One of the unique communities in Florida is located at the mouth of the Steinhatchee River in Taylor County. It is the fishing village of Steinhatchee.
It is thought by most historians that the first white men to land there were the early Spanish explorers looking for fresh water. A settlement and a body of water extending from the river into Apalachee Bay was known as Deadman's Bay until the late 1870's.
During the Florida War of 1834-1842, General Zachary Taylor, in charge of the campaign to clear the area of Indians, arrived at Deadman's Bay in late 1838. He wrote in his diary, "I reached the Isteenhatchee (now called Steinhatchee) River on which the post is established on the 18th of December and found four companies, 6th Infantry under Major Noel who had been actively employed in opening roads, erecting defenses, etc." Taylor, who later became the 12th president of the United States, was probably the only general during the Florida War to set foot in the county named in his honor.
Settlers began to move into the area soon after the Indian War closed, although there were already a few white inhabitants within the area. Because of the heavy forests and extensive swamps, early settlements like Steinhatchee and Spring Warrior were more easily accessible by water.
Steinhatchee was a "port" of sorts during the 1870s when James Howard Stephens settled in the area for the purpose of procuring, logging and shipping cedar from the vast forests of Taylor County. The cedar logs were lashed together and moved down the coastline as rafts to Cedar Key where they were shipped out by rail. It wasn't until 1876 that a United States Post Office was established. It was known as "Deadman's Bay." Stephens, disliking the name, offered the site for the new post office if the name could be changed. In 1879 it was changed to "Stephensville." From 1904 to 1938 it was known as "Jena." It was then changed to its present designation of Steinhatchee in 1938.
Down through the years it has been a mecca for fishermen, both commercial and sports. Today one will find a number of commercial seafood outlets where shrimp, mullet and other Gulf of Mexico delicacies can be obtained. There are numerous fish camps and lodges available with boat rentals for the sportsman. Steinhatchee also has several outstanding seafood restaurants. A new bridge over the Steinhatchee River linking it with its Dixie County sister community of Jena has been completed. The old turnstile bridge will be kept partially in use by making the bridge approaches to fishing piers. One can expect these to be crowded each year when the redfish come up the Steinhatchee River.