Abandoned Record
About Fort Brooke
Fort Brooke was a historical military post established at the mouth of the 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 Seminoles, 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 (1835–1842).
This is a site record: what public sources say about Fort Brooke, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.
Map
Where Fort Brooke is
Historic maps
11 historic USGS maps cover Fort Brooke
Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.
- 1921 Tampa sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1944 Tampa sheet, 1:31,680 · GeoTIFF download
- 1947 Tampa sheet, 1:25,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1956 Tampa sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1956 Tampa sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1959 Tampa sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1960 Tampa sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1972 Tampa sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1981 St Petersburg sheet, 1:100,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1988 St Petersburg sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1995 Tampa sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
Directions
Getting there
Before you go
- Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
- Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
- Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.
Nearby
Other sites near Fort Brooke
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Florida index.
- Gary1.9 mi NE · Hillsborough
- Sulphur Springs5.5 mi N · Hillsborough
- Port Tampa7.0 mi SW · Hillsborough
- Nowatney9.2 mi N · Hillsborough
- Limona9.2 mi E · Hillsborough
- Peru9.5 mi SE · Hillsborough
- Weedon Island11.1 mi SW · Pinellas
- Boyette12.4 mi SE · Hillsborough
Sources
Sources
- ghosttowns.com, "Fort Brooke": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
- Wikipedia, "Fort Brooke": coordinates and summary.
- Wikidata Q3077795.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).