St. Vincent Island is the western-most of 4 barrier islands in the northwestern
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
Gulf coast which include
Cape St. George IslandCape St. George Island is an uninhabited barrier island situated on Florida’s North Gulf Coast, south-southeast of St. Vincent Island, west of St. George Island and 8-10 miles south-southwest of the town of Apalachicola in Franklin County, Florida. It was formerly part of St...
,
St. George IslandSt. George Island is an island in the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is a part of Franklin County, Florida.-Physical characteristics:St. George is a barrier island, long and wide at its widest point. St. George Island is adjacent to Cape St. George Island...
and Dog Island.
St. Vincent Island is located just offshore in
Franklin County, FloridaFranklin County is a coastal county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 11,057. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 11,177 . Its county seat is Apalachicola, Florida.- History :...
south southeast of
Cape San BlasCape San Blas is part of a peninsula in Gulf County, Florida extending westward from the mainland of Florida, separating St. Joseph Bay to the north from the Gulf Of Mexico to the south. The St. Joseph Peninsula extends northward from the west end of Cape San Blas. It is approximately 10 miles...
and north of
Cape St. George IslandCape St. George Island is an uninhabited barrier island situated on Florida’s North Gulf Coast, south-southeast of St. Vincent Island, west of St. George Island and 8-10 miles south-southwest of the town of Apalachicola in Franklin County, Florida. It was formerly part of St...
close to the mouth of the
Apalachicola RiverThe Apalachicola River is a river, approximately 112 mi long in the U.S. state Florida. The river's large watershed, known as the ACF River Basin for short, drains an area of approximately into the Gulf of Mexico. The distance to its farthest headstream in northwest Georgia is approximately...
and the town of
ApalachicolaApalachicola is a city in Franklin County, Florida on US 98 about 80 miles southwest of Tallahassee. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census. The 2005 census estimates gave the city at 2,340...
on the
Florida PanhandleThe Florida Panhandle is the region of the state of Florida which includes most of the northwestern part of the state. It is a narrow strip lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south...
.
St. Vincent was inhabited as far back as 240 A.D. In 1633,
FranciscanThe term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic religious orders, also known as the Orders of Friars Minor, that follow a body of regulations known as "The rule of St. Francis", or a member of one of these orders. As well as Roman Catholic there are also small Old Catholic and...
Friars named the island while visiting
ApalacheeThe Apalachee are an Indian tribe that lived in Apalachee Province, Florida, until the tribe was largely destroyed and dispersed in the 18th century. They lived between the Aucilla River and Ochlockonee River, at the head of Apalachee Bay and were first encountered by Spanish explorers in the 16th...
tribes in the area.
In 1750 Creek indians and Seminoles, offshoots of the Creek nation, entered area and inhabited the island.
In 1868 George Hatch bought the island.
In 1908, a Dr.
St. Vincent Island is the western-most of 4 barrier islands in the northwestern
FloridaFlorida is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States, bordering Alabama to the northwest and Georgia to the north. It was the 27th state admitted to the United States...
Gulf coast which include
Cape St. George IslandCape St. George Island is an uninhabited barrier island situated on Florida’s North Gulf Coast, south-southeast of St. Vincent Island, west of St. George Island and 8-10 miles south-southwest of the town of Apalachicola in Franklin County, Florida. It was formerly part of St...
,
St. George IslandSt. George Island is an island in the northern Gulf of Mexico. It is a part of Franklin County, Florida.-Physical characteristics:St. George is a barrier island, long and wide at its widest point. St. George Island is adjacent to Cape St. George Island...
and Dog Island.
St. Vincent Island is located just offshore in
Franklin County, FloridaFranklin County is a coastal county located in the panhandle of the U.S. state of Florida. As of 2000, the population was 11,057. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 11,177 . Its county seat is Apalachicola, Florida.- History :...
south southeast of
Cape San BlasCape San Blas is part of a peninsula in Gulf County, Florida extending westward from the mainland of Florida, separating St. Joseph Bay to the north from the Gulf Of Mexico to the south. The St. Joseph Peninsula extends northward from the west end of Cape San Blas. It is approximately 10 miles...
and north of
Cape St. George IslandCape St. George Island is an uninhabited barrier island situated on Florida’s North Gulf Coast, south-southeast of St. Vincent Island, west of St. George Island and 8-10 miles south-southwest of the town of Apalachicola in Franklin County, Florida. It was formerly part of St...
close to the mouth of the
Apalachicola RiverThe Apalachicola River is a river, approximately 112 mi long in the U.S. state Florida. The river's large watershed, known as the ACF River Basin for short, drains an area of approximately into the Gulf of Mexico. The distance to its farthest headstream in northwest Georgia is approximately...
and the town of
ApalachicolaApalachicola is a city in Franklin County, Florida on US 98 about 80 miles southwest of Tallahassee. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census. The 2005 census estimates gave the city at 2,340...
on the
Florida PanhandleThe Florida Panhandle is the region of the state of Florida which includes most of the northwestern part of the state. It is a narrow strip lying between Alabama on the north and the west, Georgia also on the north, and the Gulf of Mexico to the south...
.
