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Fort Heileman Cemetery

Middleburg, Clay County, Florida, USA

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  • Get directions Main Street
    Middleburg, Florida 32068 United States
    Coordinates: 30.07327, -81.85460
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Fort Heileman Cemetery was founded in the 1830's during the Seminole Indian Wars against the settlers of Florida. Many settlers were driven from their homes by the Seminole Indians and they spread out to the differing forts being established around Florida. One such fort was Fort Heileman along Black Creek, down present day Main Street and all along the surrounding area, even up into Middleburg at Blanding & Palmetto. There were so many suffering inhabitants, as they were referred as, that death was paramount. A cemetery needed to be established; therefore, Lieutenant M.M. Clark, the assistant quartermaster, bought 1,000 feet of lumber made of white pine in January of 1838 to build coffins. He bought lumber from Mr. Phillip M. Hall. In February he was in need to purchase more; so he bought 3,673 feet more from Mr. J. B. Morgan. It was stated by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas F. Hunt that so many were dying that he had already used more than 1500 pounds of cut nails, in which a large amount of that were used for coffins alone. In December of 2004 a small area of the cemetery at Fort Heileman was rediscovered; however, it has not been available for the public to visit. Hopefully in the future the Preservation Society & Historical Society will be able to do more to preserve this important part of the history of Middleburg.

-By Talmia Slade Burr

Sources:

"The Early History of Clay County: A Wilderness that Could be Tamed", Kevin S. Hooper, The History Press, Charleston, South Carolina, 2006, page 126-127.



Fort Heileman Cemetery was founded in the 1830's during the Seminole Indian Wars against the settlers of Florida. Many settlers were driven from their homes by the Seminole Indians and they spread out to the differing forts being established around Florida. One such fort was Fort Heileman along Black Creek, down present day Main Street and all along the surrounding area, even up into Middleburg at Blanding & Palmetto. There were so many suffering inhabitants, as they were referred as, that death was paramount. A cemetery needed to be established; therefore, Lieutenant M.M. Clark, the assistant quartermaster, bought 1,000 feet of lumber made of white pine in January of 1838 to build coffins. He bought lumber from Mr. Phillip M. Hall. In February he was in need to purchase more; so he bought 3,673 feet more from Mr. J. B. Morgan. It was stated by Lieutenant Colonel Thomas F. Hunt that so many were dying that he had already used more than 1500 pounds of cut nails, in which a large amount of that were used for coffins alone. In December of 2004 a small area of the cemetery at Fort Heileman was rediscovered; however, it has not been available for the public to visit. Hopefully in the future the Preservation Society & Historical Society will be able to do more to preserve this important part of the history of Middleburg.

-By Talmia Slade Burr

Sources:

"The Early History of Clay County: A Wilderness that Could be Tamed", Kevin S. Hooper, The History Press, Charleston, South Carolina, 2006, page 126-127.



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  • Added: 28 Mar 2015
  • Find a Grave Cemetery ID: 2573982