Walker Springs Plantation
- 84+/- acres in Jefferson County, Florida just 40 minutes from Tallahassee
- ½ mile of frontage on the Aucilla River, one of the most pristine rivers in Florida
- Walker Springs itself has been measured at approximately 1 million gallons a day
- This is one of the few privately held properties on the lower Aucilla River
- Of all the springs in North Florida, this is one of only ones still in private hands
- The 84+/- acres borders thousands of acres of SRWMD lands
- “Cracker Style” cypress river cabin one of the last “grandfathered” cabins on the river
- Diverse mix of wiregrass/longleaf, hardwoods, and live oak hammocks
- Park-like and stocked 3-acre lake with a well
- Exceptional game flow of deer, wild turkey, wild hogs, wood ducks, and doves
- Located just east of Tallahassee near Ted Turner’s Avalon Plantation
- Convenient to the landings at Econfina and Aucilla at the Gulf
- This area is a treasure trove of historical and ecological wealth
- This section of the Aucilla is one of the most significant prehistoric research sites in the US
Walker Springs is the one of the most pristine of the 'old Florida' recreational properties and one of the largest springs in North Florida still in private hands today. It is the signature property of the lower Aucilla River.
Walker Springs is one of the most outstanding small riverfront recreational hunting properties in North Florida. This is classic 'old Florida' and one of the largest springs still in private hands in the region. Flowing at almost 1 million gallons a day, the spring creek oxbows through the park like hardwoods for over a mile. The Cracker Style riverfront cabin is one of the few 'grandfathered' cabins still remaining on the Aucilla. Its 1 mile of river frontage is pristine with a private river trail and rapids. It is one of the last privately held properties on the Aucilla River. It is bordered on two sides by SRWMD lands that control over 80% of the land from here to the Gulf of Mexico. The game flow here of deer, turkey, and hogs is incredible. Ted Turner's Avalon Plantation is two properties to the north.
Florida Memory - Map of Andrew Jackson's Route in East Florida, 1818
The Aucilla River
The Aucilla River is one of the cleanest rivers in Florida. It has been classified as an outstanding waterway. The natural tannins in the water act as a purifier and keep aquatic weeds to a minimum. Kayaking and canoeing here is exceptional. The river is pristine and looks almost like it did when it was the border between the Timucuan and Appalachee Nations. It originates near the Thomasville, Georgia airport and runs mainly through large privately held hunting plantations such as Boston Place, Disston, Pinion Point, Dixie among others. Over the past thirty years the SRWMD has been aggressively purchasing as many properties on the Aucilla River as it can. Today, approximately 80% of the river ownership below I-10 is owned by the SRWMD. Only a few hold-out properties are still in private hands. Most of these properties have been in the family for generations. Walker Springs is currently held by two lenders and priced for immediate sale.
Improvements
The Walker Springs cabin is cracker-style architecture distinctive and unique to the cabins on the Aucilla and Wacissa Rivers. The road to the cabin is spectacular. You first cross the Walker Springs Creek and then drive along the canopied river bank along a set of rapids along the Aucilla. Palm trees, live oaks, and cypress with acres of river oats have a park like appearance. The cabin is on stilts and sits on a river bluff of the river over a bend just beyond the rapids. The setting is classic North Florida and surrounded by mature oaks, hardwoods and spruce pine. The cabin is two rooms and powered by generators. The interior is lined in cypress from the area. An outbuilding provides a place to clean game and store ATV’s and other equipment. Today, building cabins and roads along the river bank is prohibited. This is a very special place and an example of cultural legacies that cannot be duplicated today.
Other improvements include a very nice, newly constructed manmade lake with a well. This lake is dug deep into the limestone aquifer and has excellent mineral rich water. Fish grow exceptionally well here. There are numerous food plots throughout the property as well as permanent deer stands and bear proof feeders. Many of the food plots have mast producing trees planted as well as annual crops. The roads are built up and in very good condition.
History
The neighborhood consists of approximately 60,000 acres of plantations in the Lamont area, thousands of acres of SRWMD lands and almost 90,000 acres of private hunting clubs. The area has a strong tradition of hunting.
