More Florida Forts
Florida, a land of sunshine, beaches, and vibrant culture, holds a rich and often tumultuous history etched into its landscape. Beyond the modern attractions, remnants of the past stand as silent witnesses to the struggles and triumphs of those who shaped the state. Among these historical markers are the forts of Florida, strategically built to defend settlers, control territory, and navigate the complex relationships with the Seminole Indians. This article delves into some of the lesser-known forts that played significant roles in Florida’s development, offering a glimpse into the lives of soldiers, settlers, and the indigenous people who once called this land home.
Fort Arbuckle: A Staging Ground for Westward Expansion
Nestled on the northeastern shore of Lake Arbuckle in Polk County, Fort Arbuckle emerged in 1850 as a crucial element in a network of civilian and military outposts. Its primary mission was to protect the settlers venturing into the southwestern interior of Florida. However, the fort also served a more somber purpose: it became a staging area for the forced relocation of Seminole Indians westward.
In February 1850, Fort Arbuckle witnessed the assembly of 60 men, women, and children, all Seminoles destined for a new life in Louisiana. They boarded the steamer Fashion, embarking on a journey that symbolized the displacement and hardship endured by the Seminole people. Today, no physical remains of Fort Arbuckle exist, but its story serves as a reminder of the complex and often tragic interactions between settlers and Native Americans in Florida’s history.
Fort Barker: A Stronghold on the Steinhatchee River
The Steinhatchee River in northern Florida was the site of intense conflict during the Seminole Wars. To maintain control and protect settlers in the area, three forts were constructed in Lafayette County: Forts Baker, Macomb, and Downing. Fort Barker, situated nine miles southwest of Fort Macomb on the west side of the Steinhatchee River, near present-day Cooks Hammock, played a vital role in these military operations.
Fort Barker stood as a testament to the strategic importance of the Steinhatchee River, serving as a base for troops engaged in skirmishes and patrols. While the exact details of its construction and daily life within the fort remain somewhat obscure, its presence undoubtedly influenced the course of the Seminole Wars in this region.
Fort Blount: From Blockhouse to Bartow
In October 1851, Redding Blount led a group of 21 white pioneers and 12 black slaves to settle west of present-day downtown Bartow. Recognizing the need for protection in this frontier environment, the settlers quickly erected a blockhouse. This fortified structure became the heart of their settlement, which was initially named Fort Blount in its honor.
As the community grew and evolved, the name Fort Blount was eventually replaced by Pease Creek and later Bartow in 1867. While the original blockhouse was likely abandoned as a fortification before the end of the Third Seminole War in 1858, its legacy lives on. Today, a small monument in Fort Blount Park marks the site, commemorating the courage and resilience of the early settlers who laid the foundation for the city of Bartow.
Fort Butler: Guarding the St. Johns River
Built in 1838 during the Second Seminole War, Fort Butler stood on the west bank of the St. Johns River. Named after Robert Butler, the surveyor-general of the Florida territory, it comprised a crude log stockade and barracks for the soldiers stationed there. Fort Butler was one of several military installations strategically positioned to protect the St. Johns River, which served as a vital communication and supply route for garrisons in central Florida.
Across the river from Fort Butler, near the frontier settlement of Volusia, stood Fort Call. Together, these forts formed a defensive line, safeguarding the river and the settlements that depended on it. Although no physical remains of Fort Butler exist today, a historic marker near the St John’s River Bridge on State Road 40 in Astor, Florida, serves as a reminder of its historical significance.
Fort Call: A Legacy of Faith and Remembrance
Established in December 1836 during the Second Seminole War, Fort Call was a U.S. Army post named after General Richard K. Call, the Florida Governor and commander during the Battle of Wahoo Swamp. During this period, Seminole attacks on early settlements in Union County prompted many people to seek refuge within the fort’s walls.
Fort Call was abandoned in March 1838. Years later, in 1845, a Methodist Church was built near the fort, providing a place of worship and community gathering. While neither the fort nor the church remain standing today, the Fort Call Cemetery, established by the church, continues to exist, serving as a final resting place and a tangible link to the past.
