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TALAKCHOPCOHATCHEE
"Place where long peas grow" What is known today as Peace River should properly been named Peas River. Dr. Canter Brown shared that for thousands of years, various tribes held a rendezvous along the banks of the river. Debra Howell has registered numerous archeological sites with the State of Florida. It was near the Peas River, the Red Stick Creeks made a settlement.
BILLY BALEK "BOWLEGS"
Bill Balek "Bowlegs" was the son of Buckra Woman, one of the wealthiest people in Florida. Sales of cattle made her rich and powerful. It was her slaves who named her "Buckra" which means boss or superior. The first Seminole Chief was her uncle, Cowkeeper, followed by her brothers, King Payne and King Bowlegs. Her son Billy Bowlegs followed suit and Buckra Woman's village was settle near a creek named after him - Bowlegs Creek - just south of the Red Stick Creek village. The move from the Dade City area was the result of raiding parties sent in by Territorial Governor Andew Jackson in 1821. It's to be noted that the word Seminole comes from the Spanish word Cimaron, which means runaway or cast off. There were several tribes, along with runaway slaves, known as Black Seminoles, who made up the Seminole Nation.
GEORGE GORDON MEADE
Young 2nd Lt. George G. Meade with the Army's Corp of Topographical Engineers was given the assignment in 1849. Gen. David Twiggs sent Meade to locate suitable sites for forts and outposts along a newly built military road from the Gulf to the Atlantic. The peninsula had an invisible line across it. Settlers lived to the north and Seminoles to the south. th To ensure safety, these forts would provide protection to the settlers from the increasing raids by the Seminoles. Meade found the burned-out Red Stick village when he crossed the narrow and shallow point of the river (close to the US 98E Bridge today). Twiggs's friend Mr. Darling wanted the outpost to be farther south at Paynes Creek. Meade drew up plans for a site on the river, presented them to Twiggs, who agreed with the location and plans on Dec. 13, 1849. "Fort Meade" was written on the bottom of the plan. Twiggs was so pleased that the name was allowed to remain. Fort Meade 1849.
THOMAS JONATHAN "STONEWALL" JACKSON
As a young Army officer, Thomas Jonathan "Stonewall" Jackson had the project assignment to dismantle the first fort located on the river and relocate it to a knoll about a mile west. The move was needed to help with the malaria outbreak making so many of the soldiers sick. His short tenure (1850-1851) in Florida's heat and under an unpleasant commander prompted him to leave the Army and become a professor at VMI for the next 10 years.
FORT MEADE
The Second Fort was moved plank by plank to the new location from the river, which is now known as Heritage Park on E 3rd St. The fort was made up of several outbuildings on cleared land, while the living areas expanded. The site was an Army outpost from 1849-1854; abandoned and then reinstated from March to September 1857. During the Army's unoccupied time, volunteer militia manned the fort. It was in June 1856 Seminoles feeling threatened by the close proximity to the truce line across Florida, Sub-Chief Oxian attacked the Tills Farm. From 1861 to 1864, the fort was under the Confederate flag. Two attacks on the town in April and May 1864 ended with many of the fort buildings and town being burned. The attack was called the Battle of Bowlegs Creek. The buildings were later used for other purposes, even dismantled and sold off.
the rest of the pioneer story
THE SEMINOLE'S LAST BATTLE
On June 14, 1856, the conflict between the settlers and the Seminoles came to a head. It was the last recorded battle took place at the home of Willoughby Tillis, about 3 miles south of Fort Meade. Background leading up two the attack hints at a disagreement between SubChief Oscen Tustennuggee and Willoughby Tilis. It is said there was a tall tree close to the Second Fort that allowed a Seminole spy to climb and watch all the activity going on in the fort area. Prior to the attack, Seminole raids on outlying farms required all settlers be summoned to the fort for protection. Tillis was not one to fall into rank and file easily. He had built a home farther south and closer to the division line. It took a lot oet him to take his family to the fort. It was hot and lots of people and he took his family home - something the spy in the tree might have seen and reported to Chief Oscen. On the morning of June 14, Tillis, his wife, son and slave were attacked while milking the cows. None were killed. during the exchange. Word was sent to the fort and five members of the militia came to the call. Alderman Carlton, his son Daniel, as well as John C Oats, William Parker, William McCullough, Henry Hollingsworth, and Lott Whidden arrived but were outnumbered. Alderman Carlton, Parker, and Whidden were killed nearly immediately. Wounded but determined, Daniel Carlton rode for help at Fort Fraser (Bartow) 15 miles away. It took two days for help to arrive, but they pushed the Seminoles to the river, where Robert Prine and George Howell, as well as Oscen were killed. A solemn procession brought the bodies of the soldiers to an outlying parcel of land where all were buried in a common grave. In 1964, the Carlton family erected a monument on the land honoring the fallen.
HAPPY 175th BIRTHDAY, FORT MEADE !!
DECEMBER 13, 1849 - 2024