Historical Markers in
Hillsborough County, Florida

(Formerly) Jules Verne Park 1851 † 1891 1958 Lebanon crisis 29 Sea Captains and Mariners 400th Anniversary of the Landing of Panfilo de Narvaez A Butterfly’s Habitat Academy of The Holy Names Alfred Reuben Swann Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca American Soldier America’s Secret War. The Salvadoran Civil War Angus R. Goss Anthony P. Pizzo Anthony P. "Tony" Pizzo Antonio Maceo Grajales Army Otter - Caribou Veterans Memorial Attempt On The Life Of Jose Marti B.F. Marcos Building Babe's Longest Homer Bataan Death March Bridge Battle of Remagen Bridge Battlefield Bealsville Benjamin Field/George N. Benjamin b 1859 d 1926 Billy Graham Began Here Bing Rooming House Birthplace of Tony Pizzo Boxer Rebellion 1898-1901 Brandon Family Cemetery Brandon Homestead Brandon Masonic Lodge No. 114, F. & A.M. Brandon School Bruce B. Downs Boulevard C. Cecilia Morse Cambodian Campaign during mid-1970 Capt. James McKay, I (1808 - 1876) Capt. Nathaniel Wyche Hunter Captain Joseph Fry Carver City-Lincoln Gardens Central Avenue Centro Español de Tampa Centro Español de West Tampa Charles Lafayette Knight Cherokee Club and El Pasaje Clara Barton Clara C. Frye Col. Peter O. Knight Columbia Restaurant Confederate States Soldiers and Sailors Congregation Rodeph Sholom Congregation Schaari Zedek Convent of the Holy Names Courthouse Square Cradle of Cuban Liberty Cuban missile crisis October 1962 Cueto Boarding House Cyrus Greene Park De Soto Do You See a Manatee? Dobyville Douglas MacArthur Drew Field Dueling in Ybor City Echebucsassa Post Office El Centro Asturiano de Tampa El Chino — Pajarito Restaurant El Circulo Cubano Federal Building First Citizen First Lt. Baldomero Lopez First Seminole War First United Methodist Church Florida Militia Ambush Florida Sentinel Bulletin Florida's First Catholic Martyrs Fort Brooke Battery Fort Brooke Cemetery Fort Brooke Mass Grave Fort Brooke-Confederate Battery Founding of the Cigar Industry in Tampa Gary Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf Gen. Robert E. Lee, C.S.A. George Guida George Washington Junior High School German-American Club Giunta Homestead and Farm Glover School Gordon Keller Great 1909 Auto Race Greater New Salem Primitive Baptist Church Gulf of Sidra incident (1981) Hillsborough County High School Hillsborough County Historical Cemetery For All People Hillsborough County's Confederate Monument Hillsborough Lodge Hillsborough River Ferry Historic Emilio Pons Cigar Factory Historic Fire Station No. 4 Historic Fort King Trail Historic Harlem Academy / School #2 History in the Air Hotel De La Havana Hugh C. Macfarlane Hutchinson House Hyde Park's Bungalow Terrace Il Cimitero Dell’Unione Italiana In the Beginning... Invasion of Grenada 1983 Italian Club Life In Tampa Jessamine Flowers Link Jimi Hendrix John B. Sargeant, Sr. John F. Kennedy in Tampa John Fitzgerald Kennedy John T. Lesley Home Jose Gasparilla Jose Marti José Martí Kate Jackson Recreation Center Kennedy Korean Mother La Casa de Pedroso La Casa de Pedroso La Joven Francesa Bakery La Liga Patriotica de Instruccion La Quinta Landing in La Florida Limona Listen carefully to hear a manatee! Long-Legged Wading Birds Stalk the Shallows Lt. Baldomero Lopez Lt. Col. Frank S. Adamo, M.D. L’Unione Italiana MacDill: 1950 to 2000 Madame Fortune Taylor Bridge Manatee Scar Identification Mayaguez Incident (1975) Mayor Nick C. Nuccio Memoria In Aeterna, 1911 Memorial Highway Mexican War, 1846-1848 Middleton Senior High School Military Road Miracle at Cockroach Bay The Leisey Shell Fossils Molly Ferrara Morgan Cigar Factory Most Holy Name Mrs. Bertha Honoré Palmer NATO Air Campaign in Bosnia & Herzegovina (1995) Navy Seabees Oaklawn and St. Louis Cemetery Officers Quarters Fort Brooke Old Fort Brooke Municipal Parking Structure Old Fort King Trail Old Government Spring Old Hyde Park Old Lutz Elementary School Old People's Home Old Schoolhouse Operation Deny Flight (1993-1995) Operation Desert Shield Operation Desert Storm Operation Eagle Claw (April 24, 1980) Operation Enduring Freedom - Philippines Operation Frequent Wind Operation Golden Pheasant (1988) Operation Gothic Serpent (1993) Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial I Operation Iraqi Freedom Memorial II Operation Neptune Spear (May 2, 2011) Operation Odyssey Dawn Operation Provide Promise (1992-1996) Orange Grove Hotel Orestes Ferrara Ossuarium Memoriale Our Lady of Perpetual Help Palonis Park Perry Harvey, Sr., Park Skateboard Bowl Phillips Field Picnic Island Pioneer Priests' Graves Plant City High School Plant City Union Depot Plant Field Pueblo Incident (1968) Reverend Billy Graham Richard “Dick” Arens, Major USAF (Ret) Roberts City Roland M. Manteiga Roosevelt Elementary School Rough Rider Encampment Rough Riders Rough Riders Encampment Royal Yacht Britannia Ruskin College President's Home Sacred Heart Church Saved from Slavery Scottish Chief Anchor Second Seminole War Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith Sgt. Nick Matassini Similar Veterans’ Experiences Site of Alderman's Ford Site of First Ybor City Railroad Station Site of Fort Alafia Site of Fort Brooke Site of Methodist Episcopal Church South Site of Mirabella Fish Company Sociedad La Union Marti-Maceo Spanish Exploration of Temple Terrace Spanishtown Creek St. Andrew's Episcopal Church St. Benedict the Moor School St. Peter Claver Catholic School Staking Their Claim Storm Water and the Estuary Sweet Taste of Ybor City Tampa as Port of Embarkation for Spanish American War Tampa Bay and MacDill Tampa Bay Hotel Tampa Bay Hotel Tampa Bay Hotel, 1891 Tampa Confederate Salt Works Tampa Free Public Library Tampa Goes to War Tampa Native Americans Tampa POW/MIA Tampa Salutes MacDill AFB Tampa Theatre Tampa Union Station Tampa's First Cigar Factory Tampa's First Paved Sidewalk Technology • Power • Diversity Teco Energy's Tampa Electric Company Temple Terraces Country Club Sutton Hall The Andres Diaz Building The Barbary Wars 1801-1829 The Bayshore Boulevard The Beginning of the Cigar Industry in West Tampa The Berlin blockade The Birth of Mutual Aid Societies in America The Birth Of Ybor City The Buffalo Soldiers in Tampa Heights The Coming of the Italians The Green Beach Point of Incheon Landing Operation The Gulf War The Krewe of the Knights of Sant' Yago The Largest Orange Grove in the World The Life Cycle of the Monarch Butterfly The Pam Callahan Nature Preserve The Philippine-American War 1899 - 1913 The Rough Riders Passed By Here The Rough Riders Rode By Here The Salvation Army The Spanish Fort The Tobacco War The War Years The West Tampa Boys Club Third Seminole War Thonotosassa Chamber of Commerce Timuquan Indian Mound Today at MacDill AFB Town of Plant City Turkey Creek School Two Peoples, Two Cultures U.S.S. Sagamore Union Raiders Burn Tampa Blockade Runners United Spanish War Veterans United States Invasion of Panama (1991) United States occupation of Haiti United States occupation of the Dominican Republic (1916-1924) United States occupation of the Dominican Republic (1965-1966) United Task Force (1992-1993) US Army Howitzer 75mm US Army Stuart M3A1 Light Tank US M1 57mm Anti-Tank Gun US Mark 14 Model 5 Submarine Dummy Torpedo US Navy Mark 16 Model 8 Submarine Dummy Torpedo USS Cole Bombing (2000) USS Liberty Incident (1967) Veterans Memorial Park Veterans of an Earlier Era Vicente Martinez-Ybor Victims of the Yellow Fever Vietnam Women’s Memorial W.T. Edwards Hospital Complex War Memorial WDAE-Florida's First Radio Station West Tampa Centennial West Tampa Free Public Library What Role Do Mangroves Play In An Estuary? William Benton Henderson William F. Poe Plaza William Gordon Burnett Woodrow Wilson Junior High School Woolworth Sit-In World's First Scheduled Commercial Airline Ybor Centennial Park Ybor City Historic District Ybor City's First Fire Station "I Pledge Allegiance..." “Cuba”
Florida is home to the largest collection of natural springs in the world, with over 600 freshwater springs located throughout the state.
Florida random facts
Hillsborough County, located in Florida, has a rich history that dates back thousands of years. Before European settlement, the area was inhabited by indigenous tribes, including the Tocobaga and the Calusa. Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto was the first European to visit the area in the 16th century, but it wasn't until the 18th century that European settlements began to emerge.