Fort Capron: A Successor to Fort Pierce
Fort Capron was established in March 1850 by Captain Erastus A. Capron, 1st U.S. Artillery, in present-day St. Lucie, Florida. It was built to replace old Fort Pierce, which had burnt down in 1843 after being decommissioned. The settlement of St. Lucie grew up around the fort. The post was last commanded by Captain Abner Doubleday when it was evacuated in June 1858. The post was one of the last Seminole War forts to be abandoned. Nothing remains of the fort today, but its location is remembered with a monument in the St. Lucie Village Historic District.
Fort Carroll: A Brief but Heroic Stand
Constructed in January 1841 by Captain T.P. Guynn and members of the 8th U.S. Infantry, Fort Carroll was a stockade-type depot erected during the march to the Kissimmee River during the Second Seminole War. The fort was named in honor of Sergeant-Major Francis Carroll, who died heroically at the hands of Indians near Micanopy. It was abandoned later in 1841 in favor of Fort Cummings. The fort was located in present-day Polk County, Florida. There are no remains today.
Fort Casey: A Temporary Outpost
Fort Casey was a temporary U.S. Army post established in 1850 during the Second Seminole War in Lee County, Florida. It was named after Captain John C. Casey, Commissioner for removing the Seminole Indians from Florida. It was abandoned the same year it was built.
Fort Chokonikla: A Chain of Defense
Located near Bowling Green in Hardee County, Florida, Fort Chokonikla was established in October 1849 in response to hostile Indian attacks. The site was on high ground near the confluence of Paynes Creek and the Peace River and the Kennedy-Darling trading post. The fort consisted of three square blockhouses for defense and canvas tents for housing. This was the first of several forts built in a chain from the Manatee River to the Indian River. It was abandoned in July 1850 because of the poor health conditions at the site. There are no remains of the fort today. The site is in Paynes Creek Historic State Park in Bowling Green, Florida.
Fort Clarke: Crossroads of Settlement and War
Fort Clarke began as a U.S. Army post during the Seminole Wars and later transformed into a settlement. Named for Lieutenant Henry Clarke, 5th U.S. Infantry, the site marked the intersection of the early settlement and military road connecting Newnansville (near present-day Alachua) and Spring Grove with Micanopy. Abandoned in 1840, it was reoccupied in 1861 during the Civil War. The site, which has no remains today, is located in Gainsville, Florida.
Fort Defiance/Fort Micanopy: A Site of Conflict and Resilience
Located in the present-day city of Micanopy, Florida, both Fort Defiance (1835–1836) and Fort Micanopy (1837–1843) played crucial roles during the Second Seminole War. The U.S. Army established Fort Defiance in December 1835 after significant destruction in the area. Sugar plantations and homesteads were burned, and families sought safety in Micanopy. The Battle of Micanopy and the Battle of Welika Pond took place along the road southwest from Fort Defiance to Fort Wacahoota in the summer of 1836. On August 24, with most soldiers sick or wounded, the U.S. Army evacuated the fort and town, intentionally burning all buildings. Fort Micanopy was erected in 1837 and lasted throughout the Second Seminole War until 1842, before being abandoned in 1843. There are no remains today.
Fort Drum: A Crossroads Deactivated and Reactivated
Fort Drum, a U.S. Army post, was established in 1849 between the Second and Third Seminole Wars near the present-day town of Fort Drum, Florida. After the end of the Second Seminole War in 1842, the U.S. Army built a network of forts across central Florida, connected by military roads. Fort Drum was located where two of these roads crossed. It was deactivated on May 28, 1850, but reoccupied in 1856. It was abandoned in 1861 at the start of the Civil War, and was located on the east side of Drum Creek, two miles south of the present-day town of Fort Drum. There are no remains today.
Fort Duval: Guarding the Suwannee
Built in November 1826, Fort Duval was a temporary stockade guarding the mouth of the Suwannee River. Located about ¼ mile from the Seminole Indian Agency, it was constructed by Captain Francis Langhorne Dade and 120 troops. The fort measured 140 by 130 feet and was six feet high, with portholes for firing. The troops lived in crude lumber huts. It was named for territorial governor William Pope Duval. By 1841, it was gone.
Fort Floyd: Named for a Georgia Volunteer
Fort Floyd, a U.S. Army post, was established in 1838 during the Second Seminole War by Colonel Zachary Taylor in Okeechobee County, Florida. It was possibly named after General Charles R. Floyd, who commanded the Georgia Volunteers in South Florida. It was abandoned later in 1838. The post was also known as Fort Lloyd and Camp Lloyd.
