Addison Blockhouse Historic State Park in Florida, USA - map and visitor information

Addison Blockhouse Historic State Park preserves plantation ruins connected with the Second Seminole War in Volusia County, Florida. The property is not open to the public. Use this page to understand the site’s history and plan a visit to nearby public parks instead.

Why this historic site matters

• A detached kitchen later served a defensive role during the Second Seminole War.
• Surviving remains include a coquina structure, a house foundation, and a well.
• The site links plantation history with the challenges of preserving ruins.

Know before you go

Fees, hours, and seasonal access

Safety information

Do not attempt to enter the ruins or arrange an independent boat landing. A river approach shown in historical records does not grant access. If management authorizes a specific visit, request its current safety instructions before departure.

Visit responsibly

Leave historic material in place. Do not climb walls, move stones, or collect objects. Treat plantation history with attention to enslaved people and the Seminole conflict, as well as the surviving buildings.

Reservations and permits

Do not plan a routine walk-in visit. Ask the managing authority whether any authorized interpretation is available.

Maps, location, and access

The park belongs to the Tomoka Basin group in Volusia County. The Tomoka River provides geographic context for the ruins, but it is not a visitor entrance instruction. Use the separate entrances of nearby parks for a public outing.

Nearby parks

• Tomoka State Park is a nearby public alternative in Ormond Beach, with road access at 2099 North Beach Street. Confirm current entrance conditions before driving.
• Bulow Creek State Park has Fairchild Oak access on Old Dixie Highway, north of Tomoka’s entrance. Use its signed public entrance rather than looking for a road into Addison Blockhouse.

Ways to explore the history

• Learn the sequence: Distinguish the building’s original kitchen use from its later defensive role.
• Ask about interpretation: Historical presentations have taken place at Tomoka, but a past event does not establish a current program.
• Plan a nearby outing: Choose a public park for time outdoors while respecting the ruins’ access restriction.

Facilities and accessibility

Plan your restroom, drinking-water, and parking stops elsewhere. Services at Tomoka or Bulow Creek do not establish services at Addison Blockhouse.

About this historic state park

History

The Macrae brothers operated sugar production here from 1832 to 1836 using earlier Addison plantation buildings. Enslaved people were part of this plantation landscape. During fighting in 1836, soldiers used the detached kitchen defensively. The plantation was subsequently abandoned. Part of the structure was rebuilt in the 1920s, so the remaining building does not represent one unchanged moment in history.

Contact

For management guidance, contact Florida DEP’s Division of Recreation and Parks at 850-245-3029 or [email protected]. This is a statewide contact. Ask to be directed to the staff responsible for Addison Blockhouse.