Hogtown, Florida
Encyclopedia
Hogtown was a 19th century settlement in and around what is now Westside Park in Gainesville, Florida
, USA (in the northeast corner of the intersection of NW 8th Avenue and 34th Street) where a historical marker
(text below) notes Hogtown's location at that site and is the eponymous outpost of the adjacent Hogtown Creek. Originally a village of Seminole
s who raised hogs, the habitation was dubbed "Hogtown" by nearby white
s who traded with the Seminoles. In 1824, Hogtown's population numbered 14 souls. After the acquisition of Florida by the United States, white settlers began moving into the area. The 1823 Treaty of Moultrie Creek
obliged the Seminoles to move to a reservation in central Florida. Under the terms of the treaty, Chief John Mico received $20 as compensation for the "improvements" the Seminoles had made in Hogtown.
The 1832 Treaty of Payne's Landing
required the Seminoles in Florida to move to west of the Mississippi River
after three years. Most of the Seminoles did not want to leave Florida. As the deadline for the start of the removal approached, tensions increased in Florida. In June 1835 there occurred an incident called the "Murder of Hogtown" (not to be confused with a work of fiction so titled): A party of seven or eight Seminoles hunting off of the reservation had killed a cow and then made camp near Hogtown. A group of whites found five or six of the Seminoles at their camp, seized their weapons, and began whipping the Seminoles. The other two Seminoles returned to the camp, and seeing their fellows being whipped, opened fire on the whites. In the ensuring fight, three of the whites were wounded, one Seminole was killed, and another Seminole was reported to have been mortally wounded. Indian Agent Wiley Thompson
demanded the surrender of the surviving Seminoles, and they were turned over to government custody for trial. There is no record of a trial occurring, however, reportedly because the whites involved did not want their actions examined in court. In August, Private Kinsley Dalton was killed while carrying the mail from Fort Brooke
(Tampa
) to Fort King
(Ocala
), allegedly in retaliation for the Seminoles killed at Hogtown.
The Second Seminole War
started late in December 1835, when 107 United States Army
troops were killed by Seminoles in the Dade Massacre
. White settlers throughout Florida left their homes or took steps to protect themselves. The residents of Hogtown built a fortification called Fort Hogtown, and were part of the Spring Grove Guards (Spring Grove was about four miles west of Hogtown).
In 1853, the residents of Alachua County realized that the route of the planned Florida Railroad
would bypass the county seat, Newnansville
. A general meeting at Boulware Springs
was called to consider moving the county seat to a new town on the expected route of the railroad. William Lewis, who owned a plantation in Hogtown, offered 20 votes pledged to him in support of a new town on the railroad, with a deal that the town would be called Lewisville if it did not become the county seat. Lewis did not believe that there would be enough votes to move the county seat. However, Tillman Ingram, another plantation owner in Hogtown who also owned a sawmill there, offered to build a courthouse in the new town for such a favorable price that the move was approved. The name Gainesville was then chosen for the new town. Ingram built Oak Hall, said to be the first important house in downtown Gainesville, as well as the first courthouse. Lumber from the Hogtown mill had also been used for the oldest house in Gainesville, the Bailey House, built on the Bailey Plantation before Gainesville was established.
An 1855 map of Hogtown and Gainesville is found on the site of the Alachua County Library District.
In 1961, the City of Gainesville annexed the former site of Hogtown. Colloquially, "Hogtown" is oft used as a synonym for Gainesville and many Gainesville businesses and events identify themselves as "Hogtown".
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, USA (in the northeast corner of the intersection of NW 8th Avenue and 34th Street) where a historical marker
Historical marker
A historical marker or historic marker is an indicator such as a plaque or sign to commemorate an event or person of historic interest and to associate that point of interest with a specific locale one can visit.-Description:...
(text below) notes Hogtown's location at that site and is the eponymous outpost of the adjacent Hogtown Creek. Originally a village of Seminole
Seminole
The Seminole are a Native American people originally of Florida, who now reside primarily in that state and Oklahoma. The Seminole nation emerged in a process of ethnogenesis out of groups of Native Americans, most significantly Creeks from what is now Georgia and Alabama, who settled in Florida in...
s who raised hogs, the habitation was dubbed "Hogtown" by nearby white
White people
White people is a term which usually refers to human beings characterized, at least in part, by the light pigmentation of their skin...
s who traded with the Seminoles. In 1824, Hogtown's population numbered 14 souls. After the acquisition of Florida by the United States, white settlers began moving into the area. The 1823 Treaty of Moultrie Creek
Treaty of Moultrie Creek
The Treaty of Moultrie Creek was