Fort Christmas

[oldsparkey]

Fort Christmas is an interesting place to spend a few hours if you like the old homes and Forts. This is there web site. http://www.nbbd.com/godo/FortChristmas/

This dugout was found in the St.Johns River when we had the dry spell.

One of the old ranch homes and former hunting clud .. The Bee Head House

From the front

The back

The back corner

The living room

The kitchen

The Brown House

The Brown house living room

One ofThe Brown House bedrooms

An early SUV........

The main door of the fort

The Uniforms of the warriors

Inside the forts main entrance

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Nice piccies (WHERE did I learn that?) That dugout looks in perfect condition. If I'd have found it, I would be paddling it now. Darned if I'd turn in a piece like that.

(Chuck - notice that the guys who invented the boat were smart enough to use a round-bottomed boat? Darn, that ought to tell you something. Like the old ads for Packard used to say, "Ask the man who owns one.")

 

[stevesteve]

Jack,
They couldn't find any flat bottomed logs

Seriously, what a piece of woodcraft. Cutting into a raw log with hand tools to make a nice 1" thick, uniform hull like that. Any idea how old it actually is?

 

[Kayak Jack]

Like you, Steve2, I marvel at the patience and skill of people who could do that. And, it isn't only the fact that they could remove wood neatly, they designed a hydrodynamically clean hull.

Given aluminum (or, aluminium) and time, they would have invented the airplane too.

 

[oldsparkey]

No idea on the age of it. All I know is back in the old days if they needed a boat they cut down a Cypress tree, hollowed it out and went on there way.

The Army would sink there boats when they got to there destination, this was to have them out of sight, and when they returned then re-float them and go where they wanted to. This one was buried in the mud on the bottom of the St.Johns River so it probably dates back to one of the three Seminole Wars time period , 1817 to 1858.

If it was an Indian canoe then it would be a lot older. It is a shame they could not locate any flat sided trees then they could have had a good canoe with a flat bottom. :lol:

Chuck.

 

[Kayak Jack]

Anyone smart enough to hollow out a log was smart enough to know how to flatten one side. And, also smart enough to know better. Had they wanted it, you would see it. Obviously, they didn't want it.

Sinking a log canoe has several advantages, I'd guess. Not only is it concealed from your enemies, it also doesn't dry out and develop cracks.

Probably, the graphite-enriched epoxy they applied to the bottom was all worn off by the time you saw it, I'll bet.

 

[oldyaker]

The house and homestead reminds me of the one we visited in the Okey Swamp this past summer Chuck....

Jeez! I thought the warrior on the left was Jack! :shock: Than I realized Jack ain't that good looking. :roll: :wink:

Real nice Pix Chuck!

 

[seedtick]

I agree with Chuck, it likely dates back to the 1800's or at least a time when iron tools were available. Early Indian made dugouts that predate iron tools were burnt out and scraped with clam shells resulting in a more rounded dugout. The presence of seats and seat brackets cut into the sides would indicate to me that iron tools were employed.

Of course that's just an opinion, I don't consider myself an expert

 

[Eichhornia]

You going to Cracker Christmas?

 

[oldsparkey]

I probably will ...( Dec 2-3) ...... I was talking to some of the staff and they were asking if I could put one of my boats on display for Pioneer days. I asked them if I could think about it and then get back with them.

Chuck