Fort Brooke was a historical military post established at the mouth of the Hillsborough River in present-day

Tampa, Florida Tampa ( ) is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. Tampa's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and t ...

in 1824. Its original purpose was to serve as a check on and trading post for the native

Seminoles The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

who had been confined to an interior reservation by the Treaty of Moultrie Creek (1823), and it served as a military headquarters and port during the

Second Seminole War The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between the United States and groups of people collectively known as Seminoles, consisting of Muscogee, Creek and Black Seminoles as well as oth ...

(1835–1842). The village of Tampa developed just north of the fort during this period, and the area was the site of a minor raid and skirmish during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

. The obsolete outpost was sparsely garrisoned after the war, and it was decommissioned in 1883 just before Tampa began a period of rapid growth, opening the land for development. Fort Brooke was located on what is now the southern end of

downtown Tampa Downtown Tampa is the central business district of Tampa, Florida, Tampa, Florida, United States, and the chief financial district of the Tampa Bay Area. It is second only to Westshore, Tampa, Westshore regarding employment in the area. Compani ...

along eastern bank of the river and the Garrison Channel. Most of the fort's structures were situated at the current site of the Tampa Convention Center, with the military reserve stretching from the current location of the Tampa Bay History Center to the southeast to Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park to the northwest, with many modern buildings and public spaces (including

Amalie Arena Amalie Arena (officially stylized as AMALIE Arena) is a multipurpose arena in Tampa, Florida, United States, that has been used for ice hockey, basketball, arena football, concerts, and other events. It is mainly used as the home for the Tamp ...

and much of the Tampa Riverwalk now located in its former footprint. Several unmapped army and Seminole cemeteries along with many artifacts were discovered during various construction projects. The soldiers' remains were re-interred at the

Florida National Cemetery Florida National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery located near the city of Bushnell, Florida, Bushnell in Sumter County, Florida. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs it encompasses and began interments ...

in Bushnell, the native remains were transferred to the

Seminole Tribe of Florida The Seminole Tribe of Florida is a List of federally recognized tribes, federally recognized Seminole tribe based in the U.S. state of Florida. Together with the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, it is ...

, and the artifacts were given to the Tampa Bay History Center and other institutions for research and preservation.

Fort Brooke as a military outpost

In 1823, Colonels George Mercer Brooke and James Gadsden of the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

were ordered to establish a military presence on

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...

in the newly acquired

Florida Territory The Territory of Florida was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from March 30, 1822, until March 3, 1845, when it was admitted to the Union as the state of Florida. Originally the major portion of the Spanish ...

to contain the

Seminole The Seminole are a Native American people who developed in Florida in the 18th century. Today, they live in Oklahoma and Florida, and comprise three federally recognized tribes: the Seminole Nation of Oklahoma, the Seminole Tribe of Florida, ...

Indians according to the Treaty of Moultrie Creek and to curtail illegal activities along the

Gulf A gulf is a large inlet from an ocean or their seas into a landmass, larger and typically (though not always) with a narrower opening than a bay (geography), bay. The term was used traditionally for large, highly indented navigable bodies of s ...

coast. On 10 January 1824, Brooke and four full companies of the U.S. 4th Infantry Regiment from

Pensacola Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only city in Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Pensacola metropolitan area, which ha ...

established "Cantonment Brooke" at the mouth of the Hillsborough River, just about where today's Tampa Convention Center sits in

. The site was marked by a huge

hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes 19 species accepted by ''Plants of the World Online''. Seven species are native to southeast Asia in China, Indochina, and northeastern India (Assam), and twelve ...

tree atop an ancient

Indian mound Many pre-Columbian cultures in North America were collectively termed "Mound Builders", but the term has no formal meaning. It does not refer to specific people or archaeological culture but refers to the characteristic mound earthworks that in ...

, most likely built by the Tocobaga culture centuries before. Brooke directed his troops to clear the area for the construction of a wooden log

fort A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from La ...

and support buildings, but he ordered that several ancient

live oak Live oak or evergreen oak is any of a number of oaks in several different sections of the genus ''Quercus'' that share the characteristic of evergreen foliage. These oaks are generally not more closely related to each other than they are to o ...

trees inside the encampment be spared to provide shade and cheer. In 1824, the post was officially rechristened Fort Brooke. Fort Brooke would serve as a major outpost on Florida's west coast during all three Seminole Indian Wars and the

Civil War A civil war is a war between organized groups within the same Sovereign state, state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies.J ...

. The fort also played a part in the development of the village of Tampa. In October 1863, the small Civil War

Battle of Fort Brooke The Battle of Fort Brooke was a minor engagement fought October 16–18, 1863 in and around Tampa, Florida during the American Civil War. The most important outcome of the action was the destruction of two Confederate blockade runners which ...

was fought nearby. On May 6, 1864, both Fort Brooke and Tampa were captured by Union forces. As Tampa languished during the 1870s and early 1880s, so did Fort Brooke. The last

roll call ''Roll Call'' is a newspaper and website published in Washington, D.C., United States, when the United States Congress is in session, reporting news of legislative and political maneuverings on Capitol Hill, as well as political coverage of c ...

of soldiers occurred in 1882 and the post was decommissioned by the U.S. Army in 1883.

Closure and as incorporated town

After the fort's closure, most of the land was open to homesteaders, and some garrison buildings remained on site.Rajtar, p. 17. Shortly after the post was decommissioned, Fort Brooke became an independent incorporated town in 1885. Fort Brooke was annexed by Tampa in 1907.

References

{{reflist ;Sources *Cantor Brown, Jr. ''Tampa Before the Civil War'' (University of Tampa Press: 1999) *Steve Rajtar, A Guide to Historic Tampa (

The History Press The History Press is a British publishing company specialising in the publication of titles devoted to local and specialist history. It claims to be the United Kingdom's largest independent publisher in this field, publishing approximately 300 ...

: 2007)

External links

History Time Line of Fort Brooke
From Tampa Bay History Center

Florida Seminole Wars Heritage Trail.
History of Tampa, Florida Buildings and structures in Hillsborough County, Florida Florida in the American Civil War Brooke Brooke Pre-statehood history of Florida Former municipalities in Florida 1823 establishments in Florida Territory 1883 disestablishments in Florida Second Seminole War fortifications

Fort Brooke as a military outpost

Closure and as incorporated town

See also

References

External links