Old Fort Park History
Did you know that Tallahassee is the only Southern capital that did not fall to Union forces during the Civil War? After the battle of Marianna (northwest of Tallahassee), legislators decided to fortify the capitol complex area. That brings us to Old Fort Park in Tallahassee. This historic site was once the location of Fort Houstoun.
Fort Houstoun in the Old Fort
Located on Houstoun Plantation, Fort Houstoun was situated on high ground where the cannons could sweep the approaches from the area southeast of the state capitol building. Most of that land was open fields at the time. It is now surrounded by the neighborhood of Woodland Drives.
The actual work of building the fort was done by a 1,000 slaves from nearby plantations. There are Tallahassee rumors that the local golf course (Capital City County Club) is haunted by these and other slaves. Check out more about the historic graves found under the golf course here.
Old Fort Park in the Woodland Drives Neighborhood
Battle of Natural Bridge
The fort never saw battle. The Union troops were defeated in the Battle of Natural Bridge, which is reenacted on the first weekend of March every year. If you are interested, the North wins on Saturday. BUT… as is the case for most Florida Civil War reenactments, the South always wins on Sunday! If the Union troops had been successful, the fort and other defenses would have served as a final line to defend the capital.
Today, the earthworks are all that remains of the fort. The Old Fort Park is open to the public during daylight hours. It’s an interesting place and great for a shady lunch and some peace and quiet.
Address for Old Fort Park, Tallahassee, FL 32301
The address for Old Fort Park is: 1301 Old Fort Dr, Tallahassee, FL 32301
For more information on Natural Bridge and Old Fort Park, check out Southern History’s website.
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Abbe Justus Flynn, Ketcham Realty Group
