Brooksville, Florida facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Brooksville, Florida
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| City of Brooksville | ||
Hernando County Courthouse
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Location in Hernando County and the state of Florida
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 Brooksville, Florida
Location in Florida
Brooksville, Florida
Location in the United States
Brooksville, Florida
Location in North America
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Florida |
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| County | Hernando | |
| Settled (Melendez and Pierceville Settlements) | 1840-1845 | |
| Incorporated (Town of Brooksville) | 1856 | |
| Incorporated (City of Brooksville) | October 13, 1880 | |
| Government | ||
| • Type | Council-Manager | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 11.28 sq mi (29.22 km2) | |
| • Land | 11.18 sq mi (28.97 km2) | |
| • Water | 0.10 sq mi (0.25 km2) | |
| Elevation | 194 ft (59 m) | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 8,890 | |
| • Density | 794.89/sq mi (306.91/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) | |
| ZIP Codes |
34601-34605, 34613-34614
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| Area code(s) | 352 | |
| FIPS code | 12-08800 | |
| GNIS feature ID | 0279446 | |
Brooksville is a city and the county seat of Hernando County, Florida, in the United States. At the 2010 census it had a population of 7,719, up from 7,264 at the 2000 census. Brooksville is home to historic buildings and residences, including the homes of former Florida governor William Sherman Jennings and football player Jerome Brown.
Brooksville, established in 1856 by the merger of the towns of Melendez and Pierceville, took its name to honor Preston Brooks, a pro-slavery congressman from South Carolina, who caned and seriously injured Charles Sumner, an abolitionist and United States senator from Massachusetts.
Contents
History
Fort DeSoto, a military fort established about 1840 to give protection to settlers from Native Americans, was located at the northeastern edge of present-day Brooksville on Croom Road about one-half mile east of U.S. Highway 41. Fort DeSoto was also a trading post and a regular stop on the Concord Stage Coach Line which ran from Palatka to Tampa.
The fort was built on top of a heavy bed of limestone, a fact which they were unaware of at the time, and this made it exceedingly difficult to obtain water, thus causing this location to be abandoned as a community site. As a result, in the early 1840s the population shifted about three miles to the south where a settlement first formed by the Hope and Saxon families became known as Pierceville. About this time, another community about two miles northwest of Pierceville, named Melendez, was formed.
On September 12, 1842, Seminole Indians attacked the McDaniel party near the community of Chocachatti, south of Brooksville, killing Charlotte (Mrs. Richard) Crum.
In 1850 a post office was established at Melendez. In 1854 it was replaced by a post office at Pierceville. Both towns were situated in the area that would become Brooksville.
In 1856 the county seat of Hernando County became the newly named town of Brooksville. The name was chosen to honor Preston Brooks. Brooks, a congressman who nearly caned abolitionist Senator Charles Sumner to death in 1856 on the floor of the Senate after Sumner gave an anti-slavery speech and disparaged Brooks' uncle, Senator Andrew Butler. The Pierceville post office was not renamed for Brooksville until 1871.
The City of Brooksville was settled by four pioneer families: the Howell family which settled the northern part of town; the Jon L. Mays family which settled the eastern part of town; the Hale family on the west; and the Parsons family on the south. The city was incorporated on October 13, 1880.
Depression Era
During the Great Depression, Brooksville suffered from a lack of currency. The School Board paid teachers with chits, and Weeks Hardware "accepted chickens and sides of bacon" as payment.
Recent times
Brooksville is a residential-commercial community. There are several modern medical facilities in the area including Brooksville Regional Hospital Inc., Oak Hill Community Hospital and Spring Hill Regional Hospital and a campus of Pasco-Hernando State College at the edge of the city. The business section includes eleven shopping centers and a public airport, Hernando County Airport, located six miles south of the city. There are three city parks with walking trails, sports, and picnicking facilities, including a nine-hole golf course and a library. The area also offers abundant hunting, fishing, biking and (in Nobleton just 12 miles NE of Brooksville [1]) canoeing, kayaking and camping opportunities.
Jerome Brown, defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles, graduated from Brooksville's Hernando High School, where he was often seen in the off season running laps around the track. In June 1988, he received praise for his calm demeanor as he helped disperse a group of Ku Klux Klan protesters in his hometown of Brooksville. Brown died on June 25, 1992, at the age of 27, after he lost control of his ZR1 Chevrolet Corvette at high speed and crashed into a utility pole in Brooksville. Both he and his 12-year-old nephew, Gus, were killed in the accident. Brown was buried in Brooksville. In 2000, the Jerome Brown Community Center was opened in Brooksville in memory of Brown.
A minor controversy arose in the summer of 2010 when local media and activists brought attention to the origin of the town's name, calling it "shameful." The suggestion was made that the town should change its name in order to distance itself from its pro-slavery history. This idea was overwhelmingly opposed by locals and not entertained by the city council. However, the city's official website did remove a page which discussed the Brooks/Sumner encounter and cast Brooks in a positive light.
Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, Brooksville has a total area of 5.0 square miles (12.9 km2), of which 4.9 square miles (12.8 km2) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km2) (0.60%) is water.
The geographic center of Florida is located twelve miles north-northwest of Brooksville.
Brooksville was once a major citrus production area and was known as the "Home of the Tangerine".
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1890 | 512 | — | |
| 1900 | 641 | 25.2% | |
| 1910 | 979 | 52.7% | |
| 1920 | 1,011 | 3.3% | |
| 1930 | 1,405 | 39.0% | |
| 1940 | 1,607 | 14.4% | |
| 1950 | 1,818 | 13.1% | |
| 1960 | 3,301 | 81.6% | |
| 1970 | 4,060 | 23.0% | |
| 1980 | 5,582 | 37.5% | |
| 1990 | 7,440 | 33.3% | |
| 2000 | 7,264 | −2.4% | |
| 2010 | 7,719 | 6.3% | |
| 2020 | 8,890 | 15.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
2010 and 2020 census
| Race | Pop 2010 | Pop 2020 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
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| White (NH) | 5,609 | 6,238 | 72.66% | 70.17% |
| Black or African American (NH) | 1,374 | 1,232 | 17.80% | 13.86% |
| Native American or Alaska Native (NH) | 28 | 37 | 0.36% | 0.41% |
| Asian (NH) | 71 | 67 | 0.92% | 0.75% |
| Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian (NH) | 5 | 0 | 0.06% | 0.00% |
| Some other race (NH) | 10 | 22 | 0.13% | 0.25% |
| Two or more races/Multiracial (NH) | 113 | 354 | 1.46% | 3.98% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 509 | 940 | 6.59% | 10.57% |
| Total | 7,719 | 8,890 |
As of the 2020 United States census, there were 8,890 people, 3,997 households, and 2,092 families residing in the city.
As of the 2010 United States census, there were 7,719 people, 3,606 households, and 1,867 families residing in the city.
Tourism
The city hosted an annual Blueberry Festival in downtown Brooksville until 2017. The Festival then moved to Plant City.
The city has historic homes along brick streets. There is also a Native American outpost in a log cabin, the Brooksville Railroad Depot Museum, and The Hernando Heritage Museum, located in the May-Stringer House. The Historic Brooksville Walking/Driving Tour features many historic homes; a guidebook is available at the City of Brooksville website and at the main library on Howell Avenue.
The first annual "Get Healthy Brooksville Cycling Classic" was held in 2010 and attracted cyclists from all over the state.
The Brooksville Business Alliance has sponsored the annual Brooksville Founders Week Celebration since 2006. There is a monthly live music performance, antique car show, and other events.
Public transportation
Brooksville is served by THE Bus's Purple and Green Routes.
Media
- WWJB (1450 AM), radio station based in Brooksville
- The Hernando Times, an issue of the Tampa Bay Times, is published each Friday and The Hernando Sun Home, established in 2015, a locally owned newspaper covering Hernando County.
Healthcare
There are two hospitals in Brooksville they are TGH Brooksville and HCA Florida Oak Hill Hospital.
Notable people
- Tammy Alexander, murder victim known as "Caledonia Jane Doe", disappeared from Brooksville in 1979
- Bronson Arroyo, MLB pitcher; pitched for Hernando High School and graduated in 1995
- Jerome Brown, NFL defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles
- John Capel, sprinter and professional NFL player
- Paul Farmer, co-founder of international social justice and health organization Partners In Health
- Wayne Garrett, MLB infielder, member of the 1969 "Miracle Mets"
- Mike Hampton, MLB player for the Houston Astros; born in Brooksville
- DuJuan Harris, former Central High (Brooksville) standout and current NFL running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars
- William Sherman Jennings, governor of Florida 1901–1905
- George Lowe, television actor, grew up in Brooksville, worked for WWJB AM 1450, a local radio station
- Bill McCollum, U.S. congressman and Florida Attorney General; birthplace and childhood home
- Maulty Moore, former NFL defensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins, Cincinnati Bengals, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Tori Murden, the first woman to row solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and to ski to the geographic South Pole
- Jon Oliva, Savatage frontman and Trans-Siberian Orchestra composer
- Todd Rogers, retired professional videogame player
- Taylor Rotunda, current WWE wrestler, better known as Uncle Howdy
- Windham Rotunda, former WWE wrestler, better known as Bray Wyatt
- Donald Sanborn, a sedevacantist Catholic bishop; currently lives at Most Holy Trinity Seminary, in Brooksville
- Stephen M. Sparkman, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida; born on a farm in Hernando County just south of Brooksville on July 29, 1849
- Hughie Thomasson, guitarist, songwriter, lead vocalist and leader of the Outlaws; lived in Brooksville
Cultural
- Canadian director Bob Clark's 1972 horror film Deathdream (aka Dead of Night; The Night Andy Came Home) was filmed entirely in Brooksville.
See also
In Spanish: Brooksville (Florida) para niños
