Lake Panasoffkee

Panasoffkee, meaning “Valley of Water” in the Indian Language, was settled around 1880.  A map in a geography book at that time showed the name of Tracy’s Point printed larger than that of Jacksonville. Panasoffkee was known as the largest fruit center in the world.  In addition to citrus there were sugar cane mills.  Barrels of sugar and syrup were shipped north along with the oranges. In later years, Mr. Henry Marsh was well known for his cane syrup.  The King family from Cleveland, Ohio, developed 18,400 acres of grove and pasture lands.  Mr. King developed the King Orange, a large juicy sweet orange, by grating sweet stock from the King of Siam to the native sour orange trees. There is a 4,460-acre Fish Management Area located in town stocked with Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, and more.