Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail


FORT PLACE - ST. JOESEPH & IOLA RAILROAD

Location:South of Wewahitchka on S.R. 71
County: Gulf
City: Wewahitchka

Description: Fort Place, forerunner of Wewahitchka, located one-quarter mile East was constructed in the early 1830's as a refuge from hostile Indians. It consisted of a hewn log blockhouse equipped with portholes for firearms, and was enclosed within a two acre stockade. No remains of Fort Place are visible today. The St. Joseph and Iola Railroad, completed in 1839, was the third railroad to use steam locomotives in Florida, and was the longest in Territorial Florida.

Sponsors: In Cooperation with Gulf County Historical Commission