Emma Witmer
Originally published in 2016
news@greenepublishing.com
Located on Lake Shore Drive, just east of Duval Street, there is a small body of water known as Lake Frances. That's right, Frances. If you have been spelling it Lake Francis, do not worry. You are certainly not alone. The Florida Memory Website, Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission and several business signs in town use the “-is” spelling form. This confusion may have been derived from seemingly conflicting signs around the lake. In the dock vicinity, the name of the lake is spelled out on the sidewalk, “Lake Frances,” but a road that dead-ends into the lake is spelled, “Francis Street.” After much reading, chatting and researching, however, the much debated name of our hometown lake seems to have been settled.
In an April 21, 1916 article from The Madison Enterprise-Recorder, Mrs. M.H. Shelverton, the granddaughter of Frederick Scott, wrote in from Decatur, Ga., to explain the origin of the name of Lake Frances. The lake's namesake was Mary Frances Scott, daughter of one of the early Madison pioneers, Frederick Scott. During those first years, the lake was called Mary Frances Lake, and was later shortened to Lake Frances. According to the original article, Shelverton left Madison in 1861, and the 1850 census shows a 60-year-old woman named Mary Scott living in Madison. Madison itself was founded in 1827, at which time Mary (presumably Frances) Scott would have been 37. This would support the claim she and her family lived in Madison during its founding years. While records of the pioneer Frederick Scott are sketchy at best, census information records a baby baring the name “Frederick Scott” in Mary Scott's family. Based on the account of Shelverton, Frederick was likely a family name, given to the baby in honor of his ancestry. According to source material gathered at the Treasures Museum of Madison County, historically the lake has also been referred to as “Scott Pond,” by some residents, further supporting the likelihood that influence of the Scott family was dominant in the naming of Lake Frances.
Lake Frances has been a center for community events and fellowship for nearly two centuries. On May 25, 1916, a graduation ceremony for the Florida Normal Institute, planned by Miss Ruth A. Woodwell, of the Institution's Voice and Expression Department, was held on the shores of Lake Frances. The first of its kind, the graduation ceremony featured a pageant with boats and floats built by local businesses and residents to celebrate the occasion. Those standing on the floats and boats were dressed up for the historical theme; featured stories included Ponce de León's search for the Fountain of Youth, the expeditions of Hernando De Soto, the old garb of French Huguenot De Gourgues, the adventures of Native American chief Osceola and his tribe and more. The Madison Enterprise-Recorder heralded the graduation a resounding success, with beautiful décor and throngs of guests. Despite this praise, such an event was never held again. Why? On April 6, of the following year, the United States entered World War I, and scores of American men and women were deployed as soldiers and nurses to fight the war. Enrollment at the Florida Normal Institute dropped by 66 percent. By the time the population began to recover after the war, the happy days of lakeside pageants must have seemed like something that could not be recreated.
Today, the lake is much smaller, and the only things swimming around in the water are turtles and fish. It is still, however, a beautiful place to sit and enjoy the sunshine or take a walk. Exercise equipment is open to public use and is installed throughout the walking area around Lake Frances. A covered seating area is also open to the public. Times change, but we can celebrate the little bits of history that remain with us. Lake Frances has seen countless weddings, baptisms, picnics, fundraisers, firework shows and more. One can only imagine what the next 200 years will bring.