Fort Vinton, also known as "Post #2", was a small
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 ...
military outpost that existed from 1839 to 1858. Location of the fort is approximately a mile south of highway 60 near 122nd Avenue.
History
The fort existed mostly to help quell the periodic problems with the
Seminole
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 ...
Amerindians and was abandoned in 1850 after the final battle with that tribe. It was reopened for the third Seminole War from 1856 to 1858. For most of its existence it was simply known as "Post #2" but was renamed in honor of Major John Rogers Vinton (1801–1847), grandfather of
Francis L. V. Hoppin
Colonel Francis Laurens Vinton Hoppin (October 7, 1866 – October 9, 1941) was a prominent American architect and painter from Providence, Rhode Island.
Early life
Hopping was born on October 7, 1866 in Providence, Rhode Island. He was a son of ...
, just before it was closed in May 1850.
In the 19th century, the fort's location would have been on the edge of a humid
mosquito
Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning " gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "li ...
-infested cypress swamp, days away from any trace of civilization. Today the area is planted in oranges and grapefruit, though it's still humid and mosquito-infested.
References
Rootsweb EntryHeritage Foundation Information
External links
Fort Vinton historical markerNews article on Fort Vinton historical marker moving in 2010Discussion of marker movement and fort conservationNews article on finding the fort
Military installations in Florida
Indian River County, Florida
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