Battle of Dunlawton Plantation - Port Orange, FL - Battlefields on Waymarking.com

A historical marker at the site provides the following information: "During the First Seminole War, 1836, the Mosquito Roarers, a company of Florida militia under Major Benjamin Putnam, engaged a large band of Seminoles pillaging Dunlawton, a sugar plantation on the Halifax River. Heavy fighting ensued, but the militiamen were unable to disperse the Indians. The extensive system of sugar plantations on Florida's east coast was eventually destroyed by Seminole raids and the sugar industry in this area never recovered." [NOTE: the historical marker said the battle occurred during the First Seminole War, but it is incorrect; the battle actually occurred during the Second Seminole War. The First Seminole War occurred from 1817 to 1818, the Second Seminole War from 1835 to 1842, and the Third Seminole War from 1855 to 1858.]

From the History of Port Orange website: "In 1804 Patrick Dean arrived in the Port Orange area from the Bahamas and established a plantation to grow cotton, rice, and sugar cane which were cultivated by slaves. He apparently met his fate at the hands of a renegade Indian during the first Indian War in 1818. The Dunlawton Sugar Mill was established in 1832 on 995 acres previously owned by Patrick Dean. A broker sold the old dean plantation to Sarah Anderson and her two sons, George and James. The name Dunlawton was derived from her maiden name, Dunn, and the land dealer’s name, Lawton. The mill was operated by slave labor until the fall of 1835. The Second Seminole Indian war started in December 1835 with skirmishes at Fort King and New Smyrna, and the Dade Massacre at the Battle of Dunlawton in 1836, the Mosquito Roarers, a company of Florida militia under Major Benjamin Putnam, engaged a large band of Seminoles pillaging the Dunlawton Plantation. Heavy fighting ensued, but the militiamen were unable to disperse the Indians. The conflict continued pushing the Seminoles farther south, with the war finally ending in 1842. Statehood came in 1845 and shortly afterwards settlers started to arrive in the area. John Marshall, a planter from Louisiana, bought the Dunlawton plantation in 1847. However, after a few years, Dunlawton failed, once again, because of the marketing of sugar, the high cost of slaves, and the Civil War. The Dunlawton Mill fell into disrepair and only the kettles were used for salt production near the end of the Civil War."

From Wikipedia: On January 17, [1836] volunteers and Seminoles met south of St. Augustine at the Battle of Dunlawton."

Name of Battle: Battle of Dunlawton Plantation Name of War: Seminole War Entrance Fee: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Date(s) of Battle (Beginning): 01/17/1836 Date of Battle (End): 01/17/1836 Parking: Not Listed

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