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Fort Dallas (Miami, Fla.)
During the nineteenth century a small community developed around the mouth of the Miami River. It tooks one of its names from the river, and the other from the Seminole Wars outpost on the river's north bank, Fort Dallas.
Wooden buildings, 1871
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Ornithologist C. J. Maynard visited Biscayne Bay in January 1871, and made this print of Fort Dallas as it looked during his stay. These wooden buildings burned down within a year. |
Officers Quarters, ca. 1885
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William English built this stone house for his short-lived plantation. During the Third Seminole War, officers stationed at Fort Dallas lived here. During the 1870s-1890s, various settlers moved in at various times, including Julia Tuttle.
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Barracks / Slave Quarters, ca. 1885
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William English built the stone building on the left to house his enslaved workers. It became the enlisted men's barracks at Fort Dallas (1850s) and a trading post (1870s). |
Barracks, 1904
Barracks, 1910
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The stone buildings became picturesque landmarks for the young City of Miami, worthy of memorializing on postcards. |
Seminole Club, ca. 1900
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In 1898, Julia Tuttle's son, Harry Tuttle, leased his mother's home, the former officers quarters. The tenant converted it into the Seminole Club, a gambling casino for guests from the nearby Royal Palm Hotel. |
Barracks, 1925
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During the real estate boom of 1925, the barracks were moved to Lummus Park, near downtown Miami, to make way for new construction. This photograph reveals that the "move" was more accurately a demolition and reconstruction using the same materials.
The same year, developers torn down the officers quarters to make room for a hotel.
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Barracks, 1940s
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The barracks, relocated to Lummus Park, for many years served as the headquarters for the Everglades Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. |
Quilt block, 1996 |
The Fort Dallas barracks is one of the oldest buildings in Miami-Dade County. It has become a symbol of Miami's heritage. |
Reproductions
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