In 1824, Hillsborough County was officially created by the Florida Territorial Legislature. The county was named after Wills Hill, the Earl of Hillsborough, who served as the British Secretary of State for the Colonies. The county's early economy was primarily based on agriculture, particularly cotton and citrus.

During the Civil War, Hillsborough County played a significant role as a Confederate stronghold. Tampa, the county seat, became a crucial port for the Confederacy, and the area was heavily fortified. After the war, the county faced challenges in rebuilding its economy, but with the introduction of the railroad in the late 19th century, Hillsborough County began to experience rapid growth and development.

In the 20th century, Hillsborough County continued to flourish. The city of Tampa became a major hub for trade and tourism, attracting visitors from all over the country. The area also became an important military center, with MacDill Air Force Base being established and playing a key role in both World Wars. Today, Hillsborough County is known for its diverse population, vibrant cultural scene, and thriving industries such as healthcare, finance, and technology.

This timeline provides a glimpse into the major events and milestones that have shaped the history of Hillsborough County, Florida.

  • 1834 - Hillsborough County is established as one of the original 19 counties in Florida.
  • 1842 - Fort Brooke, a military outpost, is established where the city of Tampa now stands.
  • 1846 - Tampa is incorporated as a town.
  • 1855 - The Tampa Bay area experiences its first major industry boom with the establishment of a cigar factory.
  • 1861-1865 - Hillsborough County suffers during the American Civil War, with Tampa Bay serving as a port for blockade runners.
  • 1883 - The first railroad reaches Tampa, opening up the area for increased trade and development.
  • 1887 - Ybor City is founded as a company town for Vicente Martinez Ybor's cigar manufacturing business.
  • 1891 - Henry B. Plant's luxury hotel, the Tampa Bay Hotel (now the University of Tampa), opens and attracts wealthy visitors to the area.
  • 1914 - Tampa's port is improved and expanded, becoming a major hub for shipping and trade.
  • 1954 - Construction of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge is completed, connecting Hillsborough County to Pinellas County.
  • 1971 - The University of South Florida is founded in Tampa.
  • 1986 - The Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) is established, providing public transportation services throughout the county.
  • 2001 - Construction of Raymond James Stadium, home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, is completed.