The Spanish Fort

The Spanish Fort (HMMRS)

Location: Tampa, FL 33606 Hillsborough County
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Country: United States of America
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N 27° 56.818', W 82° 27.785'

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Inscription
In 1891 upon the completion of the Tampa Bay Hotel, Henry B. Plant recovered two Civil War cannon from across the Hillsborough River at the site of Old Fort Brooke. With his landscape architect Anton Fiehe, Mr. Plant placed the cannon over a limestone wall near here as a garden folly called The Spanish Fort.

These 24 pound shot size cannon were part of a battery of three placed in Fort Brooke during the War Between the States. They and two 6 pound shot size rifled cannon successfully defended Tampa until May 5, 1864. On that date, federal troops, composed of elements of the 2nd U.S. Colored Regiment, the 2nd Florida Cavalry and the U.S. Navy, captured the town and fort by surprise. The 24 pounders were disabled by breaking off a trunnion and destroying their barbette carriages. The indentation on the barrel of one of the 24 pounders indicates that a 6 pounder was fired point blank at its barrel. The 6 pounders were then taken to Key West.

The cannon's naval mounts were designed and funded by the Fort Brooke Commission. This historical recreation of the garden folly was a project of the Friends of Plant Park in 2008. This sign is placed on pieces of limestone salvaged from the original wall.
Details
HM NumberHMMRS
Tags
Placed ByFriends of Plant Park
City of Tampa
Hillsborough County Commission
Fort Brooke Commission
The University of Tampa
Marker ConditionNo reports yet
Date Added Monday, October 6th, 2014 at 1:20pm PDT -07:00
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Locationbig map
UTM (WGS84 Datum)17R E 356066 N 3092188
Decimal Degrees27.94696667, -82.46308333
Degrees and Decimal MinutesN 27° 56.818', W 82° 27.785'
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds27° 56' 49.08" N, 82° 27' 47.10" W
Driving DirectionsGoogle Maps
Area Code(s)813
Closest Postal AddressAt or near 329-375 UT University Dr, Tampa FL 33606, US
Alternative Maps Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap

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