History
St. Vincent was inhabited as far back as 240 A.D. In 1633,
FranciscanThe term Franciscan is commonly used to refer to members of Catholic religious orders, also known as the Orders of Friars Minor, that follow a body of regulations known as "The rule of St. Francis", or a member of one of these orders. As well as Roman Catholic there are also small Old Catholic and...
Friars named the island while visiting
ApalacheeThe Apalachee are an Indian tribe that lived in Apalachee Province, Florida, until the tribe was largely destroyed and dispersed in the 18th century. They lived between the Aucilla River and Ochlockonee River, at the head of Apalachee Bay and were first encountered by Spanish explorers in the 16th...
tribes in the area.
In 1750 Creek indians and Seminoles, offshoots of the Creek nation, entered area and inhabited the island.
In 1868 George Hatch bought the island.
In 1908, a Dr. Pierce imported Old World game animals to the island. In 1920 the island was use to graze beef cattle sold to
ApalachicolaApalachicola is a city in Franklin County, Florida on US 98 about 80 miles southwest of Tallahassee. The population was 2,334 at the 2000 census. The 2005 census estimates gave the city at 2,340...
markets.
In 1940, the first oyster lease was granted. The Pierce Estate sold first pine saw timber. St. Joe lumber Company built a temporary bridge to island for timber removal.
In 1948, the Loomis brothers bought the island and imported
zebraZebras are African equids best known for their distinctive white and black stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals and can be seen in small harems to large herds. In addition to their stripes, zebras have erect, mohawk-like manes...
s,
elandAn Eland is a member of either species of the Taurotragus genus of antelope:* The Common Eland of East and Southern Africa* The Giant Eland of Central and Western AfricaEland may also refer to:* Eland, Wisconsin, United States...
s,
black buckIn post-Reconstruction United States, Black Buck was a racial slur used to describe a certain type of African American men. In particular, the caricature was used to describe black men who absolutely refused to bend to the law of white authority and were irredeemably violent, rude, and lecherous...
, ring-necked pheasants, Asian jungle fowl,
bobwhite quailThe Northern Bobwhite, Virginia Quail or Bobwhite Quail is a ground-dwelling bird native to the United States, Mexico, and the Caribbean. It is a member of the group of species known as New World quails...
, and semi-wild turkeys.
In 1968 St Vincent was purchased by Nature Conservancy for $2.2 million. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service repaid the Conservancy with money from Duck Stamp sales and established the island as St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge.
Geography
The island is made up of ridges and swales of sand dominated by
live oakLive oak or evergreen oak is a general term for a number of unrelated oaks in several different sections of the genus Quercus that happen to share the characteristic of evergreen foliage....
and other hardwoods. The oldest sand ridge is about 3000 years old. The island also has tidal marshes, 18 sq. miles (49 km²) of freshwater lakes and streams.
Wildlife
St. Vincent is home to numerous shore birds, an abundance of
alligatorAn Alligator is a crocodilian in the genus Alligator of the family Alligatoridae. The name alligator is an anglicized form of el lagarto the Spanish term for "lizard", the name by which early Spanish explorers and settlers in Florida called the alligator...
s, nesting
ospreyThe Osprey , sometimes known as the sea hawk, is a diurnal, fish-eating bird of prey. It is a large raptor, reaching 60 centimetres in length with a 1.8 metre wingspan...
s and bald eagles,
Peregrine falconThe Peregrine Falcon , also known simply as the Peregrine, and historically as the "Duck Hawk" in North America, is a cosmopolitan bird of prey in the family Falconidae. It is a large, crow-sized falcon, with a blue-gray back, barred white underparts, and a black head and "moustache"...
s,
wood storkThe Wood Stork is a large American wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. It was formerly called the "Wood Ibis", though it is not really an ibis....
s
Sambar deerSambar , is the common name for several large dark brown and maned Asian deer, particularly for the Indian species , which attains a height of 102 to 160 cm at the shoulder and may weigh as much as 546 kg , though more typically 162-260 kg...
(native to Southeast Asia) and the native
white-tailed deerThe white-tailed deer , also known as the Virginia deer, or simply as the whitetail, is a medium-sized deer native to the United States , Canada, Mexico, Central America, and in South America as far south as Peru...
. The island is also a haven for
endangered speciesAn endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters. Also it could mean that due to deforestation there may be a lack of food and/or water...
such as
Loggerhead sea turtleThe Loggerhead Sea Turtle is a sea turtle and the only member of the genus Caretta. The genus name "Caretta" is a latinization of the French "caret", meaning turtle, tortoise, or sea turtle. A loggerhead sea turtle reportedly grows up to and long. Their shell color is a reddish brown color, and...
s, indigo snakes,
gopher tortoiseThe Gopher Tortoise is a tortoise species native to the southeast United States. The gopher tortoise is seen as a keystone species because it digs burrows which provide shelter for hundreds of other species. They are threatened by predation and habitat destruction...
s and the
red wolfThe Red Wolf is a North American canid and once roamed throughout the Southeastern United States and is a glacial period survivor of the Late Pleistocene epoch. Its natural range extends from Texas to Florida. A population is being reintroduced to North Carolina...
.
External links