The Historical Society of Avon ParkAVON PARK, FL · EST. 1886
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Fort Arbuckle

Fort Arbuckle was a temporary United States Army outpost constructed on 23 January 1850 on the northeast shore of Lake Arbuckle (Township 32 South, Range 29 East) in southern Polk County, Florida, just north of the modern Highlands County boundary.[fortwiki-arbuckle][covington-1993] The military post site is recorded in the Florida Master Site File as 8PO999, and the nearby historic civilian church as 8PO998 (Fort Arbuckle Baptist Church).[tdar-107391-austin-1986][tdar-111901-austin-1987]

Military Role and the Removal of February 1850

Built by troops under Major Thomas Childs and Captain Samuel H. Rogers, Fort Arbuckle formed part of an interior defensive cordon established following the July 1849 Indian River and Pease Creek attacks to reassure white frontier settlers and facilitate contact with the Seminoles.[covington-1993] The fort was named in honor of Brigadier General Matthew Arbuckle (1778–1851), a veteran commander of the 7th U.S. Infantry.[fortwiki-arbuckle]

In February 1850, the post served as the regional assembly point for the forced removal of approximately sixty Seminole men, women, and children. Surrendered or captured under military pressure, the group was held at Fort Arbuckle before being transported overland to Tampa Bay and embarked aboard the steamer Fashion for deportation to New Orleans and Indian Territory.[covington-1993]

Following the departure of the removal party, the army determined that the post was no longer needed; the garrison was withdrawn and the stockade abandoned on 15 May 1850.[fortwiki-arbuckle]

Geographic Placement and Modern Setting

The historic site of Fort Arbuckle is situated in extreme southeastern Polk County on the northeast shore of Lake Arbuckle, within the northern boundary of the Avon Park Air Force Range and adjacent to the Lake Arbuckle State Forest.[fortwiki-arbuckle][tdar-107391-austin-1986]

Because the township line separating Township 32 South (Polk County) from Township 33 South (Highlands County) lies immediately south of Lake Arbuckle, the fort stood entirely in Polk County, while its associated waterway, Arbuckle Creek, flows south across the county line into Highlands County to empty into Lake Istokpoga.[sprague-1848]

References

Where this comes from

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

  1. John T. Sprague, The Origin, Progress, and Conclusion of the Florida War (1848)
  2. James W. Covington, The Seminoles of Florida (1993)
  3. FortWiki, Fort Arbuckle (Florida) (2026)
  4. Robert J. Austin and Jacquelyn G. Piper (Piper Archaeological Research), Preliminary Cultural Resource Assessment Survey of the Avon Park Air Force Range, Polk and Highlands Counties, Florida (APAFR Report AP0003) (1986) · official
  5. Robert J. Austin, Prehistoric and Early Historic Settlement in the Kissimmee River Valley - An Archaeological Survey of the Avon Park Air Force Base (APAFR Report AP0004) (1987) · official

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