Fort Gadsden

This is another little known fascinating site, just a while south of Tallahassee. During the War of 1812, the British recruited Native Americans and runaway slaves in an attempt to use them against the Americans. Here on the banks of the Apalachicola River they built a fort to shelter them and make a base for operations against American shipping on the river. The British left in 1815, but the fort continued to harass American shipping on the river. In spite of the fort being in what was still Spanish territory, the United States ordered it destroyed.
Alerted to the threat from the US, the local Natives and runaways took shelter in the fort and awaited an attack. Col Duncan Lamont Clinch with 116 men in riverboats met with Major John McIntosh and 150 friendly natives. On July 23, 1816 word was received that four men sent to the river for water had been killed by men from the fort. That was the excuse needed to attack, and on July 27, they approached by land and on the river with the gunboats.
The gunboats opened fire, and on the fifth salvo, an explosive shot landed in the fort's magazine, which exploded, killing over 300 of the people in the fort. Clinch reported that "the explosion was awful and the scene horrible beyond description." When the fort surrendered, the Native Chief and leading runaway were captured and executed for the murder of the four men who went to the river. In the above photo, small wooden posts mark the corners of the fort's magazine. In the center is a flagpole flying the British flag.

While this dramatic episode occurred after the official end of the War of 1812, and before the official beginning of the First Seminole War, it has often been considered a battle of both wars.

In 1818, after the official start of the First Seminole War, Andrew Jackson sent a group of men down the Apalachicola River to destroy Seminole Villages. Upon encountering the site of the old fort here, he was so impressed by the location, that he ordered a new fort constructed. The new fort was smaller, but on the same spot. The above model shows what the new American fort would have looked like.

Lt. James Gadsden, who would later negotiate the Gadsden Purchase in Arizona and New Mexico, was put in charge of building the new fort. Jackson was so impressed by Gadsden's enthusiasm that he named the fort for him. Above is a portrait of Gadsden.

The new fort was not occupied for long, and the site was virtually forgotten until the Civil War. With the Apalachicola River leading to vital plantations in southern Georgia and Alabama, the Confederates realized its importance and occupied the Fort Gadsden site until 1863 when Malaria drove them away.

Today little remains of the American fort, and almost no trace exists of the British fort. The site is a National Historic Landmark, and is well maintained by the Apalachicola National Forest.

In this site, locally known as the "Renegade Cemetery," the remains of many of the persons killed in the explosion of the British Fort were buried. The brick burial vault dates from the late 19th century. Grave Robbers, though to be workmen building a nearby railroad, broke into it in the early part of the twentieth century. Archaeological excavations revealed that the wet acid soils had destroyed all physical remains of the persons buried here. Only the numerous shallow depressions mark the resting places of those killed in the terrible explosion.

The brick vault in the cemetery
In 1838 the Steamship Irvington, carrying 200 bales of cotton on a downstream run, burned and sank four miles upstream from here. This 15 foot sidewheeler was constructed in 1836 in Madison, Indiana. These boilers and parts were dredged from the river about where the Irvington went down. The ship's short life on the river came during the early part of the Apalachicola steamship period. Later over 200 ships worked the river from the Gulf to as far north as Columbus, Georgia.
More parts from the Irvington
View of the Apalachicola River

Near the parking lot for the site is a large encased booth with many excellent artifacts found here and displays including the fort model and Gadsden portrait. Above are Native and British items from the time of the first fort.

Remains of a British musket and bayonet

Items from river steamboats found in the area

I'm not sure what this is, unless it's just a baby tree.

Florida capital Inside

When I went through Tallahassee this time, I arrived to find the old State Capitol open for visitors. In 2003 when I came through before, it was not, so this was new, and rather neat. This makes four that I have been in- California, Arizona, South Carolina, and now Florida. The capitol here features the rooms where the state government worked, as well as a museum of Florida history. Seen here is the interior of the capitol dome.
On March 4, 1824, Tallahassee was chosen as the new Florida state capitol, uniting east and west Florida, which had traditionally been governed from St Augustine and Pensacola, respectively. Log buildings housed the government for two years, until a masonry building was built. Seen above is the portrait if Andrew Jackson, the first governor of Florida, that hung behind the desk of the Senate President's desk from 1929 to the 1970's.



