Abstract
In January, 1824 the military post known as Cantonment Brooke and later as Fort Brooke * was established at the juncture of Hillsborough River and the bay bearing the same name. There were many sites more suitable or a fort which could be found along the shores and islands of Tampa Bay; but the land at the chosen location had already been cleared and a house and wharf erected by Robert Hackley, a gentleman from New York who believed that his father held title to the land. Incidently, Hackley had left the property in charge of an overseer so that he could go to Pensacola for supplies and he was dumbfounded upon returning to find the troops reposing on his plantation. The Hackley claim was based upon a Spanish grant nullified in the Adams-Onis Treaty and the family never received compensation for the work done in clearing the land.
Recommended Citation
Covington, James W.
(1957)
"Life at Fort Brooke, 1824-1836,"
Florida Historical Quarterly: Vol. 36:
No.
4, Article 4.
Available at:
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/fhq/vol36/iss4/4
