Prospect Bluff Historic Site ordered closed
The U.S. Forest Service earlier this month issued a Forest Order that will close for the next year the Prospect Bluff Historic Site in its entirety.
The site, commonly known as Fort Gadsden or the colloquial “Negro Fort,” will be closed until Aug. 12, 2025 “unless terminated earlier by an authorized Forest Service official.”
The U.S. Forest Service said the closure “aims to protect objects and areas of historical, archaeological, geological, and paleontological interest.”
The close order allows for two exemptions, to those with permits specifically authorizing otherwise prohibited activities, and to federal, state, or local law enforcement officers and members of organized rescue or firefighting forces performing official duties.
Violation of the closure order may result in fines of up to $5,000 for individuals or $10,000 for organizations, imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.
The Prospect Bluff Historic Site, situated on the Apalachicola Ranger District and accessed via National Forest System Road 129-B, is bounded by the Apalachicola River to the west and Gadsden Creek to the south and east.
The bluff is the site of two successive forts, the first built during the War of 1812 by the British, and of the tragic massacre of more than 300 African Americans who held the fort under the British flag in 1816.
On July 27, 1816, U.S. Navy forces fired on what was then called “The Negro Fort.” One of the early shots from the ship’s guns landed on an ammunition shed inside the fort, resulting in a massive explosion which left only 33 survivors.
In 1818, Lt. James Gadsden oversaw construction of a new fort on the site as a U.S. fort in the heart of Spanish territory, under the auspices of Major Gen. Andrew Jackson. This fort, Fort Gadsden, remained in use until 1821, when Florida became a U.S. territory.
Meet the Editor
David Adlerstein, The Apalachicola Times’ digital editor, started with the news outlet in January 2002 as a reporter.
Prior to then, David Adlerstein began as a newspaperman with a small Boston weekly, after graduating magna cum laude from Brandeis University in Waltham, Massachusetts. He later edited the weekly Bellville Times, and as business reporter for the daily Marion Star, both not far from his hometown of Columbus, Ohio.
In 1995, he moved to South Florida, and worked as a business reporter and editor of Medical Business newspaper. In Jan. 2002, he began with the Apalachicola Times, first as reporter and later as editor, and in Oct. 2020, also began editing the Port St. Joe Star.