Apalachicola River, Part 24

I apologize for being a little slow on posting over the past few days. I've been a little under the weather.

This is the final part of our series on the Apalachicola River (I will post a series soon on Apalachicola Bay).

In our last few posts, we talked about the history of Prospect Bluff, the site of Fort Gadsden and the British Post on the Apalachicola (or Negro Fort, as it was called by the U.S. military).

The site today is maintained by the National Forest Service as Fort Gadsden Historic Site. Open to the public daily, the park offers a picnic area, small exhibit kiosk and walking trails leading through the sites of Fort Gadsden, the Negro Fort and the so-called "Renegade Cemetery." Visitors can see earthworks and trenches from both of the forts, as well as some of the wreckage from a steamboat that sank in the river during the 1820s.

Fort Gadsden is located near Sumatra in the Apalachicola National Forest. It is in a fairly remote location, but can be reached by car with no problem. To read more about the site, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/FLFortGadsden1.html