Old Government Spring

Old Government Spring. . , For centuries, Tocobaga Indians drew water from this deep natural spring. When U.S. Army troops arrived in 1824, they quickly discovered this natural resource. Twice a day, government wagons hauled water to Fort Brooke. Despite a strong taste of iron and sulfur, the waters of "Old Government Spring” provided supplies for Fort Brooke, Tampa, and Ybor City for more than a century., In 1882, the U.S. government deeded the property to Martha Brown, who sold this spring to her son-in-law, John T. Lesley. In 1886, Cyrus Snodgrass purchased the spring property and built the Ybor City Ice Works on this site., In 1894, the spring supplied water for a swimming and health resort, called the Ybor City Natatorium, as well as for an adjacent, segregated pool for African Americans. In 1897, the Florida Brewing Company, Florida's first brewery, began operations here. The brewery produced La Tropical Beer and Ale until Prohibition forced it to transition to bottling water and "near beer.” Following Prohibition, the company name changed to the Tampa Florida Brewery, and it resumed operations until it closed in the early 1960s.