Titusville, FL - Cape Canaveral National Seashore

Today, we headed on over to the north section of the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. Just can’t get enough of the ocean. Saw this sign along the way.

Aren’t all trucks, and most cars for that matter, heavier than 1 ton. Our Jeep is close to 4000 lbs or 2 tons. Are only bikes allowed?

We also liked this strangler fig. Poor palm tree hasn’t a chance - although it is fully alive.

We headed north and found what is today called Seminole Rest, which is a large home built in the 1890’s upon a large midden from the Timucuan Indians dating from 4,000 to 500 years ago. A midden is where the Timucuan Indians gathered and shelled calms and tossed the remains into a mound now 18’ high although it probably used to be higher. We don’t know much about the Timucuans except what we can glean from this midden.

In the 1890’s a family called the Snyder’s purchased this land and built two homes one their main home and the second a caretaker’s cottage. They probably liked the elevation of the midden - gave them a great view of the ocean. The Snyder’s refused to sell any of the shell midden which at that time was being used as pavement material for highways. Luckily, they did this because it preserved clues about the Timucuan way of life. They were nomadic hunters and gatherers, lived on small game and deer that they had killed and oysters and clams from the ocean. They were considered very good hunters and would use a deer skin to cover themselves as they stalked their prey. Several Spanish diaries made reference to a race of giants and we think that they were a tall group.

We followed the trail around the property but the house was not open for touring. Here is a picture of the home about 1911. From this picture you can see how tall the midden is. Remember, this is Florida, it is flat. And, of course, that is why the house was situated on top of the midden - the highest ground around.

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‘When they were building the roads - or railroads - the wanted to buy the shell. Granddaddy said he wouldn’t sell. He said it would spoil the beauty of the property, that’s why we have the elevation here.’

                                                                                                Marion Snyder Porta, granddaughter

Next we headed over the bridge to the Canaveral Seashore where we found Turtle Mound, another Timucuan midden. There used to be considerably more mounds but very few remain: Snyder Hill and Turtle Mound being 2 of them. The Timucuan were a nomadic band who had winter camps along the coast.

Turtle Mound is actually quite tall and the Park Service has built a wooden boardwalk to the top to discourage everyone making their own trail.

Another interesting spot along the Canaveral Seashore is the abandoned village of Eldora. Named for Ellen and Dora Pitzer, daughters of two of the town’s founders, it used to have a population as high as 200 hearty souls who lived on their citrus crops and as a winter home for northern residents. It is on a spit of land and the steamboats, which used to stop regularly, brought the tourists and took away the crops. Several freezes ruined the crops and the coming of the railroad further inland ended its popularity as a winter haven as tourists moved further south. Slowly but surely the population dwindled until by 1975, there were only a couple of year-round residents. There is still one home which has been refurbished by the Park Service and which houses a small museum about the town.

We took a few minutes to talk with the volunteer in the museum and to rock on the chairs on the porch and let the time pass by. The oak trees gave valuable shade.

As we walked back to our car along the prescribed path we saw this sign telling us that we were in the ‘most dangerous lightning area in the US. In recent years, several lightning-strike deaths have occurred here. Over a recent 25-year period, Florida led the nation in lightning deaths with almost twice as many as the 2nd-leading state. ’ Then the sign went on to compare Florida on the right with North Carolina, Texas, New York and Tennessee:

Then, of course we walked along the beach. Quite a few out today since it is so nice. Oops, looks like we’ve discovered the nude beach and I’ve got to pay particular attention to the ocean. Can’t look towards the beach for a while. ‘Put that camera away, Nancy’, ‘Hey, look at that sailboat out there.’

Whew, I think I’ve got this censored enough.