Fort Shannon (Palatka, Putnam County, Florida)
Palatka, Putnam County · Florida · Second Seminole War
History & Significance
Early in the Second Seminole War, Palatka was attacked and burned by Seminoles and their allies, after which surviving settlers fled to St. Augustine and the area was mostly abandoned. General Walker Keith Armistead recognized the importance of a militarily protected and efficient supply line along the St. Johns River and moved the main depot to Palatka where the U.S. Army built Fort Shannon.
Established in May 1838, the fort was one of the major quartermaster depots in Florida during the Second Seminole War, operating under General William J. Worth until he assumed command of all the armies of Florida. General Armistead divided his command into three districts: the St. Johns—headquartered at Fort Shannon in Palatka; the Atlantic—headquartered at Fort Marion in St. Augustine; and the Oklawaha—headquartered at Fort King.
Fort Shannon was briefly utilized during the American Civil War by Union troops as they occupied Palatka and patrolled the St. Johns River with gunboats. Today, the only surviving structure is the Officer's Quarters building, now the Putnam Historic Museum, which is the only known surviving military building constructed during the Second Seminole War, moved to its current site and renovated.
Key Facts
Map
View larger map ↗ · © OpenStreetMap contributors
🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Restored Officer's Quarters from the Second Seminole War era
- Museum exhibits on military operations and Seminole War history
- St. Johns River location with historic fort grounds
- Only surviving U.S. military structure from the Second Seminole War in Florida
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Shannon
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=94991
- https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/historical_architecture_main/3172/
- https://fortwiki.com/Fort_Shannon
- https://myfloridahistory.org/frontiers/article/188
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palatka,_Florida
- https://grokipedia.com/page/fort_shannon