Tampa Bay's Military History
Tour Description
The historical sites and museums located on this tour focus on the military history of Downtown Tampa, the Hillsborough River, and organizations established to preserve military history throughout Hillsborough County.
Locations for Tour
American Victory Museum
The ship’s voyage from thirty years of war service to a historic preservation site reached a crescendo on September 23, 2003 when the steam turbine engines were restarted for the first time since 1985 and SS American Victory set sail for her first of…
Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park
That past came together in December 2012 when Tampa bronze sculptor Steven Dickey and the Historical Monument Trail Committee installed six bronze busts of Tampa trailblazers along the two-mile stretch of the downtown Riverwalk, including a…
Jean Street Shipyard
In the final week of August 2009, the 124-foot hull of the Scottish Chief was found by researchers and divers from the Florida Aquarium north of the Jane Street Shipyard, located on the Hillsborough River near Lowry Park Zoo. This hidden historic…
Battle of Tampa
Of all the states in the Confederacy, Florida was one of the least touched by direct conflict throughout the war. Florida was mostly blockaded due to its long coastline and proximity to trade routes to the Caribbean. Early in the war, many in Florida…
Battle of Fort Brooke and Ballast Point
Fort Brooke was active during the American Civil War and was attacked on two different occasions by Northern forces during the war, the Battle of Fort Brooke (and Battle of Ballast Point) and the fort’s eventual capture on May 6th, 1864 by the Union…
Memoria in Aeterna
The history of the Confederate monument residing at the Courthouse of Hillsborough County in Tampa, FL, began as early as 1903. That year, Azeele Carruthers, President of the Tampa Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy, No. 113,…
Fort Foster
Located just minutes from the Hillsborough River State Park Visitors Center and nestled unseen on the northeast side of U.S. 301 lies a true Florida treasure, the Fort Foster Historic Site. The year was 1836 and the state of Florida was in the midst…
Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory
Tampa Florida’s military history is a deep and rich tapestry woven with elements from many conflicts spanning the entirety of our country’s history both internationally and domestically. The year was 1898 and the Spanish American War was under way…
MacDill Air force Base
MacDill Air force Base has become the premier military installation in the military history of Tampa Bay. This is no small feat given the many threats of closure due to budgetary cuts within the military since 1993’s Defense Base Closure and…