This is one of the most significant archeological areas in North America. The Aucilla River Prehistory Project showed early hunters here as far back as 12,200 years. A wealth of archeological treasures has been found in the river from Mastodons to Saber-toothed tigers. Indian points from as far as Colorado have been found here. The oldest know evidence of humans on the North American continent was found in the Aucilla River just downstream of Walker Springs. This area, just below the Cody Escarpment, has been extensively studied by both the University of Florida as well as Florida State University, and was key hunting grounds for the Appalachee Indians. Their capital city was located just a few miles from Walker Springs on the present day Avalon Plantation. The first governor of the State of Florida's ranch headquarters was a few miles to the Northwest. It is believed that the first wheat grown in North America was planted on the El Tregal Plantation one property to the north. In the mid 1600's the Spanish Mission San Miguel De Asile was located just a few miles north. During antebellum times travelers seeking salt at the coast often camped at the spring as a resting place on the Old Salt Road between the Gulf of Mexico and Thomasville. After the Civil War, the area became well known for its wild game and still holds that draw today. The Cracker Cabin at the property is a testament to this hunting heritage.
The Neighborhood
Walker Springs is featured on the prestigious Red Hills Plantation Map. This area is just south of the Cody Escarpment that is the boundary of the 300,000 acres of plantations known as the Red Hills. There are approximately 60,000 acres of plantations in the Lamont area. Notable neighbors include Ted Turner (Avalon), FSU President TK Wetherell (Oak Hill), Whit Foster (Turkey Scratch).
The Suwannee River Water Management's (SRWMD) Middle Aucilla Tract touches Walker Springs on two sides! The Suwannee River Water Management District has a concerted campaign to own as much of the Aucilla River frontage as they can. They now own approximately 80% of this section of river! Although the SRWMD is a great neighbor, the fact remains that private landholdings here are now very rare and getting rarer. The SRWMD's objective is to protect this very special and unique area. They are great neighbors and add a lot to the recreation of the area. The area has great canoe and kayaking access points with a private take out at Walker Springs. Hunting is by limited permit only.
Fishing is incredible in the Aucilla with redbreast bream being exceptional. The Gulf of Mexico is only about twenty miles down the Old Salt Road. Landings at Mandalay on the Aucilla and The Econfina are some of the best in the Big Bend. This is some of the best red fishing and trout fishing in Florida. Recently, scallops have been plentiful as well. The 65,000 acre St. Marks Refuge is not far away. This is some of the most game-rich areas of the Southeast.
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Walker Springs Plantation
- 84+/- acres in Jefferson County, Florida just 40 minutes from Tallahassee
- 1/2 mile of frontage on the Aucilla River, one of the most pristine rivers in Florida
- Walker Springs itself has been measured at approximately 1 million gallons a day
- The 84+/- acres borders thousands of acres of SRWMD lands
- Mapped as one of the prestigious Red Hills Plantations
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From murky farm ponds to pristine glacier-cut lakes and everything in between, Knox Daniels’ expertise stems from a lifelong fascination of water and the creatures that live in and around it. He recognizes and helps clients appreciate the value water features bring to a property. “My goal is to help buyers realize and sellers maximize the value different water bodies bring to a property, not only in a recreational sense, but also for social storm reasons.” After extensively traveling the country for collegiate BASS fishing tournaments, Knox graduated and worked for the Southeast’s finest fisheries and wildlife biologist, Greg Grimes. With Grimes’ company, AES, Knox managed many of the southeast’s finest private lake estate/impoundment properties, and learned the intricacies of upscale property management. Learning from Greg and other biologists, Knox honed in on the specific conditions and habitat needed for optimal gamefish growth in private lakes. He has also worked as a property manager on several thousand acres and for a commercial developer, facilitating the dirt work and builds of several apartment complexes, but his true passion has always been in the outdoors. “I’ve always had an insatiable fascination with ponds/lakes and am grateful to be able to help to place clients on the properties of their dreams and make their personal fisheries/wildlife goals reality with JKA.” – Knox Daniels
Jason has been assisting landowners for the last 28 years in Georgia and South Carolina obtain achievements the owners did not realize were possible. His degree in Biology from Georgia Southern stemmed from the desire to know how things in nature work. His plantation roots began at just 16 years old outside of Albany, GA and the last 20 years were spent in the Lowcountry of South Carolina. His entire career has been spent developing a global approach to plantation management. That plan included sales. Sales is in Jason’s blood- his mom had a 45-year career as a real estate broker. After college, he chose to pursue his passion of making properties great. In 2011, Jason sold his first plantation. Since then, he has assisted buyers and sellers with over $20 million in sales while most of that time working as a full-time General Manager of a large Lowcountry plantation. Today, he is committed to using his unique skill set and experience to guide landowners through the many challenges of plantation ownership.
