Fort Brooke

Fort Brooke was a historical military post situated on the east bank (at the mouth) of the Hillsborough River in present-day Tampa, Florida. The Tampa Convention Center currently stands at the site.

Fort Brooke as a military outpost

The fort was named after Col. George Mercer Brooke, who, on 10 January, 1824, led four full companies of the U.S. 4th Infantry Regiment from Pensacola to Tampa Bay to establish a military post. The intent of building the wooden fort was to hinder illegal activity around the area. Shortly after settlement, the adjutant of the War Department named the site Cantonment Brooke, only to have the name change a short time later. Fort Brooke would serve as a major outpost on Florida's Suncoast during all three Seminole Indian Wars and the Civil War. The fort also played a part in the development of the village of Tampa.

In October 1863, the small Battle of Fort Brooke was fought nearby. On 6 May, 1864, both Fort Brooke and Tampa were captured by Union Forces. As Tampa slipped backward during the 1870s and early 1880s, so did Fort Brooke. The last roll call of soldiers occurred in 1882 and the post was decommissioned by the United States Army after a long period of inactivity in 1883.

Fort Brooke as an incorporated town

Shortly after the post was decommissioned, Fort Brooke became an independent incorporated town in 1885; however, the town's charter dissolved when it was annexed by Tampa in 1907. [http://www.worldstatesmen.org/US_Mayors2.html] .

ee also

*Tampa-Fort Brooke, "a single census unit recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau in 1850.
*History of Tampa, Florida

External links

* [http://www.tampabayhistorycenter.org/ftbrooke.htm History Time Line of Fort Brooke] : From Tampa Bay History Center
* [http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/fl/fortbrooke.html Brief Fort Brooke article]