Asbell Park - Panama City, FL - Municipal Parks and Plazas on Waymarking.com

Asbell Park may be small, but it has a very interesting history. It is the location of a Confederate saltworks that was in operation during the U.S. Civil War. At the park are an historical marker about the saltworks and an original Confederate salt pot.

"This is a monument, or an outdoor exhibit, commemorating the salt works operating during the Civil War on St. Andrews Bay. The Bay County Historical Society has placed an original cast iron salt kettle used during the Civil War at this location, and nearby is a state historical marker that details the history of the production of salt by the Confederacy on St. Andrews Bay."

-- Source

The historical marker in the park reads:

"Between 1861 and 1865, the St. Andrew Bay Saltworks, one of the largest producers of salt in the South, contributed to the Confederate cause by providing salt, fish and cattle for southern troops and citizens. A necessary preservative in those times, salt sold for as much as $50 per bushel, and was produced in wood-fired saltworks on the perimeter of the West Bay, East Bay and North Bay and Lake Powell (a.k.a. Lake Ocala). An estimated 2,500 men, primarily from Florida, Georgia and Alabama, were exempted from combat duty in order to labor in the saltworks. The salt was transported to Eufaula, Alabama, then to Montgomery, for distribution throughout the Confederate states. Because of the importance of St. Andrew Bay Saltworks to the Confederacy, acting Master W.R. Browne, commander of the U.S. Restless, was instructed to commence a series of assaults beginning in August 1862. In December 1863, additional Union attacks occurred, which Confederate home guards could not resist. The attacks resulted in the destruction of more than 290 saltworks, valued by Master Browne at more than $3,000,000. The St. Andrew Bay Saltworks employees promptly rebuilt them, and they remained in operation through February 1865. "

Name: Asbell Park Street Location: W Beach Dr & E Caroline Blvd Local Municipality: Panama City State/Province, etc.: Florida Country: USA Web Site: [Web Link] Picnic Facilities: Picnic tables Recreational Facilities: Benches for relaxing and enjoying the view Monuments/Statues: Confederate Salt Pot and St. Andrew Bay Saltworks Historical Marker Ponds/Lakes/Streams/Rivers/Beach: Adjacent to Lake Caroline and has a view of St. Andrew Bay Traditional Geocaches: GC1MXG6 Memorial/Commemoration: Not listed Date Established: Not listed Art (murals/sculpture, etc.): Not listed Fountains: Not listed Special Events: Not listed

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