Bruce Ratliff is a retired elected official (Property Appraiser Taylor County). Bruce brings years of experience in ad valorem tax knowledge. His property tax background gives JKA Associates & clients a unique insight into the complicated tax process. Bruce held several positions in the Florida Association of Property Appraisers, including member of the Board of Directors, President, Vice-President and Secretary, and served on the Agricultural & Legislative Committees for the Association. The real estate business has been part of Bruce’s life since childhood. His mother, Shirley Ratliff owned Professional Realty of Perry, Florida and his father, Buster owned Ratliff Land Surveying which Bruce was General Manager of before his political career.
Hailing from a long line of outdoorsmen, Tim learned a great deal from his father and grandfather. He saw first-hand what it means to be a good land steward. He believes land is so much more than a place to hunt, fish, and grow timber or crops. “It’s an identity, a resting place, a safe haven and a way of life, said Tim.” Tim’s family ties to Alabama run deep. During his grandfather’s first term, Governor James was responsible for signing into law Alabama’s first state duck stamp which helped to ensure funding for the procurement, development, and preservation of wetlands for migratory waterfowl habitat. He also established Alabama’s lifetime hunting license, so it is no surprise that Tim is an avid outdoorsman with a keen eye as to how best to improve habitat for the greater good of its wildlife.
With Madison County roots, Lori grew up on her family farm at Pettis Springs along the historic Aucilla River. A love of the land was instilled in Lori very early on by her father who was a local farmer. Lori understands the importance of good land stewardship and has witnessed first-hand how her own father, a former 2-term member of the Florida House of Representatives whose district encompassed many rural counties of the Red Hills Plantation Region, with a little bit of sweat equity, so lovingly worked their own family land. These are core values she carries with her today, and nothing gives her more personal satisfaction than to represent some of the south’s best land stewards.
Cole’s dedication to land management lies in his family roots. As a fourth-generation timber expert, Cole’s earliest memories were spent with his father managing timber investments. With a degree in Food Resource Economics from the University of Florida, Cole is the epitome of an up-and-coming leader. He grew up with a hands-on approach to learning land management and conservation and has spent the last 15 years learning every angle of the real estate and forest industry. Cole is a member of the Florida Forestry Association, Red Hills Quail Forever, Southeastern Wood Producers Association and he uses this platform as an advocate for landowners and their land investments. His family has dedicated the past 60 years to providing landowners in North Florida and South Georgia with professional land management services focused on improving and protecting one’s forestland and wildlife investment. In fact, their family business, M.A. Rigoni, Inc., was one of the first to introduce whole tree chipping to the Red Hills Region.
As a landowner of his own family farm, Lick Skillet, along with family land that has been passed down and enjoyed together at Keaton Beach for 40 years, Jon knows what it means to be a steward of the last best places. As a third-generation land broker with more than 30 years of experience in advising landowners in this niche, Jon is known for his innate ability to harvest a land’s unique intrinsic value. Touting several notable sales under his belt, Jon personally closed Rock Creek/Molpus – 124,000 acres of premium timberland at $142,000,000 – which was known as the largest timberland land sale in the Southeast for eight years running. He is a co-founding member of LandLeader and achieved the real estate industry’s highest honor, “2022 National Broker of the Year – Recreational Land Sales,” by the Realtors® Land Institute.