Old Fort Park - New Smyrna Beach, Florida

Old Fort Park in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, is part of the ruins of the Dr. Andrew Turnbull colony, built centuries ago by European immigrants whom Turnbull hired. This area is rumored to be older than St. Augustine, which is America's oldest city, even before the pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock. Many of the immigrants came from Greece, thus New Smyrna Beach got its name from the Greeks who migrated to the "new world" and helped to settle the colony.

This fort is quite symbolic, for many of the immigrants Turnbull employed worked in less-than-stellar conditions and died from mosquitoes carrying disease. The park ruins, which rest on top of a grassy knoll overlooking the Indian River, are a symbol of the lost men who sacrificed their lives to develop Turnball's dream of colonization of the small riverfront area.

The wall is a fortress of sorts that was built against the rushing in of the Indian River waters during hurricane season, and it is quite impressive in its inner structuring, and outer expansiveness. The outer wall, 7-10 feet in height and remarkably intact, stretches the full length around one section of block encasing the park, on Riverside Drive and across from the road which leads to the North Causeway Bridge, on the mainland. Once up on the hill, one can actually look down and inside the interior, where there are rows; actual coquina brick and shell compartmentalized walls, and loose shell fragments still on the ground floor of hard packed dirt. There are massive oak trees throughout the park, some look as old as the fort itself, and there are walking paths for people and dogs. Dog owners must pick up after their animals, city ordinance, or risk a fine.

No alcohol is allowed, and the park opens at sunrise and closes at dusk.

There is ample free parking adjacent to the park, and across from the park on the side street is a skate and shuffleboard park open to the public as well. There are other various old architectural buildings, though twentieth century. On the grounds is a converted old Florida home that is now a library. Across from the parking area is the City Hall, housed in a vintage building and old church. Amongst the hustle of a busy small town, a piece of old Florida remains, and is a delight to visit and reflect upon. There are two benches on top of the hill. One by the mounds for observing, and one by the edge of the grass, where viewing of the Indian River is easy from that vantage, where the view includes the white-tipped sailboats in abundance passing by.