Wakulla Springs is significant for showing the relationship between human culture and natural resources from the settlement systems of the Paleoindian period to the recent historic past, spanning nearly 15,000 years. The property contains 55 recorded archaeological sites, including Paleoindian kill sites, campsites, village areas, and a mound-village complex, and it has also yielded evidence of visits by Spanish and other European explorers. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the area was used for heavy timbering and naval stores activities, and until the late 1930s it was a favorite place for picnics and political rallies. Edward Ball's acquisition of the area in 1934 led to its development as an attraction centered on preserving wildlife and conserving natural features. Wakulla Springs Lodge, completed and opened to the public in September 1937, is a fine example of Mediterranean Revival architecture applied elegantly and with restraint so as not to detract from its natural surroundings. The district was listed on the National Register in 1993.