Old Bellamy Road

When Florida became a U.S. Territory, John Bellamy was contracted by the U.S. Government to build a road connecting St. Augustine and Tallahassee and work was completed between 1825 and 1826. Much of the route followed the previous existing “El Camino Real” Royal Road, a primitive path established by the Spanish that fell into disuse in 1702-1704. Sections of the Old Bellamy Road now are parts of county roads and pass through private properties and sometimes an RV Park or small housing development will be nearby. In Alachua County the still active Spring Hill Methodist Church established in 1860 is found in the mostly abandoned community of Traxler and remains a historic link to the culture and commerce once found along Florida’s first Federal highway.

(photographs in Alachua County; Bellamy Road mural in High Springs, FL)