New exhibit at Fort King

Bottles and pieces of bottles from previous excavations are shown at the Fort King National Historic Landmark. [File photo by Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]

The city of Ocala Recreation and Parks Department and Fort King National Historic Landmark, in partnership with the Gulf Archaeology Research Institute, Marion Cultural Alliance – National Endowment for the Arts and Fort King Heritage Foundation, will debut a new exhibit, “Fort King’s Hidden Bottles,” on June 26. It will highlight bottles uncovered after Hurricane Gladys uprooted a tree in 1968.

The exhibit will launch during the first evening of the Summer Night Lecture Series, which is free and open to all ages. The series will run 6 to 9 p.m. Thursdays through Aug. 14

2025 Summer Night Lecture Series Topics:
• June 26 – Hurricanes & History: Fort King’s Hidden Bottles
• July 3 – Steel & Skills: Blacksmithing with Jordan Borstelmann
• July 10 – Marion County Agriculture: Past, Present, and Future with Mark Bailey
• July 17 – Birds of Fort King with Maxfield Weakly, Marion Audubon Society
• July 24 – Protecting Wildlife Through Sustainable Pest Control with Mikayla Frierson
• July 31 – Florida’s Seminole Agents with Dr. Joe Deklinski
• Aug. 7 – The Life and Legacy of William King with Historian Dale Cox
• Aug. 14 – Native Plant Uses in History with Amanda Marek, University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences

The Fort King National Historic Landmark is located at 3925 E. Fort King St., Ocala. For more information, call (352) 401-6980 or visit fortkingocala.com

Clint Gallant, Stephanie Bauman and Maraiya Sanchez, left to right, work on an archaeological dig at the Fort King National Historic Landmark on in Ocala on July 15, 2024. [File photo by Bruce Ackerman/Ocala Gazette]