About Fort Christmas

Fort Christmas, Florida
On Christmas Day, December 25, 1837, a force of 2,000 U.S. Army soldiers and Alabama Volunteers arrived in this area near the St. Johns River to construct a supply depot, which was aptly named Fort Christmas. The United States was in the midst of the Second Seminole Indian War, and the Battle of Okeechobee was also taking place on this same Christmas Day. Building the fort required many supplies. A train of fifty wagons with 20,000 rations were moved to the area. Twenty bridges ranging from twenty to seventy feet long and six of seven causeways were built in order to bring the wagons to the area where the fort would be built. They arrived on the 25th of December. Fort Christmas was built eighty feet square with pickets and two substantial block houses that were twenty feet square.
	Bessie, the Lake Douglas Ranch Quality Assurance Cow

A company of about eight soldiers remained encamped at Fort Christmas. As the war progressed, much of the military action moved southward. Supply ships started using the Jupiter Inlet because it was faster than using the St. Johns River. For these reasons, Fort Christmas was abandoned in March of 1838.

In 1976, as a bicentennial project, Orange County Parks and Recreation joined with the Army Corp of Engineers to begin construction of a full size replica of Fort Christmas. The "new" fort was completed in December of 1977, one mile south of its original location, exactly 140 years later.

The Fort Christmas Museum is located on the site and has additional information on the rich history of the area. It is located on Fort Christmas Road, about two miles north of State Road 50, across from the Fire Station.

The name of the community was changed from "Fort Christmas" to "Christmas" when the U.S. Post Office was opened in 1892. Today, Christmas is home to a little more than 1,000 residents and cows outnumber the inhabitants more than two to one. The community is proud of a large Christmas tree display which has been in continuous existence since 1952. The tree sits on the corner of State Road 50 and Fort Christmas Road and is lit at night.

Other dates of interest in Fort Christmas history:

1821 - The United States purchases Florida from Spain

1837 - The US Army fort is established as Fort Christmas

1842 - This section of Florida is named Mosquito County and cattle ranching is started.

1845 - Mosquito County is renamed to Orange County and Florida becomes a recognized state in the same year

1867 - The first burial occurs in the Fort Christmas cemetery

1873 - The first school in Fort Christmas is established in H. Partin's home.

1892 - The Fort Christmas Post Office was established on June 27.

1896 - The first telephone system is started in Orange County

1906 - Union School is built in Fort Christmas

1924 - The Cheney Highway opened, (now called State Road 50) linking Orlando to the east coast

1930 - A new Fort Christmas Post Office was built on Cheney Highway

1942 - The first telephone service was installed in Fort Christmas

1947 - Electricity was established for the Christmas community

Excerpts taken from History of Fort Christmas,
Compiled by The Fort Christmas Historical Society

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Our Mailing Address:

Lake Douglas Ranch
PO Box 1133
Christmas, FL 32709