Old drawing of Fort Fraser, Florida.
Fort Fraser, Florida, was a U.S. Army post established in 1837 by Lieutenant Colonel William S. Foster and the 4th U.S. Infantry during the Second Seminole War. The fort was constructed at the former site of Seminole Chief Oponey’s plantation by Lake Hancock. The fort was named for Captain Upton S. Fraser, who was killed in the Dade Massacre in December 1835.
The post was built to prepare for General Zachary Taylor’s march against the Seminole Indians. Colonel Foster ordered the construction of a bridge and causeway ahead of the fort in mid-November 1837. When General Taylor came through, he deposited supplies before continuing towards the Kissimmee River. Taylor’s march culminated in the Battle of Okeechobee on December 25, 1837.
The Army abandoned the fort in May 1838, but later used it informally as a shelter during the Third Seminole War and again in the Civil War. It was located in present-day Highland City, Florida.
Today, the site of Fort Fraser is located along the Fort Fraser Trail, a 7.75-mile path that runs from Bartow to Lakeland along the old route of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. It is also part of the Seminole Wars Heritage Trail.
Fort Fraser Trail, Florida.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated October 2026.
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