Seminole War Forts

FORT KING TO BE RESTORED

After many years of being a private residence with only a marker on a fenced in area,the Fort King Heritage Association has plans to restore the 37 acre site of the fort that was destine to become Ocala.This is where Osceola killed Indian Agent,Wiley Thompson(Dec 28,1835),and the beginning of the 2nd Seminole War.The original fort was burned to the ground by the Seminoles in 1836,but later rebuilt by the US Army in 1837. Capt Gabriel Rains of Fort King,in retailiation for recent Seminole attacks in 1840,set explosive traps outside of the fort,and Rains is known as the father of land mines.In 1842,the 2nd Seminole ended,and Fort King was abandoned,and became Marion County's first courthouse.When the county seat was moved to Ocala proper,the fort was dismantled for its lumber.
The first phase of the restoration will include an interpretive trail with a docent station,restrooms and parking lot.The second phase with include reconstruction of the fort,with plans to make it a living history park.
Volunteers are needed to work with the association for imput,archaeological studies,construction,guides,and ground maintence.
For further information: FORT KING | National Historic Landmark
 

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Bofus, I'm over in St. Pete. On the south end of the county I have found dragoon buttons, three ringers, etc. I have heard there may have been a "fort" of some type near the area, perhaps had a name.... It would command over the entrance to Tampa Bay.
 

tomclark said:
Bofus, I'm over in St. Pete. On the south end of the county I have found dragoon buttons, three ringers, etc. I have heard there may have been a "fort" of some type near the area, perhaps had a name.... It would command over the entrance to Tampa Bay.
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A fort other than Fort DeSoto?

Bran <><

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Yes. Not Fort De Soto which saw no action in any war, LOL.
 

Yeah, I was about to say the same thing... the only thing I've ever find at Fort DeSoto was an unfired rifle round. lol

Bran <><

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ECS said:
Fort Starke?
Fort Poinsett?
Fort Hamer?
Fort Foster?
Fort Dulaney?
Florida had many forts during the Seminole Wars,some major,and many minor outpost redoubts.
Click to expand...

Hey ECS... thanks for the list. I know of many of the forts throughout the state, but not here in/on the sub-peninsula of Saint Petersburg. That's what I was asking, because this is where I've grown up at and moved back to after I finished college. Most forts/outposts/redoubts are typically a pretty good drive from where we reside. It's also pretty difficult to find anywhere here in our historic city that's not paved over or built over where you can detect and find significant historic relics, which is all I really care for.

Bran <><

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I've got a seminole war army camp on my prop, anc its been AWESOME!
 

Donneybrook said:
I've got a seminole war army camp on my prop, anc its been AWESOME!
Click to expand...

You're more fortunate than the rest of us... :thumbup:

Bran <><

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tomclark said:
Bofus, I'm over in St. Pete. On the south end of the county I have found dragoon buttons, three ringers, etc. I have heard there may have been a "fort" of some type near the area, perhaps had a name.... It would command over the entrance to Tampa Bay.
Click to expand...


Hmmm, I known of some Civil War items being found there, well a little north of Downtown, but nothing from the Seminole War time period. It really doesn't surprise me though. I do not know of any actual forts in that area, but a camp would be a more realistic guess. I live just outside Ybor City, and I have found a few things on my own property. Of course, the military road passed within a block of my old house. On the artifacts that you have found in that area, were they confined to a vacant lot, or spread over a large area?

The 3-ringer would be from the Third Seminole war up, so if the Dragoon button were found with the 3-ringers, then I would say the Third Seminole War and after. Can you post a photo of the button you found, this will tell us what time period this button is from?
 

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godisnum1 said:
Hey ECS... thanks for the list. I know of many of the forts throughout the state, but not here in/on the sub-peninsula of Saint Petersburg. That's what I was asking, because this is where I've grown up at and moved back to after I finished college. Most forts/outposts/redoubts are typically a pretty good drive from where we reside. It's also pretty difficult to find anywhere here in our historic city that's not paved over or built over where you can detect and find significant historic relics, which is all I really care for.
Click to expand...
A great book to add would be "FLORIDA AT WAR" by Donald D Spencer,c2011 Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
It lists all the colonial camps & settlements from DeSoto on,forts(Spanish,British,Seminole War,Civil War & on to WWII),and provides the locations. HH
ECS
 

ECS said:
A great book to add would be "FLORIDA AT WAR" by Donald D Spencer,c2011 Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
It lists all the colonial camps & settlements from DeSoto on,forts(Spanish,British,Seminole War,Civil War & on to WWII),and provides the locations. HH
ECS
Click to expand...

