Tampa Collection
Dublin Core
Title
Tampa Collection
Alternative Title
Tampa Collection
Subject
Tampa (Fla.)
Description
Collection of digital images, documents, and other records depicting the history of Tampa, Florida. Series descriptions are based on special topics, the majority of which students focused their metadata entries around.
Before European settlement, the present-day Tampa area was inhibited by the Tocobaga and Pohoy tribes, which were decimated by European diseases and warfare. In 1824, the U.S. Army established the area's first permanent settlement called Fort Brooke, located at the mouth of the Hillsborough River.
Siding with the Confederacy during the American Civil War, Tampa served as the site of the Battle of Tampa, an inconclusive battle from June 30 to July 1, 1862; the Battle of Fort Brooke on October 16, 1862; and the Battle of Ballast Point on October 18, 1863. Incorporated as a town in 1949, Tampa experienced immense growth in the 1880s with the arrival of the railroad, the discovery of phosphate, and the development of the cigar industry.
From the 1920s to the 1950s, Tampa became a major center for organized crime, Prohibition-era bootlegging, and illegal bolita, a Cuban-influenced lottery. Tampa grew considerably during World War II, as the city was chosen for the location of MacDill Field, now the MacDill Air Forced Base (AFB). The founding of Busch Gardens Tampa and the University of South Florida also spurred growth.
Before European settlement, the present-day Tampa area was inhibited by the Tocobaga and Pohoy tribes, which were decimated by European diseases and warfare. In 1824, the U.S. Army established the area's first permanent settlement called Fort Brooke, located at the mouth of the Hillsborough River.
Siding with the Confederacy during the American Civil War, Tampa served as the site of the Battle of Tampa, an inconclusive battle from June 30 to July 1, 1862; the Battle of Fort Brooke on October 16, 1862; and the Battle of Ballast Point on October 18, 1863. Incorporated as a town in 1949, Tampa experienced immense growth in the 1880s with the arrival of the railroad, the discovery of phosphate, and the development of the cigar industry.
From the 1920s to the 1950s, Tampa became a major center for organized crime, Prohibition-era bootlegging, and illegal bolita, a Cuban-influenced lottery. Tampa grew considerably during World War II, as the city was chosen for the location of MacDill Field, now the MacDill Air Forced Base (AFB). The founding of Busch Gardens Tampa and the University of South Florida also spurred growth.
Contributor
Cepero, Ray
Is Part Of
Hillsborough County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Language
eng
Type
Collection
Coverage
Tampa, Florida
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
External Reference
"Incorporation History." City of Tampa, Florida. http://www.tampagov.net/city-clerk/info/archives/city-of-tampa-incorporation-history.
Kerstein, Robert J. Politics and Growth in Twentieth-Century Tampa. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida, 2001.
Collection Items
Southern Regional Postmaster General Frank Marcum Sommerkamp III
Frank Marcum Sommerkamp III (ca. 1924-2008), the Regional Postmaster General of the Southern District during the Gerald Ford Administration. Born in Washington, Sommerkamp served in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, earning the…
Letter from A. B. Cleveland to All Sectional Center Managers of Tampa Districts (November 25, 1975)
A letter from A. B. Cleveland, District Manager for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). to all Sectional Center Managers of the Tampa District. Cleveland enclosed a photograph of Regional Postmaster General Frank Marcum Sommerkamp III (ca. 1924-2008) for…
Letter from Jim Macbeth to A. B. Cleveland (October 6, 1975)
A letter from Jim Macbeth, the Chief of the Florida Bureau of Historical Museums, to A. B. Cleveland, Tampa District Manager for the U.S. Postal Service (USPS). In the letter, Macbeth requests any obsolete artifacts relating to USPS. In particular,…
SheiKra at Busch Gardens Tampa, 2010
SheiKra, a roller coaster at Busch Gardens Tampa, a theme park located in Tampa, Florida, in 2010. SheiKra is a roller coaster that was added to the Stanleyville area of the park. Mark Rose, vice-president of design and engineering, proposed the idea…
Nairobi Train Station of the Serengeti Express Railway at Busch Gardens Tampa, 2010
The Nairobi Train Station of the Serengeti Express Railway of Busch Gardens Tampa, a theme park located in Tampa, Florida, in 2010. The park opened as a hospitality facility for Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. on March 31, 1959. Busch…
Elephants at the Edge of Africa at Busch Gardens Tampa, 2010
Elephants at the Edge of Africa of Busch Gardens Tampa, a theme park located in Tampa, Florida, in 2010. The park opened as a hospitality facility for Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. on March 31, 1959. Busch Gardens originally hosted a brewery with…
Zebras at the Edge of Africa at Busch Gardens Tampa, 2010
Zebras at the Edge of Africa of Busch Gardens Tampa, a theme park located in Tampa, Florida, in 2010. The park opened as a hospitality facility for Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. on March 31, 1959. Busch Gardens originally hosted a brewery with beer…
Bird Gardens at Busch Gardens Tampa, 2010
The Bird Gardens of Busch Gardens Tampa, a theme park located in Tampa, Florida, in 2010. Garden Gate Cafcan bee seen to the left of the photograph, and Gwazi, a roller coaster that opened in 1999, can be seen in the distance.Busch Gardens opened as…
Flamingos at Busch Gardens Tampa's Bird Gardens, 2010
Flamingos at the Bird Gardens of Busch Gardens Tampa, a theme park located in Tampa, Florida, in 2010. The park opened as a hospitality facility for Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. on March 31, 1959. Busch Gardens originally hosted a brewery with beer…
Collection Tree
- Hillsborough County Collection
- Tampa Collection