Henry "Ole Pete" Peterson is a heroic Tampanian

folk legend Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging fro ...

from

Port Tampa Port Tampa is a neighborhood in the southwestern most portion within the city limits of Tampa, Florida, on the western end of the Interbay Peninsula where the main port used to be. Within this neighborhood is Picnic Island Park as well as West Sh ...

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

, in the United States. He is considered by some to be the " John Henry" of Florida, with some sources saying that stories about Peterson pre-date those about Henry.

Legend

Henry Peterson, known locally as "Ole Pete", was said to be either a

roustabout Roustabout (Australia/New Zealand English: rouseabout) is an occupational term. Traditionally, it referred to a worker with broad-based, non-specific skills. In particular, it was used to describe show or circus workers who handled materials ...

switchman A switchman (North America) or pointsman (British Isles) is a rail transport worker whose original job was to operate various railway switches or points on a railroad. It also refers to a person who assists in moving cars in a railway yard o ...

longshoreman A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes. After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the number o ...

employed by the

Atlantic Coast Line Railroad The Atlantic Coast Line Railroad was a United States Class I railroad formed in 1900, though predecessor railroads had used the ACL brand since 1871. In 1967 it merged with long-time rival Seaboard Air Line Railroad to form the Seaboard Coast L ...

in Port Tampa, Florida. According to the legend, Ole Pete was the strongest man in all of Florida, with the power of a black bear and agility of a panther. He was known to crack coconuts with his bare hands for the children of Port Tampa, and for 50 cents he would engage a bull in a

headbutt A headbutt is a targeted strike with the head, typically (when intentional) involving the use of robust parts of the headbutter's cranium as the area of impact. The most effective headbutts strike the most sensitive areas of an opponent, such as ...

contest. One story tells how Ole Pete was taking a break in a

railcar A railcar (not to be confused with a railway car) is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach (carriage, car), with a dri ...

repair shed, his head resting on the tracks. Suddenly a switch engine pushed two rail cars into the shed where Ole Pete was resting. The first rail car in the shed ran over Ole Pete, causing it to derail. When workers rushed to his aid they witnessed him lifting the rail car back onto the tracks, to their astonishment not only was Ole Pete unharmed, but he was still half asleep. When the workers asked if he was alright, Ole Pete simply said, "My head feels kinda funny." Other powerful feats attached to Ole Pete include the use of a ship's anchor for a

pickaxe A pickaxe, pick-axe, or pick is a generally T-shaped hand tool used for prying. Its head is typically metal, attached perpendicularly to a longer handle, traditionally made of wood, occasionally metal, and increasingly fiberglass. A stand ...

and lifting a locomotive back on the rails. He is also reported to have uprooted a large tree, brought it home, and chopped it into four cords of firewood. Some sources say that Peterson died in 1934 at the age of 67. A Henry Peterson, 46 years old, black, male, appears on the 1910 United States Census for Hillsborough County, Florida.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ole Pete Legendary American people Fictional characters from Tampa, Florida Tall tales Florida folklore