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	Tampa Dedicates Seminole Wars Memorial
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Tampa Dedicates Seminole Wars Memorial

By Alexandra Frank
TAMPA — Located next to an inlet on the Hillsbrough Bay is Contanchobee Park. The park is on the spot where Fort Brooke (a fort built by the US Army) once stood.
The fort was one of the two largest forts constructed during the Second Seminole War. Here, many Seminole families and individuals faced deportation to Oklahoma.
Contanchobee Park is being presented as a tribute to the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Tampa Mayor Dick Greco is a firm and public supporter of the Seminole Tribe.
The park was funded by $250,000 contribution from the Tribal Council and $250,000 contributed from the City of Tampa, who also contributed $12,000,000 towards purchasing the land for the park’s creation.
Mayor Greco’s vision of the project is a gesture of peace and friendship, particularly the present and future relationship of the Tribe and the City of Tampa.
On Mar. 14, over 100 individuals gathered at the site to help commemorate the park dedication. Also present were the 124th Regiment of the National Guard and the Seminole Color Guard.
Joining these distinguished servicemen was the Second Artillery Company B Color Guard Reenacted. This group of young men dressed in the military uniform of the Second Seminole War era.
The dedication ceremony began with an invocation by Bobby Henry, followed by the introduction of tribal officials: John Wayne Huff, Sr., Brighton Council Representative, Richard Henry Tampa Liaison, and William Osceola, Trail Liaison. Also given recognition was Franklin Keel, Eastern Area Supervisor of the BIA.
Dr. Covington, from the University of Tampa, spoke of the historic significance of the Fort Brooke site. The area was signed by a treaty to keep the Indians under control and to keep guns from Cuba from coming in.
There really weren't any people living in the area at the time, just a few Indian villages, soldiers, settlers, and Cuban fisherman living of the coast of Tampa. The Seminole Wars began due to friction between the Seminoles and the settlers.
A big event stemmed from the Fort Brooke site in which the soldiers of the fort went to the Ocala area and were ambushed by Seminoles in what is now known as the Dade massacre. The fort was an important site, due to the post being a gateway for the supplies needed for other army sites.
Dr. Covington said that the Seminoles had fought to stay in Florida and did it well. It is at Fort Brooke that they came to an agreement to be left alone to live in Florida.
Dr Patricia Wickman, director of the Department of Anthropology and Genealogy, said that it was the Krewe of Fort Brooke that had the idea to create a historically significant site.
The idea, shared by so many individuals, is a special one for the City of Tampa. The piece of land on which the park is located on has a tremendous significance to the indigenous people of Florida to the State of Florida and to the development of the State of Florida.
Dr. Wickman used the Miami Circle situation as an example of how certain cities choose progress and money over cultural history. Dr. Wickman said that "it is especially exciting that Tampa has a Mayor and City Commission who have no trouble whatsoever understanding the value of the site."
" They have seen the long-range picture they have seen what the site could mean for the people of Tampa and are able to use the site to look at the past, the present and the future."
Dr. Wickman mentioned seeing a family at the park that morning playing on the equipment. She pointed out that this is what the park should be used for, as a positive outlet.
As a deportation site, the area played a part in a sad episode in Seminole history. Now it resembles the modern relationship between the Seminoles and the non-Indians, a peaceful co-existence and a time of understanding. A time when we can all come together as Floridians, and share a future that looks bright and successful for everyone.
Everyone saw this vision that morning. Dr. Wickman pointed out the significance of the color guard of the 124th Regiment of the National Guard. They are a very special unit because they are the oldest unit in the Florida National Guard.
The unit has purposely chosen to carry the name "Seminole Battalion" and came to the Seminole Tribe to ask permission to use the name.
The 124th unit were represented by their color guard because they were the first unit to be called up recently. The Seminole Battalion has already been deployed and is out there fighting.
Fighting just exactly as the warriors of the Seminole Tribe have fought for the centuries that they have occupied Florida, and that is a very special feeling. This was the first time in over 160 years that white soldiers and Indian soldiers have marched together in peace in Florida, which made the ceremony special and unique.
Dr. Wickman also pointed out that the Second Artillery Company B Color Guard was wearing the wool Kersey uniforms of the Second Seminole War period. Fort Brooke was the southern anchor of the US Army's offensive line in the state of Florida.