In 1839, Congress approved $20,000 for a new capitol building, to replace the unfinished masonry building. On June 25, 1845, Floridians celebrated their home's new status as a state on the steps of the new capitol building. William D. Mosely became the first elected governor of the state. Seen here are Andrew Jackson and William Duval, who suceeded him, becoming the first civilian governor of Florida. These portraits are in the hall of Governor portarits.

In 1891, the building was refurbished, including adding the cupola and bright red and white striped awnings to shade the windows from the bright Florida sun. In 1900, it was decided by voters that a larger facility was needed, and $75,000 was appropriated for the expansion of the capital building. Frank Pierce Milburn designed the new capitol, and although it was much simpler than his usual designs, it included similar features, such as the new dome that was much like those in South Carolina and Kentucky. He also added metal reliefs over the capitol entrances depicting the state seal. When it was all said and done in 1902, this expanded building was the last in which the entire Florida government was under one roof. Within ten years, the Supreme Court was moved to a separate building. Seen above is the restored Supreme Court room in the old capitol.

Robe of one of the Florida Supreme Court Justices

The capitol building went through another change in 1923 under Governor Cary hardee. Henry Klutho, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, had already become well known in Florida for rebuilding Jacksonville following the fire of 1901, and designing the governor's mansion in 1906, before he was given the job of improving the capitol. The last alterations done were the additions of wings for the House of Representatives and Senate in 1936 and 1947 respectively. Seen above is the restored House, and below, the restored Senate room.

These hankerchiefs were traditionally dropped to signal the end of a Senate session.

Original desk from the House of Representatives, before it was moved to the Capitol wing. M. Ohmer's Sons Company of Dayton, Ohio, built all the new furniture for the remodeling of the captol in 1902, including legislators' desks and chairs. they were used in 1903 for the first legislative session to be held in the remodeled capitol building. One hundred sets were purchased, 68 for the house and 32 for the senate. The desks were oak and cost $25.50 each. When the legislative chambers were remodeled again in 1923, the old desks were refurbished. New chairs were purchased for $13.70 apiece. In 1939, when the house moved to a newly constructed wing of the capitol, all new desks and chairs were bought. The old furniture was either sold at auction, given to schools, or acquired by legislators as family heirlooms. This desk and chair set is the only original now in the state's pessession.
The capitol rotunda originally had a spiral staircase, but this was removed in 1923 and the marble stairs seen above were built. In the 1970's, the new state capitol was built, and the old one was going to be torn down, until a public outcry saved the historic building. Now the new capitol wraps around the old capitol building, the central area of which has been around since 1845.
The restored Governor's office
Governor's secretary office
Governor meeting room

And now a collection of artifacts from the various rooms of the capitol.

Who could forget the rediculous fiasco that was the 2000 election? Thanks, Florida.

An old wooden school bench from an African American school.

Flashback to the days of Jim Crow, here is a "colored" restroom door from the Whitfield Building, where the Supreme Court was housed until 1949.

San Marcos de Apalache

This is one of the most fascinating little known sites in the country. Located where the Wakulla and St Marks rivers converge near the Gulf Coast, this is the site of a fort owned by the Spanish, British, Muskogee, Confederates, and US. It's history begins earlier, though, with the doomed expedition of Panfilo de Navarez, who came north from Tampa in 1528. When he failed to find gold and riches, he built rafts near here to return to his ships, but the ships and two of the rafts were destroyed in a storm. After a long overland trek, only four men survived the ill-fated expedition. Hernando De Soto passed through here on a much more succesful expedition in 1539.
By 1679, the Spanish began construction on a wooden fort on this spot, the logs covered with lime to look like stone. This ruse only lasted three years before the fort was burned by pirates. It was not until 1718 that Captain Jose Primo de Ribera began to build another wooden fort.
Artist's concept of the early Spanish fort.
The first stone fort here was begun in 1739, but construction was slow, and it was only half finished when the fort was transferred to the British in 1763. By 1787 Spain occupied the fort again as a result of the Treaty of Paris ending the American Revolution. Seen here are the remains of the Spanish Bombproof, or magazine. It was built with limestone from about a mile downriver, and had four rooms with arched ceilings and strong doors. Its roof served as a firing position for troops on the north wall of the fort. Much of the stone fort was destroyed by a hurricane in 1851. Stones from the bombproof were used later to build a lighthouse and Marine hospital. When Confederates occupied the fort, they placed a battery of canon here.

