Braden Castle

 (1850-1858) - A private house/fortification built in 1850 by Dr. Joseph Addison Braden in present day Bradenton, Manatee County, Florida. Used as a settler fortification during the Third Seminole War. Probably abandoned as a fortification when the war ended in 1858.

History
A private fortified house known as "Braden Castle" built in 1850 by Dr. Joseph Addison Braden after he moved from Fort Braden near Tallahassee. Dr. Braden established a sugar plantation on some 900-1100 acres that included the house and a sugar/grist mill. The plantation was located at the strategic junction of the Manatee and Braden Rivers.

Braden Castle was built by slave labor of a concrete like mixture of lime, sand, crushed shells and water known as "tabby". The Castle was a two and a half story structure with 16 to 20 inch thick walls measuring about 54' by 38'. There were 4 large rooms on each floor with four chimneys and eight fireplaces. This strong building offered security for Dr. Braden and his neighbors during the Third Seminole War. The post was attacked by hostile Seminole Indians in February 1856 but the attack was repelled.

Dr. Braden lost the property to foreclosure in 1857 and he reportedly died in La Grange, Georgia on 7 Feb 1859. Braden Castle was probably abandoned as a fortification when the Third Seminole War ended in 1858. The property was sold after the civil war and the house became a social center of the community. The structure was heavily damaged by fire in 1903 although the walls remanded standing for a number of years.

Current Status
Marker and ruins only in Bradenton, Manatee County, Florida.

Sources:
 * , page 151

Links:
 * North American Forts - Braden Castle
 * Braden Castle Ruins
 * Braden Castle
 * Braden Genealogy