The replica fort was reconstructed in 1977 by Orange County as part of their parks system and has a collection of original building that have been relocated to the park that demonstrate farming and civic life following the war. The fort contains a museum in the (very well air-conditioned) blockhouses.
the fort as Google Earth sees it
and the fort with the trees edited out
the northwest corner, looking east
looking southeast at the northwest corner
then I moved to get both blockhouses in view
the southwest blockhouse
the western wall looking northeast
the southwest blockhouse, looking straight east
the gunports are tiny, ventilation in the stifling Florida heat must have been problematic!
the inevitable, and informative, Historical Marker
the southwest bastion, looking north
at the time of it's building the area around the fort would have been cut bare of trees,
so that nicely landscaped Live Oak would not have obstructed the view
the southeast corner, looking north
same spot, looking northwest
and a bit further west
the gate, I don't know if the soldiers gave the fort such a nice sign over the entry,
but I like to think they did
informational sign
just inside the gate, looking east
counter-clockwise around the yard, the storehouse and flagpole
the small sturdy building is the magazine
musket slots were cut between the logs of the palisade,
thus the walkway did not need to be very high
interior detail of the southwest blockhouse, notice the way
that the wider upper story was cantilevered out over the lower story
inner gate detail
another look at the magazine, the heat and humidity of central Florida (the Spanish named it very accurately) combined with the very high water table must have made keeping powder dry a formidable task
the museum in the southwest blockhouse covers the history of the Seminole Wars
and provides a background to Seminole culture
I love models
especially really nice ones
some very well executed figures that were nearly impossible to photograph due the the glass case....
a good map, in another glass case......
these were displayed on the walls but I really doubt that the soldiers
dressed that way while serving in the crushing heat of central Florida
recovered artifacts
more uniform prints, no explanations to go with them, looking delightfully Napoleonic
guns, I love old guns
even if some of them are only slightly older than myself
items of Seminole dress
the canoe was almost impossible to photograph due to the lighting
Seminole artifacts
a nice study of a Seminole home
a display of dressed mannequins, left to right, a Dragoon, and infantryman and a Seminole
there were pictures of Seminole leaders,
I resorted to snapping pictures at an oblique angle to avoid reflections
I was struck by the similarities to the Native cultures of the American southwest,
the colors and patterns, and wondered at how much cross-cultural influences
there had been before the European arrival
did I say that I love models?
Seminole clothing
the warrior tradition was clearly untouched by the passage of time
a musket port between the logs
rather narrow filed of fire
a view down the walkway
given the shallow water table if they had dug much deeper they would have had a well
the southwest blockhouse from the center of the yard
the storehouse
the storehouse serves as a museum of early 19th century farming tools
another nice map
an early flat-bottomed paddle-wheeler
did I mention that I love models?
from a wargamer's point of view this model is in 20mm size
now that is a uniform I will believe
more magazine
the corner of the storehouse, A.D.A. compliant access
ramps mean that there are a lot of walkways that probably weren't here historically
the northeast blockhouse from the yard
the back of the storehouse
view through a ground-level musket port
they probably weren't glazed historically,but I'm fine with that because it held the A/C in
cattle ranching was the early mainstay of Florida's economy,
before oranges and tourism
view out of an upper-story musket port
the blockhouses were expected to continue the fight even if the walls were crossed,
gun ports covered the entire interior
The fort is run by Orange County Parks and is located at 1300 N. Fort Christmas Road, Christmas Florida 32709. Phone; (407) 254-9312. Open Tuesday-Sunday 9am-4pm, closed on Mondays and most holidays it is about a half hour drive from Orlando, so if you want a break from the cash-sucking theme parks and would like a quiet moment in the countryside pay it a visit!
What a cool place...get sharpening those barbecue skewers!
ReplyDeleteThis got me thinking of doing a small collection for the Second Seminole War in 28mm for Rebels&Patriots. It wouldn't take long at all to build the fort.
DeleteOh wow, what a great place to visit!!
ReplyDeleteGreat pictures. looks like a small fort. The minnies are interesting as there from the civil war era.
ReplyDeleteIt is tiny compared to Fort Meigs or the Castillo de San Marcos and would leave a lot of table open even if built at 1/50th scale.
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