Fort Lane was the first depot that was established on the west shore of Lake Harney by the Companies of "F" and "K" 2nd United States Infantry under the command of Major Greenleaf Dearborn of Maine. At this time barges were used from Fort Mellon which was located on Lake Monroe and 125 Florida Militiamen including a fifer and a drummer were sent here. The fort/depot after three months did complete its purpose and their was a proposal for detachment in 1838 and for the army to return back to Fort Mellon. A few other officers located at Fort Lane were Major Thomas Steniford, Lieutenants J.R.D. Bennett, William Alburtis, Silas Casey, and Hannibal Day. A second depot was established at Fort Christmas another area we will visit in the future. 

John Foote Lane was born in 1810 in the state of Kentucky he was the youngest of seven children. His parents were Amos Lane and Mary Foote Lane although irrelevant to the investigation I feel its important to whom this man was or became.  He was a very a very bright engineer and mathematician. He graduated from the US Military academy in 1828. He was also the inventor of the Pontoon Boat which is very well used in the swamps around Florida today. He was also a teacher of mathematics and philosophy at West Point.

Lane was a Captain serving the US Army's 2nd Dragoon Regiment and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and placed in the command of the Creek Indian Regiment with 750 Creek Indians under his command. In 1836 he departed from Alabama to Fort Drane another fort northwest of Ocala with 690 Creek Indians and 90 US soldiers to engage the Seminoles. When Colonel Lane arrived at Fort Drane in 1836 he came down with Encephalitis also known as brain fever. He went insane and in 1836 he took his own sword plunging it into his head committing suicide dying at the young age of 26 years old. Some famous Indians who fought along side with him were warriors like Jim Boy and Paddy Carr who served in the Creek Regiment.

I believe they named the fort after John Lane cause it was established around the time of his death. When the fort was shut down it remained abandoned for many years up to  1845. It was garrisoned occasionally but not on a regular basis. The lake the fort was built on was called Lake Harney by an army officer who discovered it in 1837 while aboard a steamship called the "Santee". But for many years before the town was named Geneva it was called Harney Cove which was a name that remained all the way up till the 1870s.  During that time with the Nearby Lake Jesup, Harney, Monroe and The St. Johns River generated more money then any other businesses in Seminole County during that time with commercial fishing. 

When the fort was established the area was quite swamping and many officers wanted it to be a floating barge depot but Jesup wanted a fixed base on land.  When the fort was established the Army did find a large Indian village nearby which had many utensils and food supplies left behind. I believe that this was King Philipstown which was quickly abandoned when the army established this fort and so hence the Seminoles were on the run. 

The area was eventually donated by W.A. Whitcomb for a park and was sponsored by the Geneva Garden Club from 1934 to 1961. It was turned over later to the Seminole County Commissioners and eventually the Geneva Historical Society. Eventually a museum was established here which has alot of Geneva Historical information. 

The first Seminole County historical marker was erected at this park called the Sieg Pavilion donated by the W.L. Sieg family in 1966 which is now screened. There is also a book which mentions Fort Lane written in 1977 called "Fort Mellon 1837-42 A Microcosm of the Second Seminole War" by Arthur S. Francke Jr. 

But this fort site contains more then just a place that a depot once existed. It has one of the oldest oak trees in Seminole County which its roots grow out into the river, it has an Indian mound and is the site of a plane crash. Its a very dismal area at night as it sits on the Lake and is very woodsy. You can feel alot of energy to the area or perhaps a strong significance that at one time some tragedies did occur here.

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Lord Rick-LordOfThyNight