Sunday Favorites: The Uncapping of The Mineral Spring

Long ago, before the first white settlers began arriving in the area, a mineral spring was revered by natives for its ability to heal. The spring’s therapeutic properties served residents for hundreds, perhaps even thousands of years. Then, in the 1980s, it was capped.

Recently, as part of a Riverwalk expansion, the cap was removed and the Spring spouted water for the first time in nearly 40 years!

Back in 2017, the City of Bradenton purchased 1.5 acres of undeveloped land, 220 of which fronted the Manatee River. Officials hoped the new property would serve as an expansion to the already established Mineral Springs Park and provide access for Riverwalk Park.

It was all part of a land deal that was planned but kept quiet, after the city developed Glazier Gates Park, according to a Bradenton Herald article ”City Park to Double in Size with Land Buy,“ by Mark Young.

The work at ManateeMineral Springs Park will include the construction of a creek bed that will use water from the spring as a flow source and flow from the spring into the newly acquired land where other park amenities are planned. Shrouded with an oak canopy. Shelters and small gathering areas are planned along of natural shoreline along the river, according to the 2017 article Bradenton wants Part of the Riverwalk Expansion to Start as Soon as Possible,“ by Mark Young.

The Manatee Mineral Spring also referred to as the Indian Spring in some texts was utilized by area aborigines for thousands of years.

In 1841 Manatee’s first white settler Josiah Gates and his brother-in-law, Miles Price were led to the spring upon arriving in the area by a Spanish fisherman who considered it sacred and shared with the new arrivals the tale of spring and the surrounding native village.

In historical records, Gates describes the first encounter down a path ”packed hard with the weight of Indian moccasins.“ Under the shade of live oaks and pines, he saw a circular pool about 12 feet in diameter. Intrigued by the story, Gates filed for homestead of the property under the Armed Occupation Act, since then it changed hands multiple times.

In 1846, Dr. Franklin Branch purchased the portion of Gates’ acreage. which included the spring. He and his second wife, Matilda Vashti Wilson, moved to Manatee with plans to build a sanatorium and utilize the healing properties of the mineral spring to treat patients. However, before the sanatorium could be completed, the buildings he constructed were fortified with sable palm trunks for protection against the Seminoles as the Third Seminole War.

Instead of patients, residents of Manatee occupied the structures for a period of nine months and it became known as ”Fort Branch.“ Branch delivered three babies and treated a variety of ailments during that time.

The Curry family on their property in the Village of Manatee for many years and the spring became known as ”Curry Boiling Spring.“ In 1880, they sold a tract of their extensive estate to newcomer Dr. George Casper. In the contract, Casper granted the Curry family ”free ingress and egress to any medicinal spring situated on said land, that they may have the full use, enjoyment and privilege of the waters of the same.“

By 1903, the mineral spring was included as part of the Manatee City Park and all residents could enjoy its restorative waters. The following year, the park was fenced and a gazebo erected for use by the public for picnics and celebrations. In the 1980s, the spring was capped and the creek that allowed flow into the Manatee River, filled in. A replica of the gazebo was constructed and moved to Manatee Village Historical Park, all that remained of the spring was a metal culvert.

I am beyond excited to see the natural flow of the spring restored!