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History of Seven Springs Area Marked

Klint Lowry/SUNCOAST NEWS

Margie Partain, Bob Brady Norma Nelson, Shirley Hudson and Lela Futch of the Pasco County Historical Preservation Commission take in the new historical marker dedicated Saturday to the spot where Samuel and Elizabeth Stevenson founded Seven Springs.

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By Klint  Lowry | The Suncoast News

Published: January 19, 2008

SEVEN SPRINGS, Fla. - SEVEN SPRINGS, Fla. - The gated community adjacent to the Seven Springs Golf and Country Club got a new status symbol last Saturday, an historical marker commemorating the place where the Seven Springs community got its name and start.

"We spend a lot of our time at our meetings deciding on the wording for these things," said Scott Black, co-chair of the Pasco County Historical Preservation Committee.

Black offered the comment as he officiated over the dedication ceremony for the marker, located at the Little Road entrance to a subdivision that is part of the country club complex.

Among its other duties, the committee designates areas of historical significance for the county. Though the country club and the surrounding communities are looked on as an area of growth in recent years, the club itself occupies the site of one of the first settlements in the area from which the West Pasco county we know today developed.

The marker gives a brief synopsis of that early history. The springs from which the the area got its name are just a bit north of the marker, near the intersection of Little Road and Old C.R. 54.

The marker notes how early settlers Samuel and Elizabeth Stevenson, "who believed in the therapeutic benefits of the mineral springs now known as Seven Springs" started a modest health resort after installing a pipe and diverting water from the spring to a pool, which overflowed in the Anclote River. A small bathhouse was built near the river for guests, and free mineral water was given away there.

The marker also mentions a wooden bridge that used to exist near the springs, and how a truck carrying molasses fell through it.

There is also mention of the old schoolhouse opened in 1913 that once stood on land owned by T.J. Witt. The schoolhouse later became a private residence for Ed and Willie Maude Frierson.

In 1981, the owner of the residence, Alex Acey, allowed it to be moved to a spot adjacent to Sims Park in downtown New Port Richey. It was restored and still serves as home to the West Pasco Historical Society Museum and Library.

The president of Seven Springs Golf and Country Club, Raymond Turner, was among those who turned out for the dedication. He explained many of those affiliated with the club had no idea that the history of the site goes back to the early 1900s.

"Most of us think the historical significance is when when we moved to Seven Springs," Turner said with a smile.

On a more sincere note, he thanked the commission on behalf of the club and community's 850 members and 1,200 residents.

"We're pleased and honored," Turner said. "We're grateful for the recognition and we're grateful to the county commissioners and the historical society for this marker.

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