Hyde Park in Tampa in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Spanishtown Creek
Photographed by Tim Fillmon
1. Spanishtown Creek Marker after restoration
At this site on a small stream was located the first settlement of Tampa Bay. Its inhabitants were Spanish-Cuban fishermen and straw-hat makers. It is believed they settled here toward the end of the eighteenth century, during Spain's second rule of Florida. When the Americans arrived in 1824 and established Fort Brooke, these early settlers were living in palmetto thatched huts and carried on a brisk trade with wandering Cubans who sailed into the bay. Spanishtown Creek is the true genesis of Tampa.
Erected by The Ybor City Rotary Club.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Exploration • Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Rotary International series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1824.
Location. 27° 56.275′ N, 82° 27.873′ W. Marker is in Tampa, Florida, in Hillsborough County. It is in Hyde Park. It is on West Bay Street near South Magnolia Street, on the right when traveling east. Located just North of Bayshore Boulevard and West Bay Street intersection near South Magnolia Street. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Tampa FL 33606, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Tampa Bay. It is also in the American South and on the Gulf Coast. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, a Gulf of Mexico state, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain, the territory of the Mississippian Culture, one of the Confederate States of America, and the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Clara Barton (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line);
this page online
Another marker is no longer nearby. Dominican Proto-Martyrs of America (was approx. 0.3 miles away but has been replaced with another marker now near it).
Also see . . . Burying our Past - Spanishtown Creek. Tampania blog entry (Submitted on December 9, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)
Photographed by Mike Stroud, October 25, 2013
2. Spanishtown Creek Marker
Photographed by Mike Stroud, October 25, 2013
3. Spanishtown Creek Marker seen along West Bay Street
Photographed by Mike Stroud, October 25, 2013
4. Spanishtown Creek Marker with Bayshore Boulevard in background
Credits. This page was last revised on July 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on October 31, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,142 times since then and 37 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on June 5, 2024, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. 2, 3, 4. submitted on November 1, 2013, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.
