Tate's Hell State Forest

Tate's Hell State Forest is 202,414 acres (819 km²) of land in Franklin and Liberty counties in Florida. The forest is located near Carrabelle off US 98 along the coast. Tate's Hell is mainly made up of swamps and bogs which most are impassable. Most of the swamp drains into the Apalachicola Bay.

Animals and Plant life

Many endangered or threatened animals live in Tate's Hell State Forest. They include the Bald Eagle, American Black Bear, Gopher Tortoise, and Red-cockaded Woodpecker. Some rare plant species living on the forest include Thick-leaved Water-willow ("Justicia crassifolia"), White Birds-in-a-nest ("Macbridea alba"), Florida Bear Grass ("Nolina atopocarpa"), Chapman's Butterwort ("Pinguicula planifolia"), and Small-flowered Meadow beauty ("Rhexia parviflora"). Common animals such as alligators and wild cats are found in the area as well.

History

Local legend is that a local farmer named Cebe Tate went hunting in the woods in this area. He went into the swamps hunting for a Panther that was killing his livestock. Most stories end with Tate being lost in the forest for 4 to 7 days until he finally came to a clearing near Carrabelle. There he stated "My name is Cebe Tate, and I just came from Hell!" He then died.

References

* [http://myfwc.com/recreation/cooperative/tates_hell.asp Recreation: Tate's Hell]
* [http://www.gulfpirate.com/history.htm History of Carrabelle and Franklin County]
* [http://www.fl-dof.com/state_forests/tates_hell.html Forest Management]
* Some of the information was also taken from local legends told in the area.