(Sept. 19, 2010) Enlarge Yellow Bluff Fort

Yellow Bluff Fort is located on the northern side of the Saint John's River and is a Florida State Park. The site is next to a semi-trailer facility and is inside a manufactured home park. There is no visitor center, no staff, nor facilities, but there are cannons (see photo) and a monument to Confederate troops. The Fort at Yellow Bluff is really close to being a "T"-shaped earthwork which has seen plenty of bike action and metal detectors, hence the sign.

Yellow Bluff Fort is located in north Jacksonville, Florida on New Berlin Road. From 9A,exit to Heckscher Drive east. Take New Berlin road south from Heckscher Drive. Yellow Bluff Fort is approximately 2 miles on the right. There is a marker and picnic tables. The site is open daily.

Today the area not too far from the site is a cargo port and a cruise ship terminal. The Napoleon Bonaparte Broward Bridge is nearby. Heckscher Drive is the first exit before crossing the bridge from the north side and the first exit after the bridge if coming from the south side of the St. John's River. This section of Jacksonville, Florida is often referred to as "Dames Point"

Enlarged Views: Hit Back Button to return

(Sept. 19, 2010) Enlarge History of the Entrenchment at Yellow Bluff from the NPS Brochure

"Located on the north and opposite side of the St. Johns River from St. Johns Bluff, the site known as Yellow Bluff was 5 miles further upriver, closer to Jacksonville, and also important in protecting access to that city.

Yellow Bluff Fort was constructed in 1862 by the Confederate army to "relieve the valley of the Saint John's from the marauding
incursions of the enemy (Union army)." There was never an actual fort on Yellow Bluff, but a fortified encampment with T-shaped earthworks and equipped with large guns for protection. Federal troops seized it from the Confederates in 1862 and held it for the remainder of the war.

After a Confederate victory in the Battle of Olustee west of Jacksonville in February 1864, and in anticipation of a possible Confederate attack on Jacksonville, Federal forces refortified Yellow Bluff, strengthening the existing earthworks and building new ones amid "the almost impenetrable jungle" that covered the Dames Point peninsula. A signal station was built and all ships operating on the St. Johns River were ordered to anchor only at Yellow Bluff. By the end of March, 1864, Yellow Bluff was home to 346 enlisted men and 10 officers, mostly from the 55 Massachusetts Regiment (Colored). Federal troops maintained control of Jacksonville for the remainder of the war and continued to be stationed at Yellow Bluff until hostilities ceased."

(Sept. 19, 2010) Enlarge View of Yellow Bluff Monument from Reverse

The parking area and streets on the community can be seen from the back of the CSA monument. This fort is really an undeveloped site in a neighborhood and at first glance appears to be just a picnic area with two benches. At the time, there were no trees and about 350 troops in this area which is now off- the -beaten -path. From the reverse of the monument you can also see the small parking area.

(Sept. 19, 2010) Enlarge Cannons at Yellow Bluff Fort

The cannons are mounted on concrete bases and interspersed around the picnic area. The overgrown entrenchments can be seen behind the cannon in this photo. While the entrenchments were described as a "T"-shape by the National Park Service, we noticed the entrenchments did not seem to be a standard "T" but this may be due to the ravages of time. The cannons appeared to be from an earlier era, but it was impossible to determine much about the guns as a result of their corroded condition. Through the trees it was possible to see the river and imagine this as a strategic location.

(Sept. 19, 2010) Enlarge Yellow Bluff

The Yellow Bluff Fort Florida State Park is small park in a neighborhood so when in use during the war it must have been larger than the current small protected area hence this view is presented for the imagination.

During the war, Dames Point/Yellow Bluff was and still is located in a Humid Sub-Tropical Climate. Visitors are strongly encouraged to bring mosquito repellant and sunscreen.

(Sept. 19, 2010) Enlarge View of Picnic Area at Yellow Bluff

When we first arrived in the neighborhood on Sunday Sept 19, 2010 we thought we were in a some-what neglected park with a cannon and two picnic benches. We never would have guessed we were in a site of a fort as it looked just like a roadside park someone might find in many parts of America with a cannon, monument, and picnic tables, but after closer inspection the site revealed itself as the remains of Yellow Bluff Fort. Please notice the earthworks to the left side of the photo. Imagine what stories the trench could tell.