Hogtown was a 19th-century settlement in and around what is now Westside Park in Gainesville,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

, United States (in the northeast corner of the intersection of NW 8th Avenue and 34th Street) where a

historical marker A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, or in other places referred to as a historical marker, historic marker, or historic plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, bearing text or an image in relief, or both, ...

"Historical Markers in Alachua County, Florida -- HOGTOWN SETTLEMENT / FORT HOGTOWN", Retrieved 2011-06-27
"Historic Markers Across Florida -- Hogtown settlement / Fort Hogtown", Retrieved 2011-06-27 notes Hogtown's location at that site and is the eponymous outpost of the adjacent Hogtown Creek. Originally a village of

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, ...

s who raised hogs, the habitation was dubbed "Hogtown" by nearby

white people White is a Race (human categorization), racial classification of people generally used for those of predominantly Ethnic groups in Europe, European ancestry. It is also a Human skin color, skin color specifier, although the definition can var ...

who traded with the Seminoles. Indian artifacts were found at Glen Springs, which empties into Hogtown Creek. Map of Alachua County 1865

History

In 1824, Hogtown's population was 14. After the acquisition of Florida by the United States, white settlers began moving into the area. The 1823

Treaty of Moultrie Creek The Treaty of Moultrie Creek, also known as the Treaty with the Florida Tribes of Indians, was an agreement signed in 1823 between the government of the United States and the chiefs of several groups and bands of Native Americans living in the p ...

obliged the Seminoles to move to a reservation in central Florida. Under the terms of the treaty, Chief John Mico received $20 as compensation for the "improvements" the Seminoles had made in Hogtown. The 1832

Treaty of Payne's Landing The Treaty of Payne's Landing (Treaty with the Seminole, 1832) was an agreement signed on 9 May 1832 between the government of the United States and several chiefs of the Seminole Indians in the Territory of Florida, before it acquired statehood. ...

required the Seminoles in Florida to move to west of the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the main stem, primary river of the largest drainage basin in the United States. It is the second-longest river in the United States, behind only the Missouri River, Missouri. From its traditional source of Lake Ita ...

after three years. Most of the Seminoles did not want to leave Florida. As the deadline for the start of the removal approached, tensions increased in Florida. A militia unit called the Spring Grove Guards ( Spring Grove was about west of Hogtown) was organized in Spring 1835, with many of its 60 or so members living in Hogtown. In June 1835 there occurred an incident called the "Murder of Hogtown" (not to be confused with a work of fiction so titled): A party of seven or eight Seminoles were hunting off of their reservation which ended near what is now Ocala, FL. During this hunt they killed a cow and made camp near Hogtown. A group of whites found five or six of the Seminoles at their camp, seized their weapons, and began whipping the Seminoles. The other two Seminoles returned to the camp, and seeing their fellows being whipped, opened fire on the whites. In the ensuing fight, three of the whites were wounded, one Seminole was killed, and another Seminole was reported to have been mortally wounded. (Some of the whites were members of the Spring Grove Guards, but were not on duty at the time.) Indian Agent

Wiley Thompson Wiley Thompson (September 23, 1781 – December 28, 1835) was a United States representative from Georgia. Born in Amelia County, Virginia, Thompson moved to Elberton, Georgia, and served as a commissioner of the Elbert County Academy in 1808. ...

demanded the surrender of the surviving Seminoles, and they were turned over to government custody for trial. There is no record of a trial occurring, however, reportedly because the whites involved did not want their actions examined in court. In August, Private Kinsley Dalton was killed while carrying the mail from

Fort Brooke Fort Brooke was a historical military post established at the mouth of the Hillsborough River (Florida), Hillsborough River in present-day Tampa, Florida in 1824. Its original purpose was to serve as a check on and trading post for the native S ...

(

Tampa 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 ...

) to

Fort King Fort King (also known as Camp King or Cantonment King) was a United States military fort in north central Florida, near what later developed as the city of Ocala. It was named after U.S. Army Colonel William King, commander of the 4th Infantry Re ...

(

Ocala Ocala ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Marion County, Florida, United States. Located in North Central Florida, the city's population was 63,591 as of the 2020 census, up from 56,315 at the 2010 census and making it the 43rd-most popul ...

), allegedly in retaliation for the Seminoles killed at Hogtown. Following the start of 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 ...

in late December 1835, white settlers throughout Florida left their homes or took steps to protect themselves. The residents of Hogtown built a fortification called "Fort Hogtown". In 1961, the City of Gainesville annexed the former site of Hogtown. As noted by Steve Rajtar in "Guide to Historic Gainesville",

Some consider Hogtown to be the earliest name of what is now known as Gainesville. Most historians, however, consider them to be two separate communities, with Gainesville being the first and only name of the present city.Rajtar:15

Nonetheless, colloquially, "Hogtown" is often used as a synonym for Gainesville and many Gainesville businesses and events identify themselves as "Hogtown".

Citations

References

* * * * * {{Authority control 19th century in Florida Former populated places in Alachua County, Florida Former populated places in Florida Former villages in Florida Geography of Gainesville, Florida History of Florida