Fort Fanning Historic Park - Fanning Springs, Florida

One of Florida's newest preserved historic sites also demonstrates how even small communities can turn historical points of interest into nice focal points.

Fort Fanning Historic Park is a city-owned facility in Fanning Springs, a community of fewer than 1,000 residents perched atop a bluff overlooking Florida's historic Suwannee River. The park preserves the site of Fort Fanning, an important fort of the Second Seminole War.

Built in 1838, Fort Fanning guarded a key crossing of the Suwannee River and also served as a base of operations for U.S. Army troops fighting against Creek and Seminole warriors in the swamps of the Suwannee valley. At least 31 soldiers died at the fort during its years of occupation, all but three of them from sickness.

The sites of very few forts of the Second Seminole War survive and can be visited by the public today, a fact that makes Fort Fanning such a unique feature for North Florida. The park features the restored gates and a section of stockade wall of the fort, paved walking paths and a series of scenic overlooks that provide beautiful views of the Suwannee River. Just across U.S. 19 is Fanning Springs State Park, home to natural spring that feeds the famed river.

To learn more, please visit www.exploresouthernhistory.com/fortfanning.