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Historic Sites in Florida
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Dade Battlefield State Historic Site
Have a good heart; our difficulties and dangers are over now,
and as soon as we arrive at Fort King you'll have three days to
rest and keep Christmas gaily." Major Francis L. Dade spoke
these words of encouragement to 108 cold, tired soldiers in a
pine forest on the morning of December 28, 1835. Within eight
hours, only three soldiers would survive the battle that marked
the beginning of the Second Seminole War. The story of this
momentous battle in Florida history is told in the visitor
center at Dade Battlefield State Historic Site. An annual
reenactment of the historic battle is co-sponsored by the Dade
Battlefield Society, a citizen support organization. The
reenactment is held on the weekend falling closest to the actual
battle date. The weekend event includes many displays of
historic memorabilia of the battle era. Festivities begin at 9am
and continue until sunset both days. The park consists of the
historic battlefield, beautiful visitors center and museum
located on 50 acres of pinelands which contains graceful large
live oak trees, magnolias, gopher tortoises, woodpeckers,
songbirds and many other species of wildlife. For information
call: (352)793-4781
Gamble Plantation State Historic Site
The Judah P. Benjamin Confederate Memorial at Gamble Plantation
State Historic Site serves as a memorial to a way of life and an
economic system that existed before the War between the States.
Gamble Mansion is the only surviving antebellum plantation house
in south Florida. The mansion was the home of Major Robert
Gamble and the headquarters of an extensive sugar plantation of
over 3,500 acres. In May of 1865, after the fall of the
Confederacy, Confederate Secretary of State Judah P. Benjamin
took refuge in the house until his safe passage to England could
be secured. In 1925, the mansion and 16 acres were saved by the
United Daughters of the Confederacy and donated to the state.
Today, it is furnished in the style of a successful mid-19th
century plantation. A guided tour through the mansion depicts a
time and way of life that were very much a part of Florida's
unique history. For information call: (941)723-4536
Paynes Creek State Historic Site
In the decade following the second Seminole Indian War, friction
continued between the Seminoles and the white settlers who were
continually encroaching on the land. The Seminoles often
traveled from the interior of Florida to the Gulf coast to
trade, passing white settlements -- a potential source of
conflict. The U.S. authorities attempted to eliminate this
volatile situation by establishing a trading post for the
Seminoles in the interior. They calculated the post would
eliminate the necessity to pass near white settlements and would
establish, for the first time, a contact point where the
Seminoles could easily be reached whenever the need arose to
communicate with them. Therefore, the Darling Store was
established in the spring of 1849. The spot selected was Paynes
Creek (un-named at that time) on the northern boundary of the
Reservation. It was attacked by five Seminoles on July 17, 1849.
They opened fire on three clerks; Captain George S. Payne,
Dempsey Whiddon and William McCullough. Whiddon and Payne were
killed. Their grave site is now marked with a stone monument
near the location of the old store. McCullough escaped with this
wife and child, although he was wounded in the shoulder and leg.
The attack resulted from the action of five individuals, one of
whom had been previously outlawed by his tribe. The Seminoles
wished to avoid a conflict. They captured three of the culprits
and killed a fourth. The fifth man escaped. The prisoners were
turned over to the government in an attempt at appeasement.
However, it took the government a while to realize the
misunderstanding. In the meantime, federal troops were sent to
Florida and plans were made for a campaign against the
Seminoles. The strategic plan for removing them called for
establishing a chain of forts, 10 miles apart, from the Manatee
River to the Indian River. This line of outposts across the
northern boundary of the Reservation would be to protect the
settlers to the north and to establish bases from which the
Seminoles could be pursued and harassed until they surrendered.
Work began on the first fort on October 26, 1849, on an elevated
spot of ground, one-half mile north of the trading post. The
fort took its name from the name of the store which had come to
be known as "Chokonikla," a variant spelling of the Native
American word for "burned house." No fighting occurred at the
fort, although a number of men died from disease. Sickness,
particularly malaria and fever, were constant problems and
ultimately caused the fort to be abandoned (July, 1850). As many
as 223 men, including a regimental band, were garrisoned at the
fort at one time, but usually the number was smaller. The events
of 1849 did not immediately lead to war. The conflict was
postponed until 1855 when a band of Seminoles attacked a
military surveying party near Fort Myers. Although some of the
Seminoles surrendered and were sent to Oklahoma, others remained
hidden in the swamps of southern Florida where their descendants
remain to this day. The remaining Seminoles never surrendered.
They later signed a peace treaty with the U.S. Government in
1936 during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Trails
lead through the woods to the high ground where Fort Chokonikla
once stood and to the location of the Kennedy Darling store.
Near this feature is the stone monument marking the burial place
of George Payne and Dempsey Whiddon. Exhibits interpreting the
Seminoles, Fort Chokonikla, the trading post and events that
occurred here are located in the visitor center. Picnic tables
and shelters are available for visitors to relax and enjoy lunch
and the surroundings. For information call: (941)375-4717
San Marcos De Apalache State Historic Site
The site's history began in 1528 when Panfilo de Narvaez arrived
with 300 men. Having traveled overland from Tampa, Narvaez
impressed by the area located at the confluence of the Wakulla
and St. Marks rivers, built and launched the first ships made by
white men in the New World. In 1539, Hernando de Soto, along
with 600 men, followed the same route taken by Narvaez. Banners
were hung in the trees near the river to easily mark the river's
entrance. (A lighthouse now stands near the site.) By 1679, the
Spanish Governor of Florida started construction on the first
fort built at the junction of the two rivers. The logs used were
coated with lime to give the appearance of stone. The fort stood
only three years, then was burned and looted by pirates. Not
until 1718 did Captain Jose Primo de Ribera arrive to construct
a second wooden fort. Today, a visitor center containing
exhibits and artifacts covering the area's history is built on
the foundation of the old marine hospital. The historic site and
visitor center are open from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. Thursday
through Monday and closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays,
Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. A trail takes
visitors on a journey through the historic fortification ruins.
For information call: (850)922-6007
Indian Key State Historic Site
Indian Key has had a colorful past which is very much a part of
early Florida history. It dates from the time of prehistoric
Indians to the 1830s, when this small key was the seat of newly
created Dade County. The foundations of buildings and cisterns
on the island date back to this prosperous time. For information
call: (305)664-4815
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