Instructions:
1....Print this file.
2....At its end, click on "rules" to see a copy of the trail rules, print it, and then click where indicated at the end of the 3-page rules and patch order form to get back to the list of Florida trails.
3....If you want a hand-drawn map showing the locations of all of the sites, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to Steve Rajtar, 1614 Bimini Dr., Orlando, FL 32806.
4....Hike the trail and order whatever patches you like (optional.)
WARNING - This trail may pass through one or more neighborhoods which, although full of history, may now be unsafe for individuals on foot, or which may make you feel unsafe there. Hikers have been approached by individuals who have asked for handouts or who have inquired (not always in a friendly manner) why the hikers are in their neighborhood. Drugs and other inappropriate items have been found by hikers in some neighborhoods. It is suggested that you drive the hike routes first to see if you will feel comfortable walking them and, if you don't think it's a good place for you walk, you might want to consider (1) traveling with a large group, (2) doing the route on bicycles, or (3) choosing another hike route. The degree of comfort will vary with the individual and with the time and season of the hike, so you need to make the determination using your best judgment. If you hike the trail, you accept all risks involved.
Maj. Francis L. Dade, in December of 1835, was leading relief units from Fort Brooke (Tampa) to reinforce the small garrison at Fort King (Ocala). January 1, 1836, had been set as the date for all Indians to emigrate to west of the Mississippi River.
After about two-thirds of the 100-mile march was completed by 108 officers and men, they reached this location on December 28. It was open country and they had not seen Indians so far, so Dade did not put out flankers to help keep watch. Since it was a cold day, the soldiers marched with their overcoats buttoned over their ammunition boxes.
The attackers had been watching the progress of the soldiers for five days before they arrived here. Concealed by palmettos and scrub pines, they could not be seen by the soldiers. At 8 a.m., the Indians opened fire and the first rifle volley killed or wounded about half of the soldiers, including Dade. Those that were left hastily constructed a breastwork of pine logs. Survivors guessed that there were from 400 to 1000 Indians and escaped slaves in the ambushing party. Chief Alligator said there were only 180.
A second onslaught took place when the breastwork was about knee high. By 2 p.m., nearly all were dead. Only two men, John Thomas and Joseph Sprague, escaped and made it back to Tampa. After the fighting two more, Ransom Clark and Edward DeCourcey, who had pretended to be dead, headed to Tampa with Luis Pacheco, the black guide. On the way, DeCourcey was killed by an Indian. The other two reached Tampa.
The bodies of the rest were not found until seven weeks later, when an army expedition arrived here and buried them. On August 15, 1842, the remains were reburied in the National Cemetery in St. Augustine beneath three stone pyramids.
The Tustenuggee (meaning "war chief") Lodge in the park was built in 1955 for $19,000. This site was placed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 14, 1972.
The Methodist Episcopal Conference of Florida chose Bushnell for the location of its first college, which in 1890 was established in a two-story frame building here. After the freezes of 1894 and 1895, it was moved to Leesburg and eventually became a part of what is now Florida Southern College in Lakeland.
This wood frame house shows a Victorian Revival style with stained glass windows. Lumber shipped here by barge was used to construct a tobacco barn in the rear. The house has a center gable and a large porch.
The Methodist church organized in 1886 with Rev. T.S. Armstead as its first minister. Its first sanctuary was constructed in 1888.
T.R. Pierce built this two-story wood frame home in 1895, and at times it has been operated as a hotel. It features a porch on each floor and a two-story octagonal bay. Later owners include Anna L. Beville. It has been operated as the Veranda House Bed & Breakfast.
Dr. Roseborough, an evangelist from St. John's Presbytery, organized this church on April 21, 1912. Rev. E.B. McGill served as the first pastor. The former sanctuary built in 1927 was replaced in about 2000.
This cemetery was created in 1888 and the first person buried here was postmaster Andrew S. Hamilton. The cemetery was owned by Bushnell Methodist Church, which deeded it to the city in 1950.
This store's original use is evidenced by the area of the sidewalk in front where the pumps were, and the Texaco stars embedded in the stucco on the exterior walls.
This two-story house was built in 1915.
James Naim built this three-story courthouse in 1913-14, while this tract was a pine forest. It has a Neo-Classical Revival style with an entry colonnade formed by Ionic columns. The two towers at either end have octagonal windows. The light-colored brick walls feature decorative corbeling.
Masonic Lodge No. 30 was established in 1895, and its original lodge building burned that same year. It was replaced by one erected at the corner of Wall St. and McCollum Ave., and then by this one which was built in the 1960s.
This structure was built in 1915. It has been the home of Evans Hardware, established in 1957.
Citizens Bank, the first in Bushnell, was chartered in 1908 with R.F. Collins as its first president. Its first office was on Main St., and in 1925 it moved to this location. The bank closed in 1926.
Bushnell's second bank was Florida Bank of Bushnell, which opened in 1946. It later became Florida Bank of Sumter County. Later, it housed First Union Bank.
Bushnell was first settled in 1870 and in 1884 was named after John W. Bushnell, the chief engineer of the Florida Navigation Company. It was incorporated in 1912.
This building was erected in 1963, and the city hall shared it with the post office. It was designed by Jack R. Jones and built by Raby-Rucks Construction Co., Inc.
The Baptists in Bushnell began meeing in the schoolhouse in March of 1887. Rev. William Young helped to organize the church and Rev. J.H. Smith served as its first pastor. The first church building was erected in 1894 on this site. It was torn down in 1926 and replaced by a brick and stucco building.
The present sanctuary and belfry were built in 1956-57.
A Guide to National Register Sites in Florida, (Florida Department of State 1984)
A History of Sumter County, Florida, by Elise Baylor Wysong (1993)
A Treasury of Florida Tales, by Webb Garrison (Rutledge Hill Press 1989)
Black Florida, by Kevin M. McCarthy (Hippocrene Books 1995)
Dade Battlefield State Historic Site, by Florida Department of Parks
The Dade Massacre, by Frederick Cubberly (Government Printing Office 1921)
Dade Massacre and Dade Park, by J.C.B. Koonce
Dade's Last Command, by Frank Laumer (University Press of Florida 1995)
Flashbacks: The Story of Central Florida's Past, by Jim Robison and Mark Andrews (The Orlando Sentinel 1995)
Florida Back Roads, by Bob Howard (Sentinel Communications Company 1991)
Florida Historic Markers & Sites, by Floyd E. Boone (Gulf Publishing Company 1988)
Florida's History Through Its Places: Properties in the National Register of Historic Places, by Morton D. Winsberg (Florida State University 1988)
Guide to Florida's Historic Architecture, (University of Florida Press 1989)
History of Florida, by Caroline Mays Brevard (The Florida State Historical Society 1924)
History of the Second Seminole War 1835-1842, by John K. Mahon (University of Florida Press 1967)
Indian Foe, Indian Friend, by Jules Archer (Crowell-Collier Press 1970)
Looking Back - Sumter County: A Photographic Essay, by Doris Valentine (Sundial Print Shop 1981)
The Peninsular State Story: Florida's Fabulous History, by Charles J. Williams (Peninsular Life Insurance Company 1958)
War With the Seminoles: 1835-1842, by Kenneth M. Jones (Franklin Watts, Inc. 1975)
Click here for a copy of the trail rules