Genuine Florida

Just west of Dunnellon, in western Marion County, on State Road 484 you’ll find a historic marker for Vogt Springs. There’s also a wooden sign exclaiming the same name.

 The historic marker explains that nearly a block away phosphate was discovered during a dig in the area around 1889. From there phosphate became an ingedient in many of our products still in use today, like toothpaste. Phosphate also began a furious digging that can encompass hundreds of acres of land across Florida. Our roadways are filled with the limestone byproduct of the digging required. The discovery was the start of what is now the third largest industry in Florida.

The wooden sign is to mark the neignborhood that sits where phosphate was discovered.

If you take Vogt Springs Road to Palatka Drive, off St.Rd. 484, you can find the actual spring that Albertus Vogt was digging around. The spring itself is on private property, with the lake caused by the spring stratching across two properties. Because of the private property signs, you can only view the lake from the road.

Interestingly the private property owner has a  ‘Backyard Wildlife Habitat’ designation next to the spring fed pond.