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| Site of third Fort Lauderdale - South Beach, across from Bahia Mar |
By Jane Feehan
Maj. William Lauderdale of Tennessee was sent to Florida to fight the Seminoles in 1837. Little did he dream a bustling city attracting visitors from around the world would spring up near the area of forts bearing his name.
According to local historian Rodney E. Dillon, Jr., all three forts bore Lauderdale's name.
Maj. Lauderdale, a veteran Indian fighter who some say, "successfully routed the Seminoles," was also a friend of President Andrew Jackson. The Major died of fever May 10th or 11th, 1838, in Baton Rouge, La., on his way home to Tennessee.
The first fort was built in 1838 at a fork in the News River and abandoned two months later. The second fort was thought to have been built in February of 1839 at Tarpon Bend near present-day Ninth Avenue. The third, a stronger structure, went up near today's Bahia Mar in the spring of 1839. Dillon wrote that General Zackery Taylor, comamnder of all Florida troops during the Seminole Wars, ordered the outpost to be built to protect shipwreck survivors from Indian attacks. This fort remained garrisoned until 1842; the name was left imprinted on the city's history.
In October 2005, the Daughters of the American Revolution dedicated a plaque honoring the major's service and his place in Fort Lauderdale's history. Held at the site of the third fort, the ceremony was attended by then Mayor Jim Naugle and local history enthusiasts.
Marge McClain, former regent for the Himmarshee chapter of the DAR discovered the original plaque, installed in 1929 by one of the founding chapter members, went missing a few years ago. One of the objectives of the DAR, whose members can prove a lineal descent from a patriot of the American Revolution, is to preserve local landmarks and historic structures across the country.
The DAR gave permission in 2005 to have the plaque made for the marker. It is designated the Old Fort Lauderdale Marker and is one of seven DAR historical signs in the city.
Locations of all seven are listed on the Frank Stranahan Marker at the north end of the New River Tunnel at Federal Highway and Las Olas Boulevard, the site of the first trading post in Fort Lauderdale. Other markers commemorate pioneers Ivy Stranahan and Camille Perry Bryan; the Colee Hammock massacre; Fort Lauderdale's first aviator, Merle Fogg; and Alexander R. "Sandy" Nininger, awarded posthumously the first Congressional Medal of Honor of World War II by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Jan. 29, 1942.
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Sources:
Karnap (Feehan), Jane. “DAR places plaque on beach to honor Maj. Lauderdale.” Sun Sentinel, Oct. 16, 2005.
Dillon, Jr., Rodney E. "Legends of Early Broward," 10.1-2, 1987.
Tags: History of Fort Lauderdale, Third fort of Fort Lauderdale Florida history, Fort Lauderdale history, Maj. William Lauderdale, historic sites Fort Lauderdale