This piece of mortar from the Spanish Bombproof shows the finger markings of a construction worker in the upper left corner. Someone also very obviously formed their name or initials with stone chips in the mortar.

This is the keystone from the Bombproof. The keystone was placed in the entrance arch of forts and magazines to hold the doorway together, and as a symbol that it is finished.

The original moat of the Spanish stone fort. In 1800, a former British officer, William Augustus Bowles, united groups of Creek and Seminole Indians into a nation they called Muskogee. This nation made a capital near modern tallahasee and eventually captured the fort here at San Marcos. Not long after, the fort was retaken by the Spanish and Bowles was taken as a prisoner to Havana, Cuba, where he died.

The remains here are what is left of the north wall of the Spanish fort. In 1817, prompted by Indian raids into Georgia, and by slaves running away to Spanish Florida, the United States began the First Seminole War. As part of this, Andrew Jackson was ordered to invade Spanish held Florida. In April 1818, Jackson siezed the lightly defended San Marcos, where he believed the Natives were getting war supplies. He wrote "To prevent the recurrence of so gross a violation of neutrality, and to exclude our savage enemies from so strong a hold as St Marks, I deem it expedient to garrison that fortress with American troops until the close of the present war. This measure is justifiable on the immutable priciple of self defense, and can not but be satisfactory, under existing circumstances, to his Catholic Majesty the King of Spain." In addition to attacking Spanish and Indians here, he found a Scottish agent, Alexander Arbuthnot, who he accused of selling arms to the Indians. Later in his campaign, he found another British agent named Robert Ambrister. Both men were given a military tribunal here, and were executed. Britain had serious discussions about war over the incident, but cooler heads prevailed. The US House of Representatives stated "The House of Representatives of the United States disapproves the proceedings in the trial and execution of Alexander Arbuthnot and Robert C. Armbrister. This House disapproves of the seizure of the post of St Marks and Pensacola, contrary to orders, and in violation of the Constitution." More importantly, as a result of Jackson's succesful campaign and Spain's weak control over Florida, the territory was sold to the United States in 1821.

In 1857-58, a Marine Hospital was built near the fort, using stones from the Spanish Bombproof. This facility provided care for local yellow fever victims. The modern park visitor center, seen here, is built on the foundation of the hospital.

In 1861, Confederate forces took control of the fort, renaming it Fort Ward. During the war, the river was blockaded by the Union Navy, but the local blockade runner The Spray was one of the most successful of the war, delivering salt as cargo. In 1864 a Union raid destroyed many nearby kettles and furnaces of salt. In 1865, a Union invasion was stalled by running aground while trying to avoid the fort. The soldiers disembarked the ships, and result was the Battle of Natural Bridge, that stopped the invasion. Seen here is the large earthen magazine built by the Confederates.
Looking down the Confederate magazine into the Spanish moat. The last soldiers to occupy the fort were Union Colored Infantry under Col Joseph Shaw. They left in 1866, and the fort became a part of history.

Here is the surviving portion of the out wall of the Spanish stone fort. In 1996, the State Park Service built a wooden covering to protect the wall from the river, which had been eroding it.
Here is a canon in the visitor center. Based on its condition I am guessing it is authentic, probably one of the Spanish canon by its design.

This appears to be a grave, located atop the Confederate magazine. I have no idea the story behind it. If anyone does, please tell me!
This cemetery is near the visitor center, and is where several unknown soldiers from Jackson's army are buried.

Marker at the cemetery

Marker for Luther Tucker, near the site of the original fort.

Marker at the original fort site

Marker in memory of Malee Francis, whose story can be read in depth here.

Odometer reading: 224.4