Did you know that the lower Apalachicola River Valley once had a thriving community of fugitive African slaves and their Indian allies?
In the late 1700s, a community of runaway slaves and Seminole Indians grew to almost 1,000 people around the area known as Prospect Bluff. The fort there was initially called Negro Fort, which the Americans later named Fort Gadsden.
The area became a haven for Blacks escaping slavery and survived through several decades of hostilities and attacks. But in 1816, a lucky shot from a hostile American boat hit the fort’s powder magazine killing all but 30 of the 300 occupants. In 1818, the fort was rebuilt, but it was abandoned three years later.
Early archaeology of the Negro Fort found British glass, pipe fragments, gun flints and items of daily life. In 2018, Hurricane Michael exposed new entrenchments, ditches, and the location of the fort's field oven. UWF archaeologists have brought to light this long-ignored thriving community of fugitive Africans.
You can visit the site, where there is a small free museum and a well-interpreted trail to enjoy.
Unearthing Florida is a project of WUWF Public Media, the Florida Public Archaeology Network(FPAN), and its founder, Dr. Judith Bense, since 1998. FPAN's Michael Thomin is a contributor to the program. WUWF's Sandra Averhart is the executive producer.
