Story Time!
This is not a Once Upon A Time story because this story is ongoing. If you go about two miles due north of where I live, there is a little park called Snake Warrior's Island. It was only a few years ago that this piece of land became a park. For as long as I can remember, it was a dairy farm with a small wooded area at the north-east corner of the property that had bee hives. And just to the north of that is an athletic field.
Now, for as long as I can remember, people in the know said that the wooded area was haunted because it was an Indian burial ground. I had always assumed that it was Seminoles buried there, but no! When the first white settlers started coming here in the late 1800's, the Seminoles were already complaining that it was a wicked place and would no longer go there. It was reported that strange lights could be seen moving up and down in the night sky, presumably spirits.
Today, this whole area looks way, way, different than it originally did. A night and day difference, actually. Before this area was developed, it was a mixture of wetlands interspersed with sandy, higher ground "islands" mainly covered in ancient oak groves. The area that I live in was known as Honey Hill(the street a bit north of where I live bears that name) and what is currently known as Snake Warrior's Island was called Little Honey Hill. Even as a child I remember there being wetlands just on the south side of County Line Road. Now, it has all been filled in with mountains of dirt and several car lots sit there. The Indians would hardly recognize the place. The only feature that is somewhat the same is Snake Creek, although it has been made into a canal.
As I said, the first white settlers didn't come here until the late 1800's. Chitto Tustenuggee(Snake Warrior) and the first Seminoles came at around 1828 and stayed around 30 to 40 years. But hundreds of years before them, this area was inhabited by the Calusa and Tequesta Indians. They were a primitive and savage people. The first Europeans to make contact with them were the early Spanish explorers. None wanted to have anything to do with them because of their barbarism. These Indians would torture and murder shipwreck survivors, scalp and dismember their slain enemies, and practiced human sacrifice. They even sacrificed their own children when one of their chieftains died. They were even accused of being cannibals. So it is possible that Snake Warrior's island was a place of human sacrifice and it is the spirits of the dead that can be seen rising between the ground and the sky, doomed to haunt that spot for all eternity! Mua-hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!
Now, for as long as I can remember, people in the know said that the wooded area was haunted because it was an Indian burial ground. I had always assumed that it was Seminoles buried there, but no! When the first white settlers started coming here in the late 1800's, the Seminoles were already complaining that it was a wicked place and would no longer go there. It was reported that strange lights could be seen moving up and down in the night sky, presumably spirits.
Today, this whole area looks way, way, different than it originally did. A night and day difference, actually. Before this area was developed, it was a mixture of wetlands interspersed with sandy, higher ground "islands" mainly covered in ancient oak groves. The area that I live in was known as Honey Hill(the street a bit north of where I live bears that name) and what is currently known as Snake Warrior's Island was called Little Honey Hill. Even as a child I remember there being wetlands just on the south side of County Line Road. Now, it has all been filled in with mountains of dirt and several car lots sit there. The Indians would hardly recognize the place. The only feature that is somewhat the same is Snake Creek, although it has been made into a canal.
As I said, the first white settlers didn't come here until the late 1800's. Chitto Tustenuggee(Snake Warrior) and the first Seminoles came at around 1828 and stayed around 30 to 40 years. But hundreds of years before them, this area was inhabited by the Calusa and Tequesta Indians. They were a primitive and savage people. The first Europeans to make contact with them were the early Spanish explorers. None wanted to have anything to do with them because of their barbarism. These Indians would torture and murder shipwreck survivors, scalp and dismember their slain enemies, and practiced human sacrifice. They even sacrificed their own children when one of their chieftains died. They were even accused of being cannibals. So it is possible that Snake Warrior's island was a place of human sacrifice and it is the spirits of the dead that can be seen rising between the ground and the sky, doomed to haunt that spot for all eternity! Mua-hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!
posted by Xul at 9:32 PM
4 Comments:
They were even accused of being cannibals.
By whom? Their enemies?
it is the spirits of the dead that can be seen rising between the ground and the sky
Well, maybe. OTOH if it's not that then what is it? Ignited swamp gasses? Do people still see lights these days?
Is this a part of Florida history they taught you in school about?
By whom? Their enemies? IIRC, there was some cannibalism. I think it was reported by the Spanish.
Well, maybe. Oh, come on! Ya know it's da ghosties! ;P Ignited swamp gasses? Do people still see lights these days? Who knows? I've personally never seen anything. The wooded area always looked very creepy. There are picnic tables over there now so the only 'spirits' you'll be seeing are the ones in bottles!
Is this a part of Florida history they taught you in school about? I think it may have been covered very briefly in school. I've learned about local history mainly through the two local PBS stations that have a lot of programs about local subject matter.
the two local PBS stations that have a lot of programs about local subject matter.
Well, at least the public broadcasting stations aren't pandering to the lowest common denominator then. Good to hear.
Damn, it got really cold today. And of course I had to get out of the house in the early hours of the morning. It turned out my sisters' car had broken down and she wanted to use my parents' car instead. Not usually a problem but that darned car's battery had mysteriously lost its charge. So then we decided she should use my car. Guess what? My car's battery was dead as well. I usually drive around town every couple of weeks to keep it charged but I'd forgotten to do so. Oops.
Our final (working) solution was to take the battery out of my parents' car and charge it for half an hour so at least it would start. Eventually my father drove my sister to her workplace (and drove around a little bit as well).
Anyway, winter's coming. :(
at least the public broadcasting stations aren't pandering to the lowest common denominator then Nah, our PBS panders to the hoity toity rather than the hoi polloi. They like to think of themselves as the place for culture and the arts.
Sorry to hear about all the dead batteries. I guess cold weather can do that? Whatever the cause, it's a real pain in the ass, huh? Doesn't your sis live rather close to you now since the move?
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