Old Florida: Purity Springs

Showing posts with label Purity Springs. Show all posts

Thursday, September 10, 2015

Bottled Spring Water and the Mouse: Florida's New Faux Spring

After the Civil War, tourists from northern states began flocking to Florida via newly-constructed railroads systems and steamboats. The tropical paradise they visited was full of natural wonders and the exotic flora and fauna was mysterious and untamed. Soon visitors to this new Eden began discovering the state's many beautiful artesian springs. Modern facilities were created so guests could stay and take the waters, a centuries-old practice in Europe where it was believed almost any ailment could be cured by soaking in or drinking mineral water. Green Cove, Suwannee, and Magnolia Springs were three of the best known spring-based health spas with elaborate resort complexes.

The notion of healthful spring water in Florida was so powerful that bottled water from the springs became a commodity with many springs bottling and shipping water to other parts of the country. The evidence of water bottling at Florida springs during this era can still be found today. Here are just a few examples of Florida springs that were used for bottled drinking water:

Hampton Springs Water, Hampton Springs (near Perry)

This remarkable product claimed to cure "indigestion, rheumatism, dyspepsia, stomach and liver troubles, and skin disease." Today Hampton Springs is a Taylor County park.

Postcard from the State Archives of Florida

The spring pool at Hampton Springs today

Magnesia Springs, Hawthorne

Water bottled at this spring near Gainesville was sold to Camp Blanding for 50 cents for a five gallon jug. The spring is now privately owned, although there has been some recent discussion suggesting it be restored as a public facility again.

Bottled Water in Florida today

The popularity of bottled water in the 21st century has led to a renaissance of the water-bottling industry in Florida. Many major brands fill plastic water bottles with ancient water from the Floridan Aquifer according to journalist Cynthia Barnett in her book Mirage: Florida and the Vanishing Water of the Eastern U.S. "Three of of the largest water-bottling companies in the world pump or buy their product from the Suwannee District" states Barnett about the region that is the heart of Florida's spring country. With springs across Florida facing an uncertain future due to over pumping and pollution, many environmentalists bristle knowing that water that would ordinarily bubble up in a spring now often ends up in a plastic bottle to be shipped out of the state. Although Barnett points out the amount of water withdrawn by water bottlers is small compared to the hundred of millions of gallons used by industrial and agricultural interests in the state, she also makes the point that the state's water regulators "simply do not understand the overall impact the water bottling industry has on Florida."

Florida's Newest Spring

I was working in downtown Orlando at the Church Street Station entertainment complex when Disney opened its own nighttime entertainment destination known as Pleasure Island. While Church Street was Bob Snow's singular vision, merging mostly Victorian decor into nostalgic showrooms, Pleasure Island was a fictitious warehouse district with state-of-the-art nightclubs and bars sprinkled with Disney magic pixie dust. Eventually the luster wore off and Pleasure Island's unique venues like the Adventurer's Club and Mannequins Dance Palace closed.

In 2013, Disney began construction on a new incarnation of the Pleasure Island/Downtown Disney area known as Disney Springs. According to an article in the Orlando Sentinel, the complex will have the "look of an early 20th century Florida town" and renderings showed design elements that reflected the era of Florida’s spring water bottling history. Included was a "permanent fixture" in the Downtown Disney skyline, the Springs Bottling Co. Marquee.

My initial reaction to seeing the renderings was mixed. On the one hand, as a lover of Florida history, I'm intrigued by the idea that Disney would chose to pay homage to this romantic era in our state's history when travelers took long journeys in train cars to stay in remarkable Guilded Age hotels and take the waters. But as someone who cares deeply about the future of Florida's springs, I also hoped if Disney was creating a fake spring environment, that they might take the opportunity to educate their millions of visitors about our state's real springs, which are threatened by the explosive growth of Florida. I was not the only one who felt that Disney's choice for theming lacked sensitivity and several well-known environmentalists expressed disappointment as well.

Photo of the back of the Springs Bottling marquee via the Orlando Sentinel.

I had this letter printed in the Orlando Sentinel editorial page:

Disney’s teachable moment
As a Floridian who cares deeply about our state’s springs, I have mixed feelings about the new Disney Springs development.

From a historical perspective, I appreciate how the company is paying homage to a fascinating era in our state’s past, when springs helped hasten the development of the state, offering a resource that could be bottled and sold. Murals on the site for bottled mineral water echo real vintage advertisements for bottled spring water from both nearby Wekiwa and Blue springs.

However, I am disappointed that the designers of Disney Springs seem to be ignoring that water withdrawal from the Floridan Aquifer is a sore subject for environmentalists. As the Central Florida Water Initiative looks for new ways to quench the thirst of our region without overtapping our maxed-out aquifer, perhaps a building with giant letters at the top stating “springs bottling plant” is not a good idea. An architectural rendering of this was shown in a photo gallery on the Sentinel website.

According to the Disney website, the top priority in the company’s environmental policy is to “improve water and energy efficiencies.” My hope is that Disney will take advantage of the huge volume of tourists streaming through its gates to create awareness of the water challenges facing the region. I would love to see interpretive signage at Disney Springs created to educate the public about the geology and ecology of Florida’s springs. It’s a teachable moment.

Rick Kilby Orlando

My visit to Disney Springs

Eventually curiosity won out and I had to see Disney Springs for myself, despite the fact that much of it is still under construction. I was pleased to find ample, free parking as a new parking garage had been completed since my last visit. Many of the buildings in the Downtown Disney area have remain unchanged and it was not until I crossed over the bridge past a construction area that I noticed newly constructed buildings. There were several structures that are clearly an homage to the architecture of the early 19th century. Much of what I saw, including the impressive Boathouse Restaurant, reminded me of buildings created by the St. Joe Corporation in their panhandle projects like WaterColor and WaterSound. The same seaside visual vocabulary I've seen used by New Urbanist architects along the Gulf of Mexico marks the waterfront area. Ironically, one of the yet-to-be completed buildings bears a strong resemblance to Orlando's historic train depot, where my office was located when I worked at Church Street Station.

