Seminole Tribe

Muskmelons and Gun Powder: The Origins of Fort Maitland

Long before modern sailboats defined the shore, Lake Maitland was known as "Muskmelon Place," an indigenous sanctuary transformed into a tactical military outpost during the Second Seminole War. Discover the story of a lost 1838 stockade and the incredible archival detective work that unearthed its location a century later to preserve a pivotal chapter of Florida’s past.

Brighton, Florida: Ghost town that was almost a county seat

“Here will soon be one of the busiest and most populous towns in Florida,” insisted one October 1925 announcement. Another advertisement boldly proclaimed the new Highlands County settlement would “become the trading center of the greatest and most profitable truck-farming, poultry-raising...