Deer Park is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

in Osceola County,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, United States. It is located off

US 192 U.S. Route 192 (US 192) is an east–west route of the United States Numbered Highway system in central Florida. It runs from U.S. Route 27 ( State Road 25) in Four Corners, Lake County, east past Walt Disney World and through Kissimmee, ...

, south of the intersection with County Road 419. The community is part of the

Orlando Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, according to U.S. Census Bureau figures re ...

–

Kissimmee Kissimmee ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Osceola County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 79,226. It is a Principal City of the Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, Florida, Metropolitan Statistical Area, wh ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area In the United States, a metropolitan statistical area (MSA) is a geographical region with a relatively high population density at its core and close economic ties throughout the area. Such regions are neither legally incorporated as a city or tow ...

. It is the location of the Kempfer Cattle ranch,

Deseret Ranches Deseret Ranches () refers to the ranching operations of the Corporation of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Central Florida. The Ranches include several organizations, including Deseret Ranches of Florida, Dese ...

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian Christian church that considers itself to be the restoration of the original church founded by Jesus Christ. The ch ...

, and the Deer Park Forestry Site of the

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) is an executive department of the government of Florida. The Commissioner of Agriculture (directly elected by voters statewide for a four-year term, and a member of the Florid ...

History

George W. Hopkins created settlements in Deer Park to house workers for his saw and planing mill at the Union Cypress Company he founded in Hopkins, Florida. In 1915, Hopkins with his son-in-law W. H. Kempfer founded the Kempfer Land and Cattle Co. The Kampfer family still operate the ranch on the south side of U.S. Route 192. The town itself decreased in size after the Union Cypress Company Railroad shut down in the early 1930s.

Fort Taylor

Fort Taylor, named after Army General and future President of the United States

Zachary Taylor Zachary Taylor (November 24, 1784 – July 9, 1850) was an American military leader who served as the 12th president of the United States from 1849 until his death in 1850. Taylor was a career officer in the United States Army, rising to th ...

was located in Deer Park.Stewart, Richard E. (General Editor)
''American Military History Volume 1: The United States Army and the Forging of a Nation, 1775-1917''
second edition, (Washington, D.C., Center of Military History), 2009, page 170. . This fort was built in 1837 during the Second

Seminole Wars The Seminole Wars (also known as the Florida Wars) were three related military conflicts in Florida between the United States and the Seminole, citizens of a Native American nation which formed in the region during the early 1700s. Hostilities ...

(not to be confused with

Fort Zachary Taylor The Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park, better known simply as Fort Taylor (or Fort Zach to locals), is a Florida State Park and National Historic Landmark centered on a Civil War-era fort located near the southern tip of Key West, Florida. ...

in Key West, Florida).Robinson, Jim
"Trading Post on St. Johns River Opened Rustic Florida to Trade"
''

Orlando Sentinel The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is the primary newspaper of Orlando, Florida, and the Central Florida region. It was founded in 1876 and is currently owned by Tribune Publishing Company. The ''Orlando Sentinel'' is owned by parent company, '' Tribune P ...

'' online, August 24, 1997. Retrieved June 23, 2020. It was one of four forts built during this time along the

St. Johns River The St. Johns River ( es, Río San Juan) is the longest river in the U.S. state of Florida and its most significant one for commercial and recreational use. At long, it flows north and winds through or borders twelve counties. The drop in eleva ...

to facilitate military operations in the area. The army abandoned the fort in 1838, and R.B. and J.N. Savage established a trading post on the site.

References

External links

{{authority control Greater Orlando Unincorporated communities in Osceola County, Florida Unincorporated communities in Florida