King Philipstown / Osceola Historic Landmark

 mound, historic landmark

Quoted from Seminole County's historic marker:

Here, where the St. Johns River emerges from nearby Lake Harney, stands a shell mound complex significant to the history and pre-history of Seminole County. The mound has been examined by anthropologists Daniel Britton in the 1850s, Jeffries Wyman in the 1860s, and Clarence B. Moore in the 1890s, and remains today a significant archaeological and anthropological site in Seminole County. The site contains archaeological evidence supporting its use by prehistoric Orange (2000-5000BC) and St. Johns (500BC-1500AD) cultures and later by the historic Seminole.

By the time of the American settlement of the area, King Philip (Emaltha) and his son, Wildcat (Coacoochee), together with about 200 Seminoles has established a settlement here known as King Philipstown.

At the start of the Second Seminole Indian War (1837-1842) the Indians, feeling threatend by the army camp established at Lake Monroe in 1836-37, attacked the camp on February 8, 1837. The Indians were repulsed, and by the early 1840s the army had driven the Indians from this area.

About 1850 a man by the name of Cook operated a ferry here, and the location became known as Cook's Ferry. After the Florida East Coast Railroad crossed the river in 1911, the area became known as Bridge End.

From 1916-1940 the self-sufficient cypress mill town of 200 people known as Osceola flourished here operated by the Osceola Cypress Co. Daily cutting of lumber ran about 60,000 board feet. In 1926 it was described as "the principal commercial industrial community of Seminole County." The timber gone, the only relics of its past still visible are timber piling along the river bank, and on land, the square concrete block former company vault.

The area is presently known as Osceola Fish Camp.

Note: Since the monumenting of this marker, the Osceola Fish Camp has been cleared from the property. Seminole County is planning on establishing a park with a boat ramp in the area.