Remembering the Seminole Wars

Exploring the development and influence of historic sites that memorialize and interpret the Seminole Wars

In Florida, travelers and residents can visit numerous historic sites that inform the public about the Seminole Wars, conflicts fought between the United States and the Seminole during the first half of the nineteenth century. This book focuses on four of these places—Dade Battlefield Historic State Park, Paynes Creek Historic State Park, Okeechobee Battlefield Historic State Park, and Fort King National Historic Landmark—to explore how history has been interpreted at each site over the years.

By comparing the sites, Daniel Murphree identifies shared and different factors shaping their development, including settler colonialism and the extent of Seminole and Miccosukee involvement. He finds that disagreements over who controls and interprets their histories—among officials, local advocates, Indigenous communities, scholars, and visitors—have surrounded the sites from their beginnings and remain important today. Remembering the Seminole Wars helps readers understand how history influenced these sites and how interpretations of the past shape public understanding of the Seminole Wars in modern Florida.