From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Fort Dallas
Fort Dallas
Fort Dallas ing the war, the place was occupied by refugees from
many places, and at the close of the war by a band of
desperadoes. Judah P. Benjamin, who served as Attorney
General, Secretary of War, and Secretary of State for the
Confederacy, made his escape to Cuba through Indian
River and Bay Biscayne. In describing the trip, he refers
to the rough treatment he received at the hands of occu-
pants of the fort, but, he added that it was a beautiful and
picturesque spot, with its white houses and fine parade
ground. The interior of the fort has been improved, and
care has been taken to preserve the exterior unchanged.
When the soldiers left, the fort became the base for
Plantation slave quarters constructed in 1844, moved to
Lummus Park from Downtown a tiny village established by William H. English, the new
owner, which he called Miami. Some of the buildings
Type Municipal were razed to the ground and removed to other loca-
Location Lummus Park, Miami, Florida, United States tions, and in 1872, while the property was occupied by
Dr. Harris, all the remaining buildings except the two still
Area 5.9 acres (2.4 ha)
standing were burned, the fire originating accidentally in
Created 1909 (1909) the house occupied by Dr. Harris.
In 1891, Julia Tuttle brought her family to live in a
Operated by City of Miami
large home on the Miami River that had been in use when
Fort Dallas occupied the spot. Tuttle repaired and con-
Fort Dallas is a 5.9-acre (2.4 ha) urban park in the Lum-
verted the home into one of the show places in the area
mus Park Historic District of Miami, Florida, just west
with a sweeping view of the river and Biscayne Bay.
of Downtown. It once acted as a military base during
The “barracks”, as they are called, remained on the
the Seminole Wars, located on the banks of the Miami
site as the only remnant of the fort until 1924 when an
River in what is now Downtown, Miami, Florida, United
apartment building was slated to occupy the site. The co-
States.[1]
quina stone building was disassembled in sections and
moved to Lummus Park on the north side of the Miami
History River at Northwest River Drive and North Third Street.
Old Fort Dallas was established on the plantation of This barracks served as plantation slave quarters, then
Richard Fitzpatrick in 1836 as a United States military as army barracks during the Seminole Wars, and, before
post and cantonment (and not as a fortification, although being moved here stone by stone, finally as Julia Tuttle’s
it is more than probable that there was a stockade sur- home in 1891.
rounding it in its early days) in southern Florida during In 1895, following the successful efforts of Tuttle and
the Seminole Wars. It was named in honor of Commodore fellow landowner William Brickell to attract a railroad,
Alexander James Dallas, United States Navy, then in com- Fort Dallas was part of the site of the new city of Miami,
mand of the United States naval forces in the West Indies. Florida when Henry M. Flagler extended his Florida East
The first commandant was Lieutenant F. M. Powell, Coast Railway south from Palm Beach. Perhaps coinci-
who remained in command about two years. From 1836 dentally, Tuttle, Brickell, and Flagler were all originally
to 1857 it was occupied much of the time by troops, but from Cleveland, Ohio.
was not a military reservation. Quite a number of buildin-
gs were erected, and today only two remain. In addition Gallery
to these, there were a dozen comfortable dwellings be-
• Original Fort Dallas Park entrance at Downtown,
sides the slave quarters, stables, and a blacksmith forge.
circa 1905
The Post Surgeon occasionally took meteorological ob-
• Fort Dallas, circa 1930
servations.
Fort Dallas remained in Union hands during the
American Civil War and was abandoned afterward. Dur-
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Fort Dallas
References
[1] Ghost Towns of Florida - Fort Dallas External links
Bibliography
• "Old Fort Dallas", Official Directory to the City of • History of Fort Dallas
Miami and Nearby Towns, 1904 Coordinates: 25°46′34″N 80°12′6″W / 25.77611°N
80.20167°W / 25.77611; -80.20167
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fort_Dallas&oldid=453207043"
Categories:
• Forts in Florida
• Buildings and structures in Miami, Florida
• Seminole Wars
• History of Miami, Florida
• Ghost towns in Florida
• Pre-state history of Florida
• Florida in the American Civil War
• Parks in Miami-Dade County, Florida
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