Gabriel Smith Hand Pump - Sneads, Florida, USA - Old Spanish Trail Auto Route on Waymarking.com

This hand operated water pump has been sitting here next to the Old Spanish Trail since 1899 and was built for the town of Sneads by Gabriel Smith. He is quoted as saying “He who drinks from this pump will always return” or at least that is what the pioneer families of Sneads believed at the time. In any case it resides right next to the Old Spanish Trail (OST). One has to wonder how many travelers on the OST gazed upon it as the traveled the trail? How many may have stopped to partake of the water from the well? Did any of them stop at the nearby community center and have a picnic or attend a community function?

Today anyone traveling on Highway 10A (OST) will see it as they travel through the town of Sneads. It now has a wooden pole structure covering it to protect it from the Florida elements and provide shade for those who want to visit it. A historical marker is adjacent to it and a NRHP log cabin is between the pump and the railroad tracks south of it.

Historic marker inscription:

"He who drinks from this pump will always return" was the belief of the pioneer families of Sneads.
This pump was built for the town of Sneads by Gabriel Smith in 1899 or 1900 and it is believed to be the second mechanical pump in the area. 1.5/72 acres of land was deeded to the city of Sneads, in the county of Jackson, on 18 February, 1899 for the sum of $200.00 by F.A. and Mittie Brown.
The village was first called Gloucester and the Sneads post office had its beginning in Miss Harriett Pope's parlor-hallway. Mail was brought in from Chattahoochee on horseback.
The town of Sneads was incorporated 26 October 1894, with 37 citizens. 30 voted for and 7 against incorporation. Adam White laid out the plot of the town. The site was chosen near the river, then the primary means of transportation. Gabriel Smith became the first mayor in 1893 and Lewis Taylor was the first postmaster. Smith and Taylor are credited with the development of the town. Its present name honored Dr. W.R. Snead, the first dentist to settle in the area.
The pump was restored in the summer of 1974 by the Carlisle Rose Garden Club and the town council.

Submission Criteria: Distinctive or Significant Interest Website with More Information: [Web Link] Address of Waymark: 8025 Old Spanish Trail Sneads, FL USA 32460

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