Bradenton in Manatee County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Fort Hamer
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, December 30, 2023
1. Fort Hamer Marker
Inscription.
Near this location stood Fort Hamer, a Second Seminole War fort and hospital that stood on the south bank of the Manatee River at the highest point navigable by steamboats. The fort was part of a greater U.S. military strategy of a line of forts across the state from the Manatee River to Indian River on the east coast. Fort Hamer was the first fort built as part of this strategy. beginning in November 1849 under the direction of Major John Henry Miller of the Fourth Artillery, and was vital to the U.S. Army's ability to remain resupplied. In addition to barracks and stables, the fort contained a large hospital and supply warehouse supporting its role as a staging and supply post. At its height the fort housed at least 190 soldiers in January of 1850. At this point in the Second Seminole War, small bands of Indians who had been worn down by the continuous conflicts and atrocities met with government agents to agree to removal to Oklahoma in return for compensation and protection. Fort Hamer was the embarkation point for seventy-four Seminole, Miccosukee, and Muscogee Indians who left Florida on February 28, 1850 aboard the
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steamer Fashion. Records show a total of nineteen men, including the Miccosukee Chief Kapiktoosootsee, twenty-two women, fourteen boys, and nineteen girls leaving aboard this ship. A month later they were followed to New Orleans by another party of fourteen Seminoles aboard the same ship. A final small group of emigrants followed in August; rapidly diminishing in strategic value, by November of that year the fort had been deconstructed and the materials were sent south to be reused in the construction of Fort Casey and Fort Myers.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Wars, US Indian. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1849.
Location. 27° 31.501′ N, 82° 25.783′ W. Marker is in Bradenton, Florida, in Manatee County. It can be reached from Fort Hamer Road 0.1 miles south of Rive Isle Run. Marker is located at the Fort Hamer Boat Ramp. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1605 Fort Hamer Road, Parrish FL 34219, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf Coast and on Tampa Bay. It is also in the American
Photographed by Tim Fillmon, December 30, 2023
2. Fort Hamer Marker
South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Parrish (was approx. 3.7 miles away but has been confirmed missing).
Also see . . . Fort Hamer History. (Submitted on January 11, 2024, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.)
Credits. This page was last revised on January 11, 2024. It was originally submitted on January 11, 2024, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 939 times since then and 96 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on January 11, 2024, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida.
