Pilaklikaha
also known as "Abraham's" Old Town
Abraham
Abraham, the Black Seminole warrior, politician and soldier is believe to have been born in the state of Georgia circa 1787 (Dixon 2007, 121). Little have been discovered about Abraham's time as a child. However, as a youth, Abraham escaped a life of bondage from a prominent land owner in Pensacola FL. After fleeing Pensacola when Andrew Jackson seized Pensacola, Abraham joined the ranks of Major Nichols of the British Army (Mathew Shack, 2016). As with many people of bondage, the lure of freedom was appealing and often used as a bargaining chip. This method was used to sway attitudes to garner support from various super powers of the day. As the War of 1812 was closing, British forces with their supporting actors (Maroons, Colonial Marines, Creek, Choctaw, and Seminole Indians) fled to the Apalachicola River and help build the British post in 1814 that became known as the Negro Fort. Indian agent Benjamin Hawkins is believed to coin the name "Negro Fort". British commander Nichols, withdrew from the Negro Fort "Prospect Bluff" and left the military fort in the possession of the Seminole Indians and the maroons. The Negro Fort was destroyed in 1816 at the command of General Andrew Jackson. Abraham survived the attack on the fort which resulted in an explosion. The inhabitants fled to the Lake Miccosukee , Suwannee , Pilaklikaha, and Manatee River areas. By 1826, a Black Seminole thought to be the same person was allied with Seminole Chief Micanopy. The Blacks that who fought with the British aligned themselves with the Seminole Chief Holata Micco (a.k.a. Billy Bowlegs ) on the Suwanee River. Abraham was freed for service as a Seminole interpreter during a trip to Washington DC and later married Seminole Chief Bowlegs' widow Hagan. During the 2nd Seminole War (1835-1842), he was called "Prophet", "Sense Bearer" and Sauanaffe Tustenuggee (Suwannee Warrior). Abraham created the town Pilaklikaha (1813-1836) and was adopted as a member of the Seminole nation becoming a prime minister of the Cowkeeper Dynasty and an advisor to Seminole Chief Micanopy. (Dixon 2007, 122) (Mathew Shack, 2016). Pilaklikaha was like other maroon communities supported by an agricultural base bosting crops of beans, melons, corn, rice and other vegetables. The fertile soils of the area also provided a source of food for livestock such as cattle, horses and fowl. By 1826, Pilaklikaha had over one hundred residents within its boundaries. (Dixon 2007, 122) American troops in 1836 destroyed his town called Peliklakaha (Many Ponds),. Abraham was relocated to Oklahoma and he might be buried in the Old Brunertown cemetery.
Abraham, Black Seminole interpreter and war leader (Image Source: Florida Memory Collection)
"Abraham, a Black Seminole Leader in the Second Seminole War (1835-1842). The Indians called him "Souanaffe Tustenukke," a title indicating membership in the highest of the three ranks of war leaders. He is wearing a typical Seminole dress and holding a rifle".
"The Old interpreter for General Jackson, the negro Abraham is still alive on the Little River at the advanced age of 120 years. Abraham had been a witness and interpreter in making the treaty of Payne's Landing, and dictated the important provisions in the supplemental treaty." Second Annual Report of the Board of Indian Commissioners to the Secretary of the Interior 1870.
Pilaklikaha
"One mile east of here is the site of the town of Pilaklikaha, established in 1813 by Black Seminoles. Meaning "many ponds" in the Mikasuki language, Pilaklikaha was the largest and most prosperous Black Seminole town in Florida, with a population of 100 men, women, and children. Many Black Seminoles were formerly enslaved peoples of African descent who fled bondage to Spanish Florida following the American Revolution. Driven into the Alachua and Suwannee regions by Georgia and Tennessee militias, they joined and mingled with the native Seminoles. Black Seminoles, though not formally adopted into the Seminole Tribe, formed a relationship with the native Seminoles who protected them from slave catchers in exchange for military aid and a portion of their crops as tribute. At its peak, Pilaklikaha contained timber, thatch-and-daub homes, corn cribs, and fences. Residents may have accumulated few possessions beyond simple dishes, arms, beads, and hand-made brushed pottery. During the 1820s, the settlement was visited by two American officials, Horatio Dexter and Lt. George McCall, who reported herds of cattle and horses along with fields of rice, beans, melons, pumpkins, and peanuts".
Abraham's Town
"Pilaklikaha was also known as "Abraham's Old Town," named after Abraham, who came to the area after escaping slavery in Pensacola around 1826. Abraham served as a skilled interpreter and the voice of the Seminoles during treaty negotiations with the United States government. He rose to prominence as the counselor for Chief Micanopy, even accompanying him on a diplomatic trip to Washington D.C. Abraham was later released from service in appreciation for his work. Assuming a connection to the Dade Massacre in 1835, United States Army soldiers, under the command of Brigadier General Abraham Eustis, burned Pilaklikaha to the ground on March 30, 1836, during the second escalation of the Seminole War. All the residents of the Abraham's town escaped weeks before its destruction. During the conflict, many native Seminoles and some Black Seminoles, including Abraham, were forcibly relocated to Indian Territory, in present-day Oklahoma, as part of the "Trail of Tears." Abraham died in Indian Territory sometime after 1870".
