- Henry L. Parker
Henry L. Parker (b. 1832,
Columbia County, Florida ). At the age of 10, he and his family moved toHillsborough County . In the year of 1870, he settled in bluff hammock( which would be about where Lehigh Acres is). He operated a ferry called the S.S. Parker. He created transportation for many across theCaloosahatchee River until his tragic death in 1884. [ [http://www.lamartin.com/history/history_of_okeechobee_county/chapter2.htm History of Okeechobee County Chapter 2 ] ]S.S. Parker
The S.S. Parker was a
ferry that was owned and operated by Henry L. Parker. It was a ferry service that provided a way to get across the river for people coming from the north wanting to deliver cattle to Punta Rossa to be shipped to Cuba. The ferry service was a godsend to many cattle ranchers who used to have to wade their cattle through the river. The ferry was in operation for 14 years until 1884 when tragedy struck.Tragedy
On
January 7 1884 while the S.S. Parker was making its way across the river, tragedy struck. There was some kind of problem with the boat. It is unclear why but the boat did sink. Some say there was a rock it collided with, some say that there was someone who was hired to sink the ship. No one knows or probably will never know why the boat sank. There were 23 people and approximately 250 cattle on board the ship that day, no one survived. Its unclear why no one was able to swim back to shore. The sinking of the S.S. Parker is surely a mystery. [ [http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw202 The Ecology and Economics of Florida's Ranches ] ]Urban legend
It is said that the spirits of Parker and the 22 other men and women haunt houses along the Caloosahatchee River. People who believe that this is true say that periodically strange things will happen, never harmful things, just strange occurrences. One account has even said that they saw the paranormal just wandering around aimlessly in the house. No accounts of injuries ,deaths, or any other violent acts have been reported to have occurred from these "hauntings" [ [http://strangegr.tripod.com/ Strange and Paranormal Activity ] ]
References
http://www.lamartin.com/history/history_of_okeechobee_county/chapter2.htm
http://paranormal.about.com/
http://www.gulfbase.org/bay/view.php?bid=caloosahatchee
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