Louis Thursby and his family were the first white settlers to make Blue Spring a permanent home in 1856. In the early years a steam boat was the only link to the outside world. This home was built in 1872. Originally the home was 2 stories with a cypress shingle roof. Louis’s son John added the third story and the metal roof around 1900. There have been no major changes since. The first story is open to the public. It has been restored to the time period of 1872-1887 to recreate the family life during the steamboat days.
Blue Spring
The past 2 nights have seen temperatures drop below freezing. In Florida this is big news. It means citrus crops get frozen and many plants that are not cold tolerant will burn to the ground. It also means that manatees make the pilgrimage to Blue Springs to enjoy the springs constant water temperature of 72 degrees. I saw on the news several nights ago that over a hundred manatees are now in the springs. I figured the park would be empty on a weekday but oh, was I wrong. There was a half hour backup waiting to get into the park entrance. I almost turned around but decided to tough out the traffic. It was worth the wait. I do not know the official count but there were lots of manatees along with Gar, and Cat fish schools. I did this digital piece on location but when the sun made its way to the screen, I could not see what I was doing. I actually had to lean over to block the sun enough so I could see the screen. A large group of manatees were lounging on the far bank of the spring, and once in a while one would glide by heading up toward the source of the spring.