Istachatta Historian Melba Ward recently passed away. She left behind her book Istachatta: History of the First Hundred Years 1850-1950 as well as a corresponding genealogical anthology of the area that outweighs her history book by hundreds of pages. A few months ago, she remarked that something she wanted to see fixed was the name of Lake Townsen near Istachatta. The lake was named after the town’s founder and postmaster Francis M. Townsend. He built a ferry across the Withlacoochee River in hopes of getting a stagecoach to go through.
In the 1883-84 census, Mr. Townsend was the only name mentioned in Istachatta. In 1986-87 the Florida State Gazetteer says the population had grown to 76.
Mrs. Ward was upset that the name of Lake Townsend had now been changed to Lake Townsen with the installation of these signs. The name “Lake Townsen Preserve” is used by the Environmentally Sensitive Lands Committee on their website as well. Google now refers to the lake as Lake Townsen.
Mrs. Ward contacted the county on several occasions to have the name corrected. Frustrated that nobody seemed to care, she said that she “would like to paint a ‘d’ on the signs, but everyone would know it was her.”
It would be a kind gesture to Mrs. Ward to correct this historical mistake.