Sites of Interests
Pensacola, Florida
The Negro Fort / Fort Gadsden
"The Negro Fort and Fort Gadsden were both situated on the east bank at Prospect Bluff occupying a position which controlled water-borne traffic into the interior on the Apalachicola River".
"Fort Gadsden, built on the same site within the bounds of the old fortification, was located right on the water's edge. An aide to General Andrew Jackson reported to his superior in August of 1818 that Fort Gadsden was "a temporary work, hastily erected, and of perishable materials, without constant repair, it could not last more than four or five years." Today, only the earthen outlines of both structures are visible".
"Negro Fort is of national significance because its destruction precipitated the outbreak of the First Seminole War, 1817-1818, and the subsequent cession of Florida to the United States In 1821".
National Registry of Historic Places: National Parks Service
Pilaklikaha / Abraham's Town
One mile east of here is the site of the town of Pilaklikaha, established in 1813 by Black Seminoles. Meaning "many ponds" in the Mikasuki language, Pilaklikaha was the largest and most prosperous Black Seminole town in Florida, with a population of 100 men, women, and children.
Fort King National Historic Landmark
The Treaty of Payne's Landing was signed at this Seminole era fort in Ocala, Florida. The image above is a reconstructed version Fort King.
Dade Battlefield
Dade Battlefield Historic State Park was the site of the opening battle of the Second Seminole War on 28 December 1835. Angry over the American government's Indian removal policy, a group of 180 Seminole males attacked Major Francis Dade and his 103 soldiers marching from Fort Brook (Tampa) to Fort King (Ocala). Only three of the Americans survived. The event was for years known as Dade's Massacre. Starting in 1905, with Congressman Stephen Sparkman, attempts were made to preserve the site. Finally on 29 September 1921, at the urging of US Senator Duncan Fletcher, the state legislature purchased the site as a historic memorial. The 80-acre property was later transferred to the Florida Park Service as a state park. In 1972, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Dade Battlefield Historic Memorial. It was also designated as a National Historic Landmark.
Fort Cooper
"Fort Cooper was constructed in April 1836 during the Second Seminole War. General Winfield Scott instructed the First Georgia Battalion of Volunteers under the leadership of Major Mark Anthony Cooper to build two bastions and a blockhouse on the western shore of Lake Holathlikaha at the time of the Battle of Withlacoochee. On April 5, a skirmish broke out between the Seminole warriors and Cooper's men which led to the death of Private Zadock Cook of the Morgan Guards. From 1836 to 1842, the United States Army used the fort as a horse depot, a scouting post and a watering hole, after which time it was abandoned. In December of 1970, landowner John H. Eden Jr., sold land to the state and began working with archaeologists to excavate the Fort Cooper site. Fort Cooper was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 12, 1972. In 1977, the site opened to the public as a 704-acre state park".
Fort Peyton / Fort Moultrie
"Fort Peyton, established by Major General Thomas S. Jesup in August 1837 and garrisoned by regular army troops, was one of a chain of military outposts created during the Second Seminole Indian War, for the protection of the St. Augustine area".
"It consisted of four log houses built in a hollow square; two occupied by the troops, one by officers, and the fourth used as a hospital and commissary".
"This post was first known as Fort Moultrie but its name was changed in honor of lieutenant Richard H. Peyton, post commander in 1837. The Seminole Indian Chief Osceola, was captured about a mile south of this site".
"Fort Peyton was ordered abandoned by the Secretary of War, Joel R. Poinsett in May 1840. The buildings burned to the ground on February 14, 1842, presumably set afire by an incendiary".
Treaties
In the 1830's the United States government enacted the Indian Removal Act. This new found policy created additional conflict which led to the Second Seminole War (1835-1842). The intent of the policy was to remove the inhabitants to what was described as the Indian Territory. During the Second Seminole War, many Seminoles and Maroons were relocated west of the Mississippi River in present-day Oklahoma. This route became known as the "Trail of Tears."
Destruction
Abraham is believed to have been at many of the areas listed on Andrew Jackson's Route through West and East Florida.
Andrew Jacksons route through West Florida 1818 - The Highlighted sites are Pensacola, Florida and Fort Gadsden on the Apalachicola River (Image Source: Florida Memory Collection)
Andrew Jacksons route through East Florida 1818 - The Highlighted sites are Fort Gadsden and Old Town / Suwanee (Image Source: Florida Memory Collection)
Removal Route
Map depicting the removal of the inhabitants of Pilaklikaha route to New Orleans, Louisiana and on to the Indian Territory present-day Oklahoma