I'll look into it... thanks! :)

Bran <><

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ECS said:
A great book to add would be "FLORIDA AT WAR" by Donald D Spencer,c2011 Schiffer Publishing Ltd.
It lists all the colonial camps & settlements from DeSoto on,forts(Spanish,British,Seminole War,Civil War & on to WWII),and provides the locations. HH
ECS
Click to expand...


I agree that "FLORIDA AT WAR" is a great book...although it is an overview/coffee table type of book, it does seem to be very comprehensive for that type of a book, but it falls way short of listing even close to all of the forts... Which is very understandable. Alejandro M. De Quesada has a couple of books on Florida forts...one focusing on Spanish colonial forts, and one (A HISTORY OF FLORIDA FORTS) that is more thorough, and Harry H. Rainy JR's "FORTS CAMPS & BATTERIES OF FLORIDA" has the most comprehensive list, but it is mostly just that when it comes to finding them...It gives a brief description where available...references to other sources where available, and even some latitude/ longitude's that won't really do you much good.


A lot of the locations in these type of books are listed as "on the south side of "X" river...."so many" miles from fort "such and such" or "X" lake. Once you put boots on the ground, and you see how many miles you are dealing with, it is a different story.


Back in the old days, you could take those descriptions, go to the general area, then, if there were no "No Trespassing" signs...do a little investigating, and often find the right spot...and nobody cared...even the state.....Times sure have changed....
 

[FONT=19th Century Book No. 2]OK, someone has dug Dragoon buttons and 3 ringer bullets. What caliber were they? .54, .58 or .69? Tampa Bay was probably being used by blockade runners during the Civil War and I'm sure the Confederates would have thrown up a Sand Bag Fort guarding the approaches into Tampa Bay. The buttons may have belonged to some guys father or grandfather as they didn't have a Wal-mart down the street to buy buttons. Standard Seminole Indian War muskets were the 1816 US, .69 caliber smoothbore. 3 Ringers didn't come out until the Civil War after the 1816 muskets were converted to percussion and rifled to accept the .69 caliber 3 Ringer Minie' bullet. The Sand Bag fort was probably much like the one the Rebels had at Bayport. Usually a 2 field piece battery with rifle pits dug alongside to engage any Union gunboats that were chasing a Blockade Runner. I do believe there is one such blockade runner that was scuttled in the Hillsborough River and was located some years ago. Tampa Tribune had a article about it.[/FONT]
 

There were two scuttled in the Hillsborough river. The Kate Dale, and the Scottish Chief. One is close to Lowery Park, and one closer to the mouth of the river. The davits and anchor of the Scottish Chief have been on display at the Veterans Museum on US 301 south of the state fairgrounds for many years. The recent "discovery" was only the latest...It has been reported on for decades....in the Tampa Tribune, diving magazines, etc.

As for a Confederate battery on the southern Pinellas peninsula...I have never read or heard of anything there. In fact, the Union gunboats shelled Fort Brooke on many ocassions, and even landed troops at Ballast Point for the blockade runners attack. Fort Brooke was also temporarily in Union hands at one point. The events at Tampa Bay during the Civil War are well documented, even having the cannons at Fort Brooke, re-bored and rifled, and the Union boats instigating the newly modified guns to fire on them to test their range and effectiveness, (which turned out to be a dud). I think a battery further out in the bay (even a rifle picket) would have been documented.

I know that soldiers camped at the south end of what is now Macdill Air Force Base during the Seminole War, and I'm sure there were similar camps all over the area. It also wouldn't surprise me if there were an observation camp at that point or the south point of Pinellas...Union or Confederate.

I believe Minnie balls have also been found in association with Third Seminole War locations. They were definately using percussion weapons, 1841 "Mississippi" rifles, 1842 Sprinfields, etc.

The Tampa bay area has had multiple occupations from Paleoindian until present. Historic relics from Fort Brooke that are in my collection range from second occupational period Spanish infantry buttons, to First Seminole War "War of 1812 style" script buttons, to Second and Third Seminole War eagle buttons, to Civil War, (including Union), to Spanish American War buttons, to civillian pioneer buttons.

So my point is, multiple occupations is probably a better reason for Dragoon buttons and 3 ringers showing up at a site together, although hand me down uniforms were certainly a possibility.
 

Hey guys! I just got permission this past week to hunt 2.1 acres that are across from a Seminole war fort! :D hunting the actual fort site isn't looking to good, but I'll take this place any day! I dug up a herty cup fragment too! So some sweet stuff is in order!
 

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