camp.

During that time, Mr. Morgan developed an association that became a friendship with one of the German Prisoners named Karl Planko. During the years, after Karl’s release from the prisoner of war Camp the two corresponded and even after Karl’s death, his wife continued writing to the late Aunt Nancy Morgan.

Morris Williams, a valued and longtime friend, Lake City, renowned and revered Columbia County educator, author, and historian, taught in Germany in a Department of Defense School. While he was there, he visited with Mr. and Mrs. Karl Planko who regaled him with stories about White Springs and the late Mr. Ray Morgan.

One other story, Mildred Morgan Miller, stated that one of the men who was a prisoner of war asked Mr. Ray if Mrs. Nancy might have some material and thread. She supplied an old flour sack and some thread and a needle, and he embroidered a heart for her with the words “Sunshine in Your Heart” in German.

Very little remains of this temporary POW camp in White Springs to document this time in history — only a few concrete racks which once held tanks of water and gasoline.

During this time of year when we celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, we do recall a time in our history when peace seemed very elusive to many; whether you were a German Prisoner of War in White Springs, Florida, or an American prisoner of war, such as the late Clyde Hillhouse in a Japanese Prisoner of War Camp in the Philippine Islands.

An interesting account of a time when many people were longing for peace, as we still long for it today. Don’t forget to say a special prayer for all the young men and women serving in our nation’s military service. We appreciate you.

From the Eight Mile Still on the Woodpecker Route north of White Springs, wishing you a day filled with joy, peace, and, above all, lots of love and laughter.