Sunday, January 8, 2012

Seminole Rest - Oak Hill - Volusia County - Florida

A hidden gem!

Beautiful Natural Florida, just as it should be.

Seminole Rest in Oak Hill, Florida is an ancient Native American Mound (one of the few that were not destroyed to build the first railroad), the site of the old Snyder residence (now renovated, pictured right) and a lot of beautiful views of the river and natural Florida.  You will emjoy a peaceful half mile wheel-chair friendly walk along the river and around the two renovated structures where you will find wayside exhibits depicting the life of the Timucuan Indians, the property and it's excacation and the Snyder family, who first settled there.

Timucuans gathering food from the river.
Seminole Rest consists of several prehistoric shell mounds dating from 2,000 BC to 1565 AD. Snyder's Mound, the largest mound at this site, is unique because few structures this large remain intact today.  I especially enjoyed the images along the walk of the Indians gathering clams, fishing and processing meats. 

In the past, groups settled along the coast here to gather and process clams, oysters, and fish that supplemented the meat and agricultural products eaten the rest of the year. This site was revisited year after year, and the large mounds that once dotted the Florida coastline were created. A type of pottery known as Orange series has been excavated at Seminole Rest, leading us to believe that this area was used as early as 2000 B.C. or as late as 500 B.C.

Permanent settlement of this part of Florida began after the Civil War. The area had been harvested for live oaks used to build ships. Thus, the name of the city where Seminole Rest exists - Oak Hill.

Doesn't this Oak Tree just beg you
to come and picnic underneath it?
If you are looking for a relaxing walk with some beautiful views and a glimpse into Florida history, head over the Seminole Rest, a part of Canaveral National Seashore that is rich in history stemming from thousands of years of Native American occupation. It represents the pioneer era of settlement in Florida, and was the scene of many of the first North American encounters among Europeans, Africans, and native inhabitants.  located east of SR 5 (River Road), on the western shore of Mosquito Lagoon in Oak Hill, Florida.
View of canal that runs through the west part of the property.

View of the River from the Snyder House Front Porch.

View from Side Porch.

The renovated Cottage House,
where visitors to the Snyder family often stayed.








Sunday, January 1, 2012

A New Look for a New Year

Volusia.com, is the award winning website devoted to Volusia County, Florida and our many diverse communities. We are here to help residents find what they need and to learn a little more about our county. And we are here for visitors already in the area or planning to visit here. Anything we can do to help, we will. We have been around since 1995 and are celebrating our 17th birthday with a BRAND NEW LOOK complete with tons of picture, some historical background, as well as useful information for visitors and residents alike.

We hope you enjoy our new look, as well as all of our updated information.

Thank you for visiting our blog