The Historical Society of Avon ParkAVON PARK, FL · EST. 1886
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County Boundaries and Historic Placements of Fort Arbuckle, Fort Basinger, and Fort Kissimmee

Research into military maps, statutory county boundaries, and Public Land Survey System (PLSS) plats resolves the jurisdictional questions regarding the three nineteenth-century Seminole War army posts situated across the Avon Park and upper Kissimmee River frontier.[sprague-1848][covington-1993]

1. Fort Arbuckle: Southern Polk County

Fort Arbuckle was established on 23 January 1850 on the northeast shore of Lake Arbuckle within Township 32 South, Range 29 East.[covington-1993]

  • County Jurisdiction: Polk County.
  • Boundary Verification: The statutory boundary between Polk County and Highlands County is defined by the east-west township line separating Township 32 South from Township 33 South. Because Lake Arbuckle sits entirely north of this line in Township 32 South, the fort site is legally in Polk County, situated within the northern sector of the Avon Park Air Force Range and Lake Arbuckle State Forest.[sprague-1848]
  • Highlands County Touchpoint: Arbuckle Creek, which drains the lake from its southern shore, crosses the county line into Highlands County and flows south into Lake Istokpoga.

2. Fort Basinger: Eastern Highlands County

Fort Basinger was established in December 1837 by Colonel Zachary Taylor during his march to the Battle of Lake Okeechobee, situated on the west bank of the Kissimmee River along modern U.S. Highway 98 in Township 36 South, Range 33 East.[taylor-1838-report][fl-historic-marker-basinger]

  • County Jurisdiction: Highlands County.
  • Boundary Verification: Under Florida Statutes, the statutory boundary between Highlands County and Okeechobee County (created out of St. Lucie, Osceola, and Palm Beach counties in 1917) is the thalweg/centerline of the Kissimmee River. Because the military stockade was constructed on the western riverbank, the fort site sits in Highlands County.[fl-historic-marker-basinger]
  • Okeechobee Context: The post-war civilian settlement and bridge community of Basinger expanded across the river into western Okeechobee County, creating the frequent modern assumption that the fort was in Okeechobee.

3. Fort Kissimmee: Northeastern Highlands County

Fort Kissimmee was established in 1850 (and reoccupied during the Third Seminole War in 1855) on the west bank of the Kissimmee River in Township 33 South, Range 31/32 East.[sprague-1848]

  • County Jurisdiction: Highlands County.
  • Boundary Verification: Located inside the eastern section of the Avon Park Air Force Range, the post stood on the west side of the Kissimmee River in Township 33 South, placing it squarely in northeastern Highlands County.

Summary Matrix

Post Name Established PLSS Location River/Lake Bank Modern County Avon Park Connection
Fort Arbuckle 1850 T32S, R29E NE Lake Arbuckle Polk County Inside Avon Park Air Force Range; origin of Arbuckle Creek
Fort Kissimmee 1850 T33S, R31E West Kissimmee River Highlands County Inside Avon Park Air Force Range east of Avon Park
Fort Basinger 1837 T36S, R33E West Kissimmee River Highlands County Southernmost frontier outpost in eastern Highlands County

References

Where this comes from

Evidence
corroborated — More than one independent source agrees.
Review
unverified — Drafted from sources but not yet checked by a volunteer.
Rights
society

Sources

  1. John T. Sprague, The Origin, Progress, and Conclusion of the Florida War (1848)
  2. Colonel Zachary Taylor, in Army and Navy Chronicle, Official Report of the Battle of Okee-cho-bee, December 25, 1837 (1838)
  3. Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources, Florida Historic Marker: Fort Basinger (2020)
  4. James W. Covington, The Seminoles of Florida (1993)

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