Joe CapozziOne Loxahatchee Battlefield collector with items in his garage worries he may die and his wife may dump it all.
The Loxahatchee Battlefield Preservationists are most visible to the public at their weekly tours and annual reenactments of two battles fought in present-day Jupiter during the second Seminole War in 1838.
Behind the scenes, volunteers with the Jupiter nonprofit are leading the charge on a modern-day mission: preparing for a museum and education center at Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park.
The center will tell the story of 5,000 years of history at a 760-acre hammock that is now Riverbend Park and Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park west of Florida’s Turnpike along Indiantown Road.
As Palm Beach County prepares to seek bids next year for a design, Loxahatchee Battlefield Preservationists have launched a campaign to raise $20,000 to preserve and protect hundreds of artifacts that will be showcased in the museum.
Those artifacts — musket balls, grapeshot, indian pottery shards, uniform buttons, nails, Congreve rockets, tools and more – are stored in the homes of a dozen or so local history buffs, many of whom are LBP members.
But the group wants to catalog, photograph and secure those items in a climate-controlled storage unit for at least five years while the museum is being built.
“Right now we have a lot of people with things in their closets. We would like to have something more concrete than that since these are going to end up in our museum,” said LBP board member Dick Kazmar.
He said one LBP member who has been having health issues has artifacts “overflowing” in a garage without air conditioning. “They are very impressive and there’s a lot of them. He told me he is afraid that he might pass away and his wife may just dump all of it,” Kazmar said.
Millions from the county
There is no solid timetable or estimates yet for construction, but the county is scheduled to take the first step late next year.
In October 2026, the county’s parks department will receive $6.3 million from the 1-penny sales tax, approved by voters in 2016 for construction projects. It will pay for designs, permitting and items such as water, sewer and electricity.
County officials anticipate an additional $8 million or more will be needed for construction — money LPB hopes to raise.
“Once design is complete, we will have a better idea of the total cost,” said Jennifer Cirillo, the county’s parks director.
A consultant chosen through competitive bidding will seek public comments in designing the museum, which was delayed in 2007 when money for the project was shifted to buying the Hatcher property to protect it from development and expand Cypress Creek Natural Area.
“This (museum) project is deferred infrastructure and a long time coming,” Cirillo said in an email. “We’re excited to kick off with a design consultant involving all stakeholders following October 1, 2026. We are also very grateful to be partnering with the LBP and their fundraising efforts.”
Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park, listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2024, comprises 63 acres inside the roughly 760-acre Riverbend Park.
More than just a battlefield
The museum will be built on Battlefield Park land already disturbed and not on the sites of the annual January reenactments. An exact location will be determined during the design process, expected to take up to 15 months.
Once completed, the museum will showcase the history of the 760-acre hammock. There is talk of using part of the new building for offices for the county archeologist.
Archaeologists have documented 43 historical sites within the park, some over 1,000 years old.
“It’s more than just the battlefield. There’s some great stories there,” said Kazmar, who wears an early 19th-century military uniform in his portrayal of Major Gen. Thomas Jesup at annual reenactments.
“We are looking to the future where we can have students there with the county archaeologist and they will actually do digs in the park.”
Ten sites are related to battles that took place on Jan. 15, 1838, and Jan. 24, 1838, when U.S. soldiers accompanied by Alabama and Tennessee militias, fought Native Americans supported by the Seminole Maroons, self-emancipated slaves and their descendants.
After the battles, more than 600 Native Americans and Seminole Maroons were captured at Fort Jupiter and marched to Fort Brooke in Tampa on the Florida Trail of Tears for emigration to present day Oklahoma.
Since at least the early 1990s, residents and history buffs have uncovered artifacts around the park, leading to talk in 1992 of a museum.
In 1995, the discovery of artifacts forced a shift in a road-widening project, sparking clashes between the county and preservationists and leading to the formation in 2007 of LBP.
The county officially recognized the park in 2010 by designating 63 acres of Riverbend Park as Loxahatchee River Battlefield Park.
The museum will be the park’s crowning jewel.
“One way or another it’s going to get built,” said Pat Rash, the park’s coordinator with the county parks department.
How you can help: Donate at a GoFundMe page set up by Loxahatchee Battlefield Preservationists.
