Fort King walkaround

       Located in downtown Ocala, at 3925 E Fort King St, Ocala, FL 34470 this reconstruction stands over the ground that the original fort stood upon.This is a new-built reconstruction (so new that it doesn't yet appear on GoogleEarth!) so it looks the way that would have appeared to the soldiers who built it; the wood still yellow and tan, not yet bleached gray from the tropical sun. Digging is still going on over the interior of the fort so the barracks and storehouses have not yet been reconstructed. There is a small museum that has a number of interesting (if difficult to photograph) exhibits as well as an informative video. The fort is run by the City of Ocala, an effort that I fully commend, the website is right here.

       U.S. fortifications built during the period of the Seminole Wars were not intended to be permanent and a good many lasted a year or less. They were designed in a way that could be constructed by the troops without need for advanced engineering skills or tools. As far as I can tell there was no official manual (I did find this Beast of a text from the era, but I haven't had the time to read through it yet) on the construction of these forts, just a rule of thumb approach. Boiled down into a graphic it looks like this;

       If the walls were going to end up longer than musket shot there would need to be blockhouses on all corners. If the fortification was going to need to house a large number of troops or control a significant amount of land the blockhouses would be spaced along the walls as seemed necessary (as in Fort Meigs). The blockhouses were capable of all-around defense in the event that the enemy gained access to the interior of the fort they could hold out on their own for a period of time.

 

the approach from the southeast

 

a monument celebrating the official designation of a National Historic Landmark

 

a closer view from the southeast

 

looking straight west at the eastern face of the fort

 

from the same spot looking at the northeast corner of the palisade

 

at the northeast corner looking south along the eastern wall

 

and then southwest at the corner of the palisade

 

the west along the northern wall and at the northwestern blockhouse

 

looking south at the eastern half of the northern face

 

 looking south at the western half of the northern face

 

the northwestern blockhouse

 

looking south along the western wall of the fort from the northwestern corner

 

the northern half of the western wall

the southern half of the western wall

 

looking northeast at the southwestern corner of the palisade

 

a view along the southern wall from the southwestern corner

 

a closer view of the southeastern blockhouse from the southern side of the fort

 

the southern gate

a closer view of the southern gate

 

looking north from just inside the southern gate

 

from the center of the parade ground a 360 degree series of shots 

looking north

 

looking northeast

 

eastwards

 

looking southeast

 

the inside of the southern wall

 

looking southwest

looking dead west

 

and finally, the northwestern blockhouse,

 the interior is rather plain as the reconstruction of the barracks and such 

are awaiting the completion of the archaeological survey

 

a close-up of the musket ports notched into the logs of the palisade

 

the firing step runs around the interior of the palisade

 

the lower floor of a blockhouse

 

the view along the wall from the ground floor of the blockhouse

 

a look westwards from the outer wall of the blockhouse

 

a look along the northern wall from the same blockhouse

the windows were closed with heavy wooden shutters controlled from the inside

 

another view, I'm fairly certain that the benches are an ahistorical addition

 

a view southeast toward the parking lot, 

you can see Rusty my ever-dependable Ford Ranger in the lot

 

the museum had some nice artwork, secured behind extra-high-glare glass,

 which made it very difficult to photograph

 

re-enactors posing against the fort wall

 

a period sketch of the fort showing the top of the barracks

 with its observation post peering over the walls

 

another colorful painting, the Seminoles were certainly stylish dressers

 

informational placard

 

more difficult-to-photograph artwork

 

the same from another angle

 

native American artifacts

 

hands-on displays are great for kids to learn about history

and fun for big kids to play with too!

 

the fort has its own M1841 Mountain Howitzer on display

 

no glass or velvet ropes keeping the public away from this little beauty

 

I was tempted to roll it out to my truck and take it home

 

how to roll-your-own; cartridge that is.....

 

Seminole Dress, light and practical

 far more comfortable looking than the US infantry uniform

  

US Infantry uniform, 

this period was marked by the most lamentable headgear that ever saw service with the US Army (until the introduction of the beret that is) I can't imagine what wearing that "thing" would have been like in the tropical heat of a Florida summer

 

an unaccredited, but intriguing, drawing of the first iteration of Fort King, 

essentially a defended trading post it didn't last long before it was replaced

 

another lively painting 

 

a uniformed re-enactor going through musket drill with an even stranger bit of headgear,

 it amounts to a fabric Frisbee about 18" in diameter, he was helpful and knowledgeable but I can't remember much of what he said as I was too stupefied by the loony hat!

 

 

 

  

 

the ever-present Spanish Moss hanging from the trees

       Well worth a visit, I intend on returning in a few years after they have rebuilt the interior structures and have had a chance to fill out the museum little.