The first records I could find on Warm Mineral Springs Florida was from the late 1950's when William Royal and other scuba divers found artifacts and bones from at least seven people. A partially burned log radiocarbon dated it to 10,000 years ago. It WA at the time the oldest evidence of human occupation in Florida.
The privately owned property was turned into a spa in the 1960's. By the 1970's word had gotten around to people from the Ukraine and Poland that were now living in the US about the curative powers of the Springs. Word spread back to their old countries of how the Spring was good for all kinds of ailments. From that point own the Warm Mineral Springs was being visited by more people from outside of the United States then people who lived ion the States. Even people from Florida taking this class had know idea that Warm mineral Springs had been a Spa for over 50years. started with scuba divers checking out a sinkhole and the caves surrounding the Spring.
I first interviewed Luba Oblinyk. She moved to Warm Mineral Springs in 1974 at the age of 48. She had been married twice and was now a widow. Luba recalls how the was very few houses in the area, but the people who lived here were mainly from the Ukraine. The spoke her native tongue and made her feel at home. She describes how is it was to have nothing but black bread to eat in the old country. To this day she will only eat white bread because from her viewpoint black bread means you are poor. The Luba mentions that she came here from London. Here family had escaped to London during WWII. London was were she met her first husband. Luba and her husband immigrated to New York. Luba had 3 children by him, but he was a very jealous man. She divorced him and married th...
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...l Springs. After living in the apartment for 4 month. Jackie found an adorable two bedroom house for sale it even had an enclosed porch. Within the month the house was hers. Jackie had pay $38,400 Jackie saw the house as a great investment. Housing prices were starting to really take off. If she played her card right it would give her a nice little nest egg. in 2007 she had her house appraised. The appraisal came in at $95,300. This meant Jack could refinance her mortgage and take out some equity to fix little things around the house. She didn't realize that with that higher appraisal came higher taxes. Jackie's new mortgage was for $61,600 dollars. The property appraiser now says her house is only worth $30,000. All Jackie can hope is that home prices will rebound.. Jackie only lives six blocks from WMS, but has never been there. To many old folks for her taste.