The sites of Forts Alabama and Foster were erected in the same location during the Second Seminole War to defend a bridge which carried the Fort King Military Road across the Hillsborough River. Fort Alabama was established in March 1836 and was abandoned a few months later. The fort was destroyed in the apparent explosion by Seminoles of a booby trap left by departing troops. Fort Foster was established in the winter of 1836, again to safeguard the bridge, rebuilt after the original fort’s burning by Seminoles. The fort was abandoned in 1838. The location was considered unhealthy, as sickness occasionally threatened to render the fort indefensible. The site is listed on the National register of Historic Places. The Fort Foster property was originally deeded to the Florida State Parks in 1973 by a local rancher. After much research, the Division of Recreation and Parks has authentically reconstructed Fort Foster and the bridge it protected on the original site.