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Fort Brooke was a historical military post situated on the east bank (at the mouth) of the Hillsborough River
Hillsborough River (Florida)

The Hillsborough River is a river located in the state of Florida in the United States. It arises in the Green Swamp near the juncture of Hillsborough County, Florida, Pasco County, Florida and Polk County, Florida counties, and flows through Pasco and Hillsborough Counties to an outlet in the city of Tampa, Florida on Tampa Bay....
 in present-day Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a United States city in Hillsborough County, Florida, on the west coast of the state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County....
. The Tampa Convention Center
Tampa Convention Center

The Tampa Convention Center is a mid-sized convention center located in Downtown Tampa, Florida. Its location is ideal because it has both waterfront views, and views of the skyline....
 currently stands at the site.

823, Colonels George Mercer Brooke and James Gadsden
James Gadsden

James Gadsden . Namesake of the Gadsden Purchase, in which the United States purchased from Mexico the land that became the southern portion of Arizona and New Mexico....
 of the United States Army
United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
 were ordered to establish a military presence on Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay

This article is about the body of water. For the demographic region, see Tampa Bay Area. For the city, see Tampa, FloridaTampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Old Tampa Bay, Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, and New Tampa Bay....
 in the newly-acquired Florida territory
History of Florida

The history of Florida can be traced back to when the first Native Americans in the United States began to inhabit the peninsula as early as 14,000 years ago....
 to contain the Seminole
Seminole

The Seminole are a Native Americans in the United States people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation was formed in the 18th century and was composed of Native Americans from Georgia , Mississippi, and Alabama, most significantly the Creek people, as well as African Americans who escap...
 Indians and curtail illegal activities along the gulf coast
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
.






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Fort Brooke was a historical military post situated on the east bank (at the mouth) of the Hillsborough River
Hillsborough River (Florida)

The Hillsborough River is a river located in the state of Florida in the United States. It arises in the Green Swamp near the juncture of Hillsborough County, Florida, Pasco County, Florida and Polk County, Florida counties, and flows through Pasco and Hillsborough Counties to an outlet in the city of Tampa, Florida on Tampa Bay....
 in present-day Tampa, Florida
Tampa, Florida

Tampa is a United States city in Hillsborough County, Florida, on the west coast of the state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County....
. The Tampa Convention Center
Tampa Convention Center

The Tampa Convention Center is a mid-sized convention center located in Downtown Tampa, Florida. Its location is ideal because it has both waterfront views, and views of the skyline....
 currently stands at the site.

Fort Brooke as a military outpost

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

James Gadsden . Namesake of the Gadsden Purchase, in which the United States purchased from Mexico the land that became the southern portion of Arizona and New Mexico....
 of the United States Army
United States Army

The United States Army is the branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for Army operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S....
 were ordered to establish a military presence on Tampa Bay
Tampa Bay

This article is about the body of water. For the demographic region, see Tampa Bay Area. For the city, see Tampa, FloridaTampa Bay is a large natural harbor and estuary along the Gulf of Mexico on the west central coast of Florida, comprising Old Tampa Bay, Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, and New Tampa Bay....
 in the newly-acquired Florida territory
History of Florida

The history of Florida can be traced back to when the first Native Americans in the United States began to inhabit the peninsula as early as 14,000 years ago....
 to contain the Seminole
Seminole

The Seminole are a Native Americans in the United States people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation was formed in the 18th century and was composed of Native Americans from Georgia , Mississippi, and Alabama, most significantly the Creek people, as well as African Americans who escap...
 Indians and curtail illegal activities along the gulf coast
Gulf of Mexico

The Gulf of Mexico is the ninth largest body of water in the world. Considered a smaller part of the Atlantic Ocean, it is an oceanic basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba....
. On 10 January, 1824, Brooke and four full companies of the U.S. 4th Infantry Regiment
U.S. 4th Infantry Regiment

The U.S. 4th Infantry Regiment is an infantry regiment in the United States Army. It has served in the defense of the United States for approximately two hundred years....
 from Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida

Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2006, the estimated population was 53,248....
 established 'Cantonment Brooke" at the mouth of the Hillsborough River
Hillsborough River

There are at least two rivers named the Hillsborough River:*Hillsborough River , which flows through Tampa*Hillsborough River , which flows through Charlottetown...
, just about where today's Tampa Convention Center
Tampa Convention Center

The Tampa Convention Center is a mid-sized convention center located in Downtown Tampa, Florida. Its location is ideal because it has both waterfront views, and views of the skyline....
 sits in Downtown Tampa
Downtown Tampa

Image:Tampa_Skyline.jpg|thumb|right|350px|Downtown Tampa looking from the Hillsborough Riverpoly 2403 537 2441 500 2488 483 2516 455 2566 439 2597 410 2649 390 2682 358 2803 315 2949 342 2956 362 3068 383 3074 406 3202 431 3204 447 3332 473 3350 484 3485 1616 2446 1587 Wachovia Center ...
. The site was marked by a huge hickory
Hickory

Trees in the genus Carya are commonly known as Hickory. The genus includes 17?19 species of deciduous trees with pinnately compound leaf and large nut ....
 tree set atop an ancient Indian mound most likely built by the Tocobaga
Tocobaga

Tocobaga is the name of a group of Native Americans in the United Statess who lived in chiefdoms along the middle Gulf of Mexico coast of the Florida peninsula at the time of European colonization of the Americas in the 16th century....
 culture centuries before. Brooke directed his troops to clear the area for the construction of a wooden log fort and support buildings, but ordered that several ancient live oak
Live oak

Live oak or evergreen oak is a general term for a number of unrelated oaks in several different sections of the genus Quercus that happen to share the characteristic of evergreen foliage....
 trees inside the encampment be spared to provide shade and cheer. In 1824, the post was officially rechristened Fort Brooke
Fort Brooke

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

Fort Brooke would serve as a major outpost on Florida's Suncoast
Florida Suncoast

The Florida Suncoast is a colloquial name for the west-central and southwest peninsular Florida coastal area between Tarpon Springs, Florida to the north, and Naples, Florida to the south, and includes the Tampa Bay area....
 during all three Seminole Indian Wars
Seminole Wars

The Seminole Wars, also known as the Florida Wars, were three conflicts in Florida between various groups of Native Americans in the United States, collectively known as Seminoles, and the United States....
 and the Civil War
American Civil War

The American Civil War , also known as the War Between the States and several Naming the American Civil War, was a civil war in the United States....
. The fort also played a part in the development of the village of Tampa. In October 1863, the small Battle of Fort Brooke
Battle of Fort Brooke

The Battle of Fort Brooke was a minor engagement fought October 16–18, 1863, near Tampa, Florida, during the American Civil War.Two Union Navy ships, USS Tahoma and USS Adela, bombarded Fort Brooke on October 16, 1863, as a diversion, while a landing party under Acting Master T.R....
 was fought nearby. On 6 May, 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

Roll Call is a newspaper published in Washington, D.C., United States. It is published Monday to Thursday when the United States Congress is in session and Mondays only during recess....
 of soldiers occurred in 1882 and the post was decommissioned by the US Army 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. .

See also

Tampa-Fort Brooke
Tampa-Fort Brooke, Florida

Tampa-Fort Brooke was a single Census tract recorded by the United States Census Bureau during the United States Census, 1850 with the title Tampa, including Fort Brooke....
, a single census unit
Census tract

A census tract, census area, or census district is a geographic region defined for the purpose of taking a census. Usually these coincide with the Border of cities, towns or other administrative areas and several tracts commonly exist within a county....
 recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau

The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data....
 in 1850
United States Census, 1850

The United States Census of 1850 was the seventh United States Census. Conducted by the United States Census Bureau on June 1, 1850, it determined the resident population of the United States to be 23,191,876 — an increase of 35.9 percent over the 17,069,453 persons Enumeration during the United States Census, 1840....
.

External links

  • : From Tampa Bay History Center