Disney Springs building, partially completed.

Detail of the very similar Orlando historic railroad depot.

While I was aggravated trying to negotiate through the Labor Day crowds I had several distinct impressions. Disney has always done nostalgia well, and Disney Springs is no exception. Like the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, they have been able to channel the spirit of another era. But it is still largely a retail and and dining area, and in my opinion the Church Street Station complex was superior in its attention to detail and authentic artifacts and antiques. I still have mixed feelings about the complex, but I hope to return when Disney Springs is complete. When I do, I'll be looking hopefully for an interpretive display with verbiage about Florida's real springs.

The Boathouse Restaurant has a fleet of several "Amphicars" available for "swims."

Propellers are located just beneath the tail fins. "Swims" go for $75 per person.

Amphicar just beyond a few of the Boathouse's vintage motorboats.

One of the many spectacular watercraft on display.

While a bit pricey, the atmosphere of the Boathouse was terrific.

These whimsical renderings bear little resemblance to an actual Florida spring.

Here's my hint to Disney for springs signage, illustration by Dawn Schreiner.
Learn more about what you can do for our springs here.

Saturday, March 2, 2013

Tampa's historic urban springs

Last weekend I created some space in my schedule for a little urban exploration in Tampa. After a quick survey of architecture in downtown, I headed under I-275 to Ulele Springs. According to this news story, Ulele Spring, formerly known as Magbee Spring was "Tampa's first source of drinking water." Just off a brick street, between a neglected park and a utilities building, Ulele Spring gurgles out of a pipe into a short run before disappearing again. I assume the water from the spring ultimately reaches the Hillsborough River. The setting is surprisingly peaceful despite it's urban location and there is evidence that at one time the spring and the park were better groomed and landscaped. I found an article online about plans to restore the water works building into a cafe, but that apparently has not happened yet. Another article from late 2011 noted that there were plans to restore the spring as well. I hope the city proceeds with its plans, this place has great potential to be a little oasis in the shadow of the interstate.

Water cascades from the pool where the spring originates

Looking towards the water works building

This secondary pool seemed to have a little island in the middle

The flora seemed to indicate that this had been a much nicer park in the past

Next I proceeded north to Purity Springs which I only knew of because of a post in the Tampania Blog. I was familiar with the Burgert Brothers photograph of Purity Springs water trucks from research for my book. It was exciting to find this little spring. The short spring run leads right to the road before passing under the road and entering the Hillsborough River. When I was there a flock of Ibis filled the run and a few ducks noisily quacked while I snapped photos of this amazingly serene setting. Just past the spring pool, beyond the edges of the park, several hi-rise condos peered over the trees. I could hear music and voices from a celebration near the condos that was in direct contrast the beauty of the quaint scene I was beholding. The shallow pool showed no sign of a spring boil and my guess is that water entered the run from a pipe on the side. I am glad the city has preserved this little gem and hope others will stop and appreciate its beauty.

The view underwater looking down the spring run

The spring pool looking towards the Hillsborough River

Burgert Brothers image of Purity Springs trucks loaded with spring water

In direct contrast to this idyllic scene was nearby Sulphur Springs. I was quite familiar with the imagery of the springs' earlier incarnation as a resort and spa. In addition to Burgert Bros images, there are many postcards showing 1920s patrons strolling along its banks, taking the waters, and climbing the tower of the enormous high dive. I stopped first at the wonderful Gothic Revival water tower. It sits in another cute little park on the banks of the Hillsborough River. According to the excellent Tampapix website, the Sulphur Springs Resort was developed by Josiah Richardson, who, in addition to the tower, built a hotel and a commercial arcade. The tower had fallen into disrepair before being purchased by the city in 2005 and subsequently restored. The park was pretty quiet on this unseasonably hot February day with only a nearby elderly couple enjoying the views of the river through a lovely frame of palm trees and live oaks.

Vintage postcard of the Sulphur Springs water tower

Live oak along the Hillsborough River

Next was short drive down to the spring head itself, now corralled and surrounded by a fence. The spring closed to swimming in 1986 due to "high fecal coliform bacterial counts" according to this 2007 article. Next to the spring, which smelled pretty bad, is a swimming pool that was being used by a few snowbirds. The city pipes water from the springs and the building next to the spring head has enormous pipes running out of it with murals of scenes of native wildlife on the walls.

A Burgert Brothers image of Sulphur Springs

Vintage postcards of Sulphur Springs through the years (from Ebay)

I had mixed emotions seeing this historic site for the first time. The grand gazebo is being restored and the views of the river from the park are lovely. But as I struggled to find a working water fountain to quench my thirst in this spot where zillions of gallons bubbled up from the aquifer, it seemed something wasn't right. After finally finding a working faucet, I passed a father fishing with his kids on a bridge over the spring run. I asked if they were having any luck and they said no. As I got to my car and continued to explore the area, the first thing I heard on the radio was that Tampa had a boil water alert for the next 48 hours. I wondered if the drink I just took was tainted (it wasn't).

In some ways Sulphur Springs is a microcosm of what tends to happen in Florida. We find a beautiful natural resource. Someone sees it as an opportunity and develops the land to entice more people to come and enjoy this resource. In doing so the resource gets ruined. Only afterwards we recognize what was there and put up interpretive markers to pay homage to what we destroyed. In this case a manmade swimming pool sits next to the old, polluted swimming hole. It is a scenario I have seen played out all over the state. My question is, will we ever learn from our past mistakes?