Abandoned Record
About Peru
Peru, Florida was a town in Hillsborough County, Florida, that was later absorbed into Riverview. It was initially settled in 1843 on the South bank of the Alafia River at what is now US Highway 301 by Benjamin Moody and others who came to claim land under the "Armed Occupation Act of Florida" which was passed in 1842 and granted 160 acres of land to any head of family or any single man who would bear arms and live on the land in a house for five years.
This is a site record: what public sources say about Peru, 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 Peru is
Historic maps
9 historic USGS maps cover Peru
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 Balm sheet, 1:31,680 · GeoTIFF download
- 1956 Riverview 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
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 Peru
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Florida index.
- Boyette2.9 mi SE · Hillsborough
- Limona5.6 mi N · Hillsborough
- Balm8.3 mi SE · Hillsborough
- Gary8.9 mi NW · Hillsborough
- Fort Brooke9.5 mi NW · Hillsborough
- Port Tampa12.8 mi W · Hillsborough
- Picnic13.0 mi SE · Hillsborough
- Sulphur Springs13.2 mi NW · Hillsborough
Sources
Sources
- ghosttowns.com, "Peru": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
- Wikipedia, "Peru, Florida": coordinates and summary.
- Wikidata Q107143797.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).