Prospect Bluff Historic Sites
Prospect Bluff Historic Sites is a historic site in Florida, at a recorded elevation of 3 m. Red Hill stands 15 m to the north, 20 miles off. The nearest named place is Fort Gadsden Historic Site, a park 0.2 miles away. BIG BEND SCENIC BYWY passes 2.0 miles off. 89 named places lie within 25 miles, 2 of them named summits.
The story
Prospect Bluff Historic Sites (until 2016 known as Fort Gadsden Historic Site, and sometimes written as Fort Gadsden Historic Memorial) is located in Franklin County, Florida, on the Apalachicola River, 6 miles (9.7 km) SW of Sumatra, Florida. The site contains the ruins of two forts. The earlier and larger one was built by the British in 1814, during the War of 1812. They allowed the members of the disbanded Corps of Colonial Marines, made up largely of fugitive slaves, and Creek tribesmen to occupy it after the British evacuated Florida in 1815, deliberately leaving their munitions behind. At that point, since the British had not named it, Americans started referring to it as Negro Fort. It was destroyed in a river attack from U.S. forces in 1816. Fort Gadsden was built in 1818 within the former walls of the former Negro Fort. The site has been known by several other names at various times, including Prospect Bluff, British post, Nicholls' Fort, Blount's Fort, Fort Blount, African Fort, and Fort Apalachicola. The local natives called the land Achackwheithle. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places and named a National Historic Landmark in 1972, the Prospect Bluff Historic Sites was acquired by the Apalachicola National Forest in 1940 and is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. The process of memorializing the site began in 1961, when the Apalachicola National Forest issued the State of Florida a term special use permit for an area of approximately 78 acres (32 ha) including the site to be run as a state park. Administration of the site reverted to the federal government in the 1990s. The site contains interpretive signage, picnic area with pavilion, and rest rooms.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Wikidata Q49490542, joined on its GNIS feature id.
What the record says
- Elevation
- 3 m
How to reach it
- 2.0 mi off the BIG BEND SCENIC BYWY, National
Overlooks nearby
- Sand Beach · 12 mi
- Dwarf Cypress · 15 mi
89 named places within 25 miles
- Fort Gadsden Historic Site: 0.2 mi
- Honeyville Park: 14.0 mi
- Chapman Botanical Gardens: 14.3 mi
- Riverwalk Park: 14.3 mi
- Sylvester Williams Park: 14.4 mi
- Chapman Botanical Garden: 14.4 mi
- Three Soldiers Detail: 14.4 mi
- Veterans Memorial Plaza: 14.4 mi
- Slave Quarters: 14.4 mi
- Fishing Boat: 14.6 mi
- Old Womans Bluff: 11.9 mi
- The Kink: 16.2 mi
- Royal Bluff: 18.5 mi
- Warrens Bluff: 19.4 mi
- Saw Bluff: 21.0 mi
- Apalachicola Art Museum: 14.7 mi
- Apalachicola Maritime Museum: 14.8 mi
- Gorrie Museum: 14.8 mi
- Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve Nature Center: 16.2 mi
- Constitution Convention Museum: 19.9 mi
- Apalachicola River Wildlife and Environmental Area: 13.7 mi
- Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve Nature Center: 16.2 mi
- Tate's Hell Wildlife Management Area: 20.0 mi
- Apalachicola Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve: 20.7 mi
- Little Saint George Island (ANERR): 22.6 mi
- Doyle's Creek: 9.3 mi
- Nick's Hole: 21.3 mi
- Tully Park: 21.3 mi
- Shelter 20: 22.0 mi
- Sand Beach: 12.7 mi
- Carabelle Beach: 20.8 mi
- Money Beach: 23.9 mi
- Raney House: 14.6 mi
- Journeys of Saint George Island: 20.8 mi
- Oyster Boat: 21.9 mi
- Mermaid: 14.3 mi
- Eagle: 14.4 mi
- Cactus Garden: 14.4 mi
- Herb Garden: 14.4 mi
- Tilton: 14.4 mi
- St. Joseph: 20.2 mi
- Red Hill: 19.9 mi
- Sugar Hill: 21.9 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 25 miles of Prospect Bluff Historic Sites. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red Hill | N 350° | 15 m | 19.9 mi |
| Sugar Hill | SE 132° | 6 m | 21.9 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:45 | 19:20 | 19:52 |
| June solstice | 06:40 | 20:10 | 20:45 |
| September equinox | 07:29 | 19:07 | 19:38 |
| December solstice | 07:32 | 17:09 | 17:45 |
Local time (America/New_York).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: Sep–May.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 54 | 57 | 62 | 67 | 75 | 81 | 82 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 62 | 57 |
| Precip in | 4.1 | 4.2 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 5.9 | 5.7 | 7.8 | 5.4 | 3.6 | 3.7 | 3.6 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Apalachicola AP, 15 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
National Register of Historic Places, reference 72000318OpenStreetMap- National Register of Historic Places — Fort Gadsden Historic Memorial, reference 72000318, listed 02/23/72.
OpenStreetMap element node/358732815
Day trips start here
- Apalachicola National Forest · 29 mi
Take the scenic way to Prospect Bluff Historic Sites.
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