Historic Capron Trail Monument

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Historic Capron Trail Now Marked With Marble Shaft

Cora Stickney Harper Chapter Preserves Eastern Terminus.

The Cora Stickney Harper Chapter has had two meetings since its last report. Last year it became apparent that the site of the Capron Trail, the first cross-state road in Florida, would have to be marked at its eastern terminus, or lost, because the site of old Fort Capron had been purchased by the San Lucie Plaza Corporation for development purposes. A marble shaft came as a result of the meetings. 

Mrs. Frances L. McCarty, then regent, took the matter up with Dr. Woodford J. Copeland, president of the corporation and he generously presented the chapter with an artistic shaft for the purpose of marking the site of the original trail between Fort Capron and Fort Brooke, now Tampa, the chapter to provide suitably inscribed bronze tablets to be attached in the squares at the base of the monument. 

Everything being in readiness, February 22, Washington’s birthday was selected for the unveiling ceremonies. 

Fort Capron.

In 1838 Fort Pierce was established and in 1850 Fort Capron was built and garrisoned by American troops. The necessity of a cross-state trail was soon realized and one was build from then Fort Brooke, now Tampa, with its eastern terminus at Fort Capron, and the site of that trail was marked with appropriate unveiling ceremonies by the Cora Stickney Chapter of the D.A.R. by a beautiful marble shaft presented to the chapter by Woodford J. Copeland, president of San Lucie Plaza Corporation, upon whose land Fort Capron was located. 

There were probably 105 people present, including twenty children from the Pines, a private school. The unveiling ceremonies were held by the chapter and representatives of Dr. Copeland at 10 o’clock, and the program was participated in by the Fort Pierce band, Dr. Fred A. Cook, rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church pronounced the invocation of the Divine blessing on the ceremonies.

The marker was presented to the D.A.R. by Dr. E. H. Yocum, emeritus pastor of Woolrich M. E. Church, of Woolrich, PA, grandfather of George Yocum, Jr., of San Lucie Plaza Corporation. Dr. Yocum spoke with much eloquence of the wide-awake community where such wonderful progress had been made in less than three score years. He reverently referred to the great work of the Daughters of the American Revolution, in marking historical spots, with suitable monuments all over the country. Realizing that Florida had a wonderful history, he was not surprised to find such evidences as that beautiful shaft and other consistent monuments in many places in the state. 

On behalf of his friend, Dr. W. J. Copeland, he said he had the honor of presenting this monument to the Cora Stickney Harper Chapter, Daughters of the American Revolution. 

Mrs. W. E. Tylander, regent of the chapter, in accepting the gift, spoke feelingly of what that monument represented to us and to future generations of men and women who, in crossing that trail, blazed the way for our safety, and our civilization of today. 

After Mrs. Tylander’s acceptance, Bobbie D’Aligny, Garland Hayes, Vincent Anderson and Fred McMullen four young Americans pulled the cords that lowered the covering of the monument and four beautiful flags with which it was decorates.