Worthington Spring
Union County
Summary of Features
- Scale - 4th magnitude
- Scenery - fair
- How Pristine? - overgrown concrete structure around spring
- Swimming - no
- Protection - none
- Crowds - none
- Access - very good
- Facilities - none
- Safety - good
- Scuba - no
- Cost - free
Directions
From the junction of State Roads 121 and 18 in the town of Worthington Springs, drive south about 0.4 miles and turn right onto poorly maintained dirt road that leads down to the river before the bridge over the Santa Fe River. Park at the bottom and look to the right for the remnants of the enclosure around the spring.
Spring Description
The spring is in a low and damp wooded area near the north bank of the river. The area is subject to flooding when the Santa Fe River is high.The spring is surrounded by the crumbling remains of a concrete pool enclosure that rises up to 20 feet from the ground. The pool was once filled with water from the spring that was enclosed by an adjacent 12-foot-square concrete wall at the east end of the pool. The enclosure is overgrown with foliage. The pool walls are crumbling, and the nearly imperceptible flow from the spring piddles through a hole in the wall into the river at the east end.
Use/Access
- There is no current use of the pool, which was already long-abandoned whenvisited by Rosenau et al. (1977, p. 391) in 1972. The ruin of the concrete swimming enclosure is all that remains of a hotel, recreation hall, and bathhouse.
- A marker at the turnoff from SR 121 has information and photographs ofthe old pool when the spring was the social centerpiece of the town that carries its name.
Local Springiana
Personal Impressions
The spring is vaguely reminiscent of an overgrown Mayan ruin. There appear to be no plans to either restore the pool or tear down the crumbling structure that once enclosed it. It is not worth visiting for its physical beauty.
Nearby Springs
- Santa Fe River Rise Spring
Other Nearby Natural Features
- Ichetucknee Springs State Park
- O'Leno State Park
- San Felasco Hammock State Preserve
- Devil's Millhopper State Geologic Site
- River Rise State Preserve
- Mike Roess Gold Head Branch State Park