The Second Fort

Amid growing hostilities with the Seminole, the U.S. Army reconstructed Fort King in 1837 and continued its use until the war ended. Unlike the first fort, the second fort appears to have been built in accordance with Glassell’s plans, a view supported by an illustration and diary description written on April 29, 1838 by Bvt. Captain John T. Sprague while stationed there, as well as by archaeological findings. In August 1842, the war was declared over, and the last troops were withdrawn from Fort King in March 1843. In 1844, Fort King became the county seat of the newly formed Marion County, and its buildings were repurposed as residences, a post office, a Methodist mission, and a general store, while the two-story cupola-topped barracks served as Marion County’s first courthouse.

Ocala, Florida · United States