Sunday Favorites: The Cut-Off Welcoming Crew

Luckily, a welcoming crew was just around the corners. In the 1870s, Mary and Joe Franklin constructed two palm frond huts near the Cut-off, one to live in and one for guests who were stuck overnight. The hospitable African-American couple loved company, but their two vicious dogs prevented anyone from approaching the house unannounced.

A hedge of century plants obstructed a clear view so visitors had to shout from the water to alert "Uncle Joe" of their arrival. Joe then chained the dogs to a massive wild fig tree on the property. Both dogs were blind but had a keen sense of smell and were known to rip the seat out of a guest's britches on more than one occasion.

The Franklins belonged to Benevolence Baptist Church (now the First Baptist Church of Palmetto), then located near Gillett Cemetery. It was the only church on the North Side of the River. Both Mary and Joe couldn't attend at the same time for fear one of their dogs would attack some unlucky passerby.

At the end of the 1800s, Snead Island and Terra Ceia had become a well-established farming communities because the warm bay breezes created a frost-proof environment. Many steamers stopped at Terra Ceia to pick up produce on their scheduled runs between Tampa and Manatee River ports. At the time, the only route was around the west end of Snead Island.

In 1898 Manatee County petitioned the government to dredge the shallow passage into a channel that averaged 6 feet deep at low tide. Work began that year and was completed in 1900. The Cut-off saved large steamers several hours of running time. The United States and West Indies Railway built a spur to the Cut-off where a deep-water dock was constructed for the convenience of commerce. A few years later, a successful farmer named John Andress, built a packinghouse near the dock.

The county operated a barge-ferry between the island and mainland. A cable attached to each side and the ferry tender and grinded a windlass to get across. Lonnie Campbell was the attendant, but the hard work made him grumpy. He appreciated punctuality, and would mockingly wave from the other side to people running just a few minutes late before packing up his things. He never seemed to feel guilty for leaving them stranded.

Prior to the bridge opening, social life centered across the river at Fogartyville and Palma Sola. Residents thought nothing of rowing or sailing across the River to buy groceries. People traveled across so frequently, it seemed as if the three settlements were one community.

Before the construction of a public bridge in 1918, the Davis Toll Bridge was the only structure adjoining Palmetto and Braidentown, (an earlier spelling of present-day Bradenton). It was a privately owned swing bridge that was put out of business when the public bridge opened. In 1920, it was disassembled and moved to replace the ferry that crossed the Cut-off at Snead Island. Campbell became the new bridge tender.

After rail and road became the preferred means of transportation, there was no need for a swing to allow large boats to pass through the Cut-off. A wooden humpback bridge replaced the old Davis Toll Bridge. Three warning lanterns were lit each night and placed on the south side of the bridge at dusk. Roy Hartt, who also worked at the Snead Island Boatworks, was the light tender for 15 years. Then his wife, May Hartt, took over the position following his death. For ten years she lugged three lanterns, two red and one white, back and forth from her home to the bridge twice a day -- rain or shine. When the current cement structure was built in 1957, her services weren't needed anymore and new electric bulbs replaced the burning wicks.

Today people think nothing of crossing the small stretch of bridge to get to Snead Island. The next time you cross the Humpback, just think of how frustrating it would be to if you were five minutes late, left stranded while Campbell waved from the opposite shore.