Proceeding on in our journey of historical locations in Hernando County, we visit the flourishing town that once was Bayport. At its peak in history it was a small but beautiful city on the water, which catered to Northerners in the winter, and locals in the summer. Its position at the mouth of the Weeki Wachee River made it an ideal resort town as well as a port for trade both in and outside of the state.
Following the the Armed Occupation Act, some sources say that John Parsons, a war veteran from New Hampshire, built his house in the area in 1842, whereas others state that is was actually ten years later when he settled there along with I. Garrison, John E. Johnson, C. T. Jenkins and others. This area became known as Bayport, or officially as Bay Port on January 1, 1853 by the Florida Legislature. In 1854 the post office was established and in December of that same year it was decided that the county seat would be moved to Bayport in June 1855, but was later moved to a more central location in Brooksville.
John D. Parsons was a major landowner of Bayport. An article in the Tampa Herald on August 31, 1854, describes the early development of Bayport by Parsons, “Major John Parsons had expended a large amount of his means to bring this place into notice, and will not fail in his undertaking. He has laid the town off into lots, and will dispose of them to anyone that will improve them at once. He has left a beautiful square of three acres in the centre of the town for a public walk, and enclosed with all the different types of trees with which our forest abounds…. There are at present seven families living here, and, all told about sixty persons, and would be more if the people could get lumber for building purposes. A Hotel will soon be erected for the purpose of invalids; and the spirited contractor of the mail route will have a hack line to run from the Court House, whenever it is necessary, or desired, for the conveyence of passengers.” Parsons established three farming areas along the Weeki Wachee River. The crops were shipped down river to Bayport. He also constructed a causeway a wharf and a light house.
Bayport’s growth was due to its importance for shipping. It became designated as a point of entry. Goods were brought from Brooksville by wagon to Bayport. Mostly cotton, timber and produce were shipped from Bayport to Cedar Key where they were then transported by rail to Fernandina Beach.
Bayport reached its trade traffic peak during the Civil War when cotton grown in Central Florida was shipped out from the port to other areas. Bayport also exported salt and beef for Confederate troops. The Union began blockading Florida ports to prevent supplies being shipped in an effort to hinder Confederate troops. Unable to handle large ships in the port, Bayport was perfect for schooners to get in and out of under the radar of the Union Navy. Union blockades continued to tighten and on April 3, 1863 the Battle of Bayport took place. The Battery located in Bayport fired many shots and some damage was done to the Union boats but not enough to prevent the firing of their cannons. The power of the Union cannons that were fired upon the battery forced the Confederate gunmen to abandon their positions and retreat back, away from the cannon fire. Enough damage was done to the Union ships and they did have to retreat allowing Bayport to play a role in the Brooksville Raid that took place in 1864.
Following the Civil War, the town had to be rebuilt. In 1866, The Eberhard Faber Pencil Company of New York purchased 40 acres of land in Bayport. Ironically, Cedar trees were harvested and floated down the Weeki Wachee River to Bayport where they were shipped off to Cedar Key. Bayport was a major port of export until Brooksville acquired its first railroad spur in 1885.
In the following years, Bayport became known more as a recreational and “health” destination. Advertisements appeared in newspapers describing Bayport as a healthy place to spend time. John Parsons died in 1888 and his home became the Bayport Hotel, which was run by Frances Virginia Goethe for many years starting in 1909. Mrs. Fannie V. Goethe, known fondly as “Ole Miss” as well as “Aunt Fanny” also operated a “token store” that sold fishing tackle and rented boats. The hotel catered to fishermen and recreation seekers. They served meals family style. Aunt Fanny would ring the dinner bell to let everyone know it was time to eat. According to R.B. Grubbs, there was “All the fish you could eat for 50 cents,” as he was quoted as saying in the Brooksville Sun-Journal in the 1970s.
Fanny Goethe and her son owned a commercial fishing business in which they shipped to many areas of the country out of Bayport, but not by sea. They packed the fish on ice and loaded them onto a wagon that went onto Centralia. In the logging community of Centralia the fish were transported by rail to their destination.
In 1919 the population of Bayport dwindled to 25, and was later sold to a Tampa Investment company in February 1925. The Bayport Hotel burned down in 1943 along with several other buildings. Today the Southwest Florida Water Management District sits on part of what once was Bayport. The original town site is now a park known as Bayport Park, which contains a marker that tells about the port town. Bayport Park is an Environmentally Sensitive Land (ESL) recreation area. All that is left of the visible history of this once flourishing port town is the battery remains and the tombstones in the Bayport Cemetery, now overgrown.
For a time, just like many other towns that have long since vanished, Bayport was promising and thriving. Bayport’s shipping industry declined with rail moving into Brooksville. However, today the waters surrounding Bayport are still enjoyed by fishermen and recreation seekers alike.