Fort Maitland: A Supply Depot on Lake Maitland
Fort Maitland was a U.S. Army Post built during the Second Seminole War in present-day Maitland, Florida. The post was built as a supply depot in November 1838 by Lieutenant Colonel Alexander C. W. Fanning on the military road connecting Fort Mellon with Fort Gatlin. Located on the western shore of Lake Maitland, the fort was named for Captain W. S. Maitland, who was injured during the Battle of Wahoo Swamp in November 1836 and later killed himself after nine months of trying to recover from his injuries. It was abandoned in 1842.
Fort Mason: From Military Outpost to Town Name
During the Second Seminole War, troops under the command of Brigadier General Abraham Eustis left Volusia County, heading toward the Withlacoochee River as part of military action in response to the December 1835 Dade Massacre. In March 1836, the troops were encamped, and a bridge was constructed over the Ocklawaha River. They built a fortified stockade about one mile south of the bridge on the east side of Smith Lake. It was named Fort Mason, most likely to honor Lieutenant Colonel Pierce Mason Butler, who led the expedition and after whom Fort Butler, near Astor, was also named. After hostilities ended, Fort Mason became a supply base to support and encourage settlement in the area, which would later become Lake County. With the railroad’s arrival in the 1880s, a town on the north shore of Lake Eustis took its name from Fort Mason.
Fort Reid: A Temporary Replacement for Fort Mellon
Fort Reid was named and established in this area during the Second Seminole War by Colonel William Harney on July 7, 1840, in honor of Robert Raymond Reid, Fourth Territorial Governor of Florida. Stationed here between July 1840 and January 1841 was the Headquarters of Colonel Twiggs of the Second Dragoons, including the commands of the St. Johns District, Army of the South, plus the District South of New Smyrna under Colonel Harney. In 1840, Fort Reid reached a force of 417 and temporarily replaced Fort Mellon a mile and a half north, allegedly for health reasons. It was abandoned in 1842 and was occupied on and off by area settlers until it was re-garrisoned briefly in November 1849. It was abandoned for the final time the next month. The site is designated with a historic marker in Speer Grove Park in Sanford, Florida.
Fort San Bernardo: A Spanish Victory
Don Bernardo de Galvez, the Governor of Spanish Louisiana, built this post. From this post, the Spanish bombarded the English-held Fort George on April 27, 1781, and surrendered on May 9, 1781. Afterward, 15,000 Spanish soldiers initially occupied the fort; later, 1,500-2,000 soldiers were regularly stationed there. As a result of this battle, all of Florida, from the Apalachicola River to the Mississippi River, passed from Britain to Spain. A historical marker designates the Pensacola, Florida, site at North Spring Street and West Brainerd Street.
Fort Shannon: From Military Depot to Museum
Established in May 1838, Fort Shannon was a major quartermaster depot in Florida during the Second Seminole War, operating under General William J. Worth until he assumed command of the armies in Florida. Military facilities included a hospital, barracks, blockhouses, and stables for more than 400 horses. During the fort’s existence, the town of Palatka was military in appearance and under military control. The U.S. Army abandoned the fort in August 1843 after the Seminole had left the area. Afterward, the fort was privately owned, and during the Civil War, Union troops used the officers’ quarters as military barracks during their occupations in Palatka. Today, that building has been moved and still stands at 110 Madison Street in Palatka, Florida, and is operated as the Putnam Historic Museum.
Fort Taylor: A Lesser-Known Name
One in four small, short-lived forts built along the Saint Johns River during the Seminole Wars, these forts were used to garrison troops and protect supplies during the War. This post should not be confused with Fort Zachary Taylor, built in Key West, Florida, approximately 280 miles Southwest of Fort Taylor’s location. The future President Zachary Taylor was a Colonel during the Second Seminole War and served in the Florida campaigns while this fort was in active operation.
These forts, though often overlooked, played a vital role in Florida’s complex history. They served as symbols of control, protection, and the ongoing struggle for dominance in a land that was home to both settlers and indigenous peoples. As time passes, the stories of these forts continue to resonate, reminding us of the diverse experiences that have shaped the Sunshine State.