Collectors have several options when it comes to what they like to collect and for those who enjoy looking at items from the pioneer era, the Cracker Trail Museum is just the place. Open since 1967, the museum in Zolfo Springs, Fla., has more than 4,000 items. There is also Seminole Indian history and cracker/cowboy history, as well as early fossil history, plus a bit about the local phosphate industry. In 1890, phosphate was mined on the banks of the Peace River. At Cracker Trail Museum, you will view photographs of the early development of an industry that has once again returned to Hardee County. After entering the museum, visitors see many items used in early pioneer homes. The collection includes a wide range of household goods, farming implements, photographs and historical documents. In one room there is even a huge alligator skin and information about turtle hunting. Shortly after its dedication, in 1967 the museum added a cane grinding shed on the grounds and a kettle was donated. This was the beginning of Cracker Trail Museum’s “Pioneer Village.” Collectors will enjoy a peek at the 1914 Baldwin Locomotive Engine #3 (also known as the Loping Gopher) that had been used at a crate mill in Wauchula. Along with the cane grinding shed, the group also added an 1897 C.A. Bryant Blacksmith Shop that was dismantled at its location in Bowling Green and reconstructed at its present location adjacent to the museum building. The shop houses many of the original tools and blacksmithing implements used by the Bryant family. Another building is the Hart Cabin, which was donated and relocated to the park by the great-grandson of W.H. Hart. The cabin was built in 1879 and consists of only one of the remaining rooms of the original structure where W.H. and Mary Jane Hart raised their six children. Many of the pieces of furniture inside the cabin were built by Mr. Hart. Rounding out the Pioneer Village is a smokehouse that was constructed from the donated wood of old lumber from a local barn and home from the 1880s, and two family work wagons that were from the late 1880s. The museum changed hands a couple of times and suffered from hurricanes over the years, only to rebuild and add a post office and an outhouse. In 2017 the museum celebrates its 50th year. It offers several events, such as the annual cross-state trail ride, in mid-February, reenacting the Florida cattle drive. The ride was used in the early 1800s for both cattle and horses. The Cracker Trail includes parts of state roads 66 and 64 and U.S. Highway 98. It runs 120 miles. Riders are keep history alive over the six-day period. Riders celebrate the Florida “crackers” history – crackers were the country’s first cowboys and they became known as crackers for the whip cracking as they rounded up and drove cattle across the state. The drives ultimately concluded at markets in Cuba and elsewhere, via shipping ports throughout the state. The first weekend in March is Pioneer Park Days, where there is an antique tractor and gas engine show. Advertised as the largest gas engine show in Florida, collectors can enjoy the museum, Pioneer Village and antique tractors all at one time. There is also a nature preserve and boardwalk with an array of animals to view as well. Open Monday-Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., the museum is located at 2822 Museum Dr., Zolfo Springs, FL 33890. Call 863-735 0119 for advance information. Readers with questions or comments for Cindy Ladage may write to her in care of this publication. Learn more of Cindy’s finds and travel in her blog, “Traveling Adventures of a Farm Girl,” at http:// travelingadventuresofafarmgirl.com |