The Indians lived in the area for centuries before the European invasion. The intrusion of the soldiers and the creation of the fort were an ominous event for those peoples. It became even more so during the war years, as they were captured and sent out.
The Seminoles who were sent out paid with their lives, families, homes, marriages, culture, language, hair, dress, with every single solitary thing that was precious to them.
They paid the ultimate price when they were taken and put on ships and never come back here and see their homes. That's why when you look at the state of Oklahoma you find a Seminole Nation there and a Seminole Tribe in Florida.
The park helped memorialize a people who fought so determinedly that they were willing to live in the single most inhospitable atmosphere and environment in the state of Florida. Arguably, one of the most inhospitable places on the face of this planet: the Everglades.
They fought the alligators and the mosquitoes, and they learned to live in the environment. They fought the US government, who, for the second time in 1858 grew tired of fighting a war that it patently could not win, gave in.
The Seminoles did not die, they survived and they are here today and willingly became partners in a process of putting tribal monies together with the Krewe of Fort Brooke and the City of Tampa.
This was done to create the memorial, so that all Tampans would be able to come here and know this site for what it was, and celebrate a moment when war is no more and we can be friends.
Dr. Wickman thanked the Krewe of Fort Brooke for the idea and Ms. Robin Nigh, Public Arts Administrator. She also thanked the City of Tampa and Mayor Greco for putting up the money needed for the project.
The Krewe had gone a step further by putting up a "Weeping Wall" which features written accounts of the historical events of Contanchobee Park.
Bill Humphreys, chairman of the Krewe of Fort Brooke, the original group of individuals who came up with the concept the initial vision for the park. Humphreys thanked the individuals who helped the vision became reality.
It took three years to realize the original idea to ask the city to dedicate the park to the history of Fort Brooke. The idea was offered by Mr. Dick Curchen and Mr. Todd Bray, founders of the Krewe of Fort Brooke.
The design the memorial evolved as the foundation uncovered the incredibly rich history of Fort Brooke between 1824 and 1858, a period that witnessed the drama of the ongoing tragedy of the Seminole Indian Wars.
In addition another influence on the design of the memorial was the unique and farsighted building mode used by Colonel George Mercer Brooke, who harmoniously combined the natural beauty of the landscape into the construction of the fort.
With this in mind, the vision was to commemorate the historical significance of those tumultuous times. In doing so, it was of the utmost importance to recognize and respect the Americans and the Seminoles equally in the history of Fort Brooke.
To their knowledge this is the first time that an American city has paid tribute to combatants to both sides of a major conflict with equal dignity and honor.
The design of the memorial incorporates a great deal of symbolism: the primary material is native Florida coquina and limestone both naturally white in color and symbolic of peace.
The wall’s capstone is symbolic of the structure of the Fort. The water flowing gently down the face of the memorial symbolizes tears and healing. The edges of the memorial gently arise from the earth and return back to the earth to signify the circle of life.
Collaboration Inc., was given thanks for creating the strikingly elegant design for the memorial.
As the creative journey progressed, the Krewe of Fort Brooke received excellent advice and guidance from a supporter of their vision from Ms. Nigh. A thanks was given to Ms. Nigh for the early and unwavering support for the memorial the Krewe of Fort Brooke envisioned.
Mr. Humphreys said that one of the most important and influential contributors to their effort was Dr. Wickman, who had a profound impact in helping the project become a reality.
The gratitude of the Krewe of Fort Brooke was at most humble and heartfelt and thanked her work, support, participation, and guidance throughout the long odyssey.
The Krewe of Fort Brooke felt very fortunate to have received the support and endorsement of their vision from the Tribal Council and the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Also given thanks were Mayor Greco and the City of Tampa whose mutual support brought about the reality of the park.
Thanks were also given to the members of Tampa City Council, the staff of the City of Tampa responsible for the construction of the memorial and its beautiful setting. Mr. Humphreys sent out his heartfelt thanks on behalf of the Krewe of Fort Brooke.
Franklin Templeton Investments received thanks for their generous support, as were the other members of the group of the Fort Brooke foundation who worked especially hard to bring the project to fruition.
This completed the speakers’ segment of the park dedication, the Second Artillery Company B Color Guard gave a 3-gun salute as onlookers moved to view the weeping wall and take in the beauty of Contanchobee Park.