Okeechobee Battlefield, National Historic Landmark battlefield in Okeechobee, Florida.
Okeechobee Battlefield is a Florida State Park and National Historic Landmark four miles southeast of Okeechobee on US 98/441, near Taylor Creek. Its main feature is a low hummock that gave Seminole fighters defensive cover; north of it, across former open sawgrass, lies the wooded area where Colonel Zachary Taylor camped before the battle. Most of the 440 acres is now agricultural, and road construction has affected parts of the site.
The Battle of Lake Okeechobee was fought on Christmas Day 1837, when Colonel Zachary Taylor led U.S. troops against Seminole and Miccosukee warriors holding a low hummock. Taylor's force included regulars and volunteer regiments; the Seminoles used the hummock and tall sawgrass as cover. The engagement was among the major conflicts of the Second Seminole War.
A volunteer group stages annual reenactments of the Battle of Lake Okeechobee as a fundraiser for the park, and a marker was placed near the site in 1939. The ground itself is largely working farmland today, so the commemorative events rather than monuments carry the memory of the 1837 fight.
The battlefield lies four miles southeast of Okeechobee on US 98/US 441, beside Taylor Creek. Most of the 440 acres is working farmland, so the low hummock and the wooded camp area north of it are the main points to find. A marker placed near the site in 1939 stands as a reference point.
The landscape was covered with tall sawgrass that stood as high as 6 feet, making movement difficult during the fighting. This natural obstacle played a crucial role in how soldiers and warriors had to adapt their tactics and approach to the terrain.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 94,049 contributors worldwide.