Fort Fraser was a

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

fortification constructed in November 1837 between the modern cities of Lakeland and Bartow in

Polk County, Florida Polk County is located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. The county population was 725,046, as of the 2020 census. Its county seat is Bartow, and its largest city is Lakeland. Polk County comprises the Lakeland–Winter Ha ...

. The fort's name was inspired by Upton S. Fraser, a captain in the U.S. Army who was killed by

Seminole Indians The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, an ...

in the March to Fort King on December 28, 1835.Heitman, Francis B. (1908). Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army. Washington D.C.: United States Congress. Colonel

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 ...

, who later became the president of the United States, served at Fort Fraser as commander of two companies of the 1st U.S. Infantry. The fort was abandoned by the Army in May 1838, only to be informally used later as a shelter during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

and

Third Seminole War 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 ...

References

Government buildings completed in 1837 Infrastructure completed in 1837

Fraser Fraser may refer to: Places Antarctica * Fraser Point, South Orkney Islands Australia * Fraser, Australian Capital Territory, a suburb in the Canberra district of Belconnen * Division of Fraser (Australian Capital Territory), a former federal ele ...

Buildings and structures in Polk County, Florida Pre-statehood history of Florida 1837 establishments in Florida Territory {{US-mil-hist-stub