Indian Country

The defensive military installation of Fort White was constructed in 1836 during the Second Seminole War to protect the Cow Creek Settlement from Indian raids. The fort was near the Santa Fe River but was relocated to the present site of the town of Fort White due to flooding and disease. The fort was abandoned on June 26, 1842, the year President John Tyler ordered military actions in Florida to stop.

The town of Fort White was incorporated in 1884 and named after the military fort. With the arrival of the railroad in 1888, Fort White grew due to phosphate mining, turpentine production and agricultural crops of cotton, timber, and orange trees. In 2023 Fort White had a population of 619. Located in Columbia County, the Fort White public schools are the academic, cultural, and social centers of the town. Since the fort the city is named for was created deep in Indian Territory, the schools’ teams are named The Indians. And today, the Fort White Indians, in the tradition of the present Seminoles, are threatening hosts to visiting sports teams.