Fort Cooper
Posted by: Markerman62
N 28° 49.015 W 082° 18.212
17R E 372807 N 3188399
Located at the entrance to Fort Cooper State Park between Inverness and Floral City on Old Floral City Road.
Waymark Code: WMQR72
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 03/22/2016
Views: 7
Fort Cooper was constructed in April 1836 during the Second Seminole War. General Winfield Scott instructed the First Georgia Battalion of Volunteers under the leadership of Major Mark Anthony Cooper to build two bastions and a blockhouse on the western shore of Lake Holathlikaha at the time of the Battle of Withlacoochee. On April 5, a skirmish broke out between the Seminole warriors and Cooper's men which led to the death of Private Zadock Cook of the Morgan Guards. From 1836 to 1842, the United States Army used the fort as a horse depot, a scouting post and a watering hole, after which time it was abandoned. In December of 1970, landowner John H. Eden Jr., sold land to the state and began working with archaeologists to excavate the Fort Cooper site. Fort Cooper was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 12, 1972. In 1977, the site opened to the public as a 704-acre state park.
Marker Number: None
Date: March 2016
County: Citrus
Marker Type: Roadside
Sponsored or placed by: Fort Cooper Chapter, NSDAR
Website: [Web Link]
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