Florida Cracker: A day at Ft. Christmas

Today my mom, sister, niece and nephew and me went to one of my favorite local places:
Click on picture to enlarge to read:

Ft. Christmas is located in Christmas, Florida. The fort and stockade were reproduced in 1976-1977 by the Orange County Parks Department as a bicentennial project. The original fort was located approximately one mile north of Fort Christmas Historical Park on a small creek. Built in 1837 by the United States Army under the orders of General Jesup, the fort was a supply depot in a chain of forts constructed along the St. Johns River during a winter campaign against the Seminole Indians. In March of 1838 the military abandoned the fort, since the fighting had moved so far south that supplies were brought by ship into Jupiter Inlet.

There are many items located in the museum not necessarily from the fort but from families that lived in the area a century ago. These are children's baptismal clothes as well as some of their toys.

This is me outside of an outhouse holding a corn cob. Can you imagine?????

Behind the fort they have old houses that were brought in piece by piece from around Florida. They are known as Florida cracker houses. This was the inside of one. They had to use mosquito netting to keep from being eaten alive!

Built in 1917 by local labor for the Tosohatchee Ranch Company, the Beehead Ranch House provided housing for the ranch foreman and his family. In 1925 the ranch was purchased by a group of sportsmen from Sanford and Orlando. It became a hunting club, called the Tosohatchee Game Preserve.

This was on the mantle of one of the houses. I want one! If anyone knows where I can get one let me know.

On the way home not too far from Ft. Christmas we stopped at Back to Nature. They take in wild animals that have been injured and can no longer fend for themselves. I have had to take a few birds and a couple of squirrels there before. The curator is someone I went to high school with. I have contemplated volunteering there on my days off but it is a big commitment. These are people after my own heart. They even help the buzzards out!