Clearwater FL Harbor Oaks Res Dist Fort Harrison plaque01

Fort Harrison was a United States military post that existed along the west coast of

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

during the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups of people collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Muscogee, Creek and Black Seminoles as well as oth ...

, on a site which now lies within the city of Clearwater. It was named after

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

, the then newly inaugurated

President of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

. The fort was established on April 2, 1841, atop a pine bluff overlooking Clearwater Harbor, where the

Harbor Oaks Residential District The Harbor Oaks Residential District (also known as Harbor Oaks Subdivision) is a United States, U.S. Historic district (United States), historic district (designated as such on March 15, 1988) located in Clearwater, Florida, Clearwater, Florid ...

is today. An auxiliary encampment, Camp William Henry Harrison, was also created on

Clearwater Beach Clearwater Beach is on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico in Pinellas County on the west-central coast of Florida, United States. Located just west over the Intracoastal Waterway by way of the Clearwater Memorial Causeway from the rest of th ...

. The fort was designed as a

convalescent Convalescence is the gradual recovery of health and strength after illness or injury. Details It refers to the later stage of an infectious disease or illness when the patient recovers and returns to previous health, but may continue to be a sou ...

post to treat sick and injured soldiers from other nearby forts, most notably

Fort Brooke Fort Brooke was a historical military post established at the mouth of the Hillsborough River (Florida), Hillsborough River in present-day Tampa, Florida in 1824. Its original purpose was to serve as a check on and trading post for the native S ...

. Diseases that were treated include

neuralgia Neuralgia (Greek ''neuron'', "nerve" + ''algos'', "pain") is pain in the distribution of a nerve or nerves, as in intercostal nerve, intercostal neuralgia, trigeminal neuralgia, and glossopharyngeal nerve, glossopharyngeal neuralgia. Classifica ...

, chronic diarrhea,

dysentery Dysentery ( , ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications may include dehyd ...

and

remittent fever Remittent fever is a type or pattern of fever in which temperature does not touch the baseline and remains above normal throughout the day. Daily variation in temperature is more than 1°C in 24 hours, which is also the main difference as compared ...

, among others. There were between two and seven companies of the 6th U.S. Infantry Regiment garrisoned at the fort under the command of Lieutenant Colonel Gustavus Loomis. An average of around 340 soldiers were stationed at the fort over the course of its occupation. The peak occupancy of the fort came to be around 500 to 550 troops, occurring through the months of May and July 1841. Although the main function of the fort was to allow soldiers to recover their health, in some cases the garrison was used to patrol the area north of

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...

. In June 1841,

Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

William J. Worth William Jenkins Worth (March 1, 1794 – May 7, 1849) was an American officer during the War of 1812, the Second Seminole War, and the Mexican–American War. Early military career Worth was commissioned as a first lieutenant in March 1813, s ...

(the commander of the U.S. military forces in Florida at the time) assembled troops from this fort, as well as from Fort Brooke and

Fort King Fort King (also known as Camp King or Cantonment King) was a United States military fort in north central Florida, near what later developed as the city of Ocala. It was named after U.S. Army Colonel William King, commander of the 4th Infantry Re ...

, for the purpose of capturing 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, ...

in the area between the

Homosassa Homosassa () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Citrus County, Florida, Citrus County, Florida, United States. The population was 2,299 at the 2020 census, down from 2,578 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Homosassa Springs, Florida Citr ...

and Crystal Rivers and in the vicinity of

Tsala Apopka Lake Tsala Apopka Lake is a chain of lakes located within a bend in the Withlacoochee River in Citrus County in north central Florida. This area is known historically as the Cove of the Withlacoochee. Tsala Apopka Lake is composed of a number of lak ...

. A large log building was used to house the soldiers, while the officer's quarters were situated in a separate building. The buildings may have eventually been destroyed by hurricane-force winds. The fort's command moved to Fort Brooke around October 20, 1841, and the fort was fully abandoned around November 1, 1841. The fort was an important part of the early settlement of Clearwater and the surrounding area.

Odet Philippe Odet Philippe was the first permanent, non-native settler on the Pinellas County, Pinellas peninsula in what is now the state of Florida, acquiring of land in what is today Safety Harbor in 1842. He was a successful businessman who introduced ci ...

(the first permanent, non-native settler in

Pinellas County Pinellas County (, ) is located on the west central coast of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 959,107, making it the seventh-most populous county in the state. It is also the most d ...

) owned a sutler's store during the time of the fort's occupation by the military, and so he was most likely doing business with the fort. After the war, in accordance with the

Armed Occupation Act The Florida Armed Occupation Act of 1842 () was passed as an incentive to grow the population of Florida. The Act granted of unsettled land south of the line separating townships 9 and 10 South (an east–west line about north of Palatka a ...

, James Stevens was granted 160 acres of land on and around the abandoned fort. Other families later settled on the land surrounding Stevens' land, and a community soon formed which would ultimately become the city of Clearwater. Today the only physical marker of the existence and whereabouts of the old fort is a plaque, which was erected in 1935. The plaque is located outside the historic Century Oaks estate, on the corner of Druid Road South and Druid Road West. The

Fort Harrison Hotel The Fort Harrison Hotel has served as the main building of the Church of Scientology's campus in Clearwater, Florida, called the Flag Land Base, since 1975. It is owned and operated by the Flag Service Organization. The hotel has 11 stories, ...

and Fort Harrison Avenue in Clearwater are presumed to be named after the fort.

References

{{Reflist, refs= {{cite sign, author=James F. McKinley, authorlink=James Fuller McKinley, date=March 18, 1935, title=Fort Harrison, url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Clearwater_FL_Harbor_Oaks_Res_Dist_Fort_Harrison_plaque01.jpg, medium=Plaque, location=Washington, D.C., publisher=

United States Army Adjutant General's Corps The Adjutant General's Corps, formerly the Adjutant General's Department, is a branch of the United States Army first established in 1775. This branch provides personnel service support by manning the force, providing human resources services, ...

{{cite book, author=Robert B. Roberts, date=1988, title=Encyclopedia of historic forts: the military, pioneer, and trading posts of the United States, url=, location=New York, publisher= Macmillan {{cite book, author=John K. Mahon, authorlink=John K. Mahon, date=2017, title=History of the Second Seminole War, 1835–1842, url=https://ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu/AA/00/06/13/87/00001/AA00061387_00001.pdf, location=Gainesville, Florida, publisher=

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

{{cite book, author=Woman's Club of Clearwater, date=March 1917, title=A History of Clearwater, Florida, url=http://www.clearwaterhistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/clearwater-womens-club.pdf, location=Clearwater, Florida, publisher=The Clearwater Evening Sun {{cite book, author=William L. Straub, date=1929, title=History of Pinellas County, Florida, url=https://digital.lib.usf.edu/SFS0036432/00001, location=St. Augustine, Florida, publisher=The Record Company {{cite journal, author=Ernest F. Dibble, date=Fall 1999, title=Giveaway Forts: Territorial Forts and the Settlement of Florida, url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/30149384, journal=The Florida Historical Quarterly, publisher=

Florida Historical Society The Florida Historical Society is an independent, member-supported, 501c(3) not-for-profit organization incorporated in 1856 that publishes the journal ''Florida Historical Quarterly'', originally the ''Florida Historical Society Quarterly,'' an ...

, volume=78, issue=2, pages=207–233, jstor=30149384 {{cite book, author=George M. Brown, date=1902, title=Ponce de Leon Land and Florida War Record, url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=t4xJAAAAYAAJ&pg=GBS.PP1, location=St. Augustine, Florida, publisher=Record Printing Company

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places Australia * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin Canada * Inukjuak, Quebec, or "Port H ...

Second Seminole War fortifications 1841 establishments in the United States