There’s a forsaken military lab hiding in Orlando. Here’s what happened to it

ORLANDO, Fla. – Drivers heading past Lake Gem Mary along Gatlin Avenue may be familiar with an old sealed-off building stashed away on the lakeside.

What drivers might not know is that this was once the site of an underwater Naval research laboratory.

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The site sticks out like a sore thumb in the middle of the residential neighborhood, sparking questions about what it’s being used for nowadays and what could be hiding within.

But to figure that out, we have to head back to the 1830s, when this site — Fort Gatlin — was used as a military outpost during the Second Seminole War.

According to historian Jason Byrne , the location was picked thanks to the three nearby lakes (Lake Gem Mary, Lake Jennie Jewel, and Lake Gatlin), which set up natural chokepoints to help d