In 1827 the U.S. Army built a fort near Ocala to keep the Seminole Indians within specified reservations. The garrison, which became known as Fort King, played a major

The Second Seminole War stemmed from President Andrew Jackson’s policy of relocating Native Americans living in Florida to “Indian Territory” in Oklahoma.

Some Seminole Indians went willingly, but many refused to accept forced removal. Because of this refusal, the United States sent the Army and the Seminole Wars ensued. During the second Seminole War in 1835, the Indians, including their famed leader Osceola, attacked U.S. forces near Fort King.

The original fort was soon abandoned and burned to the ground by Seminole fighters. In 1998, Gary Ellis and his team conducted the most extensive excavations there.

They recovered a number of artifacts including items from military uniforms, clay bowl and pipe fragments, and cut nails used to construct the fort. They also found sections of the original fort stockade walls indicated by burned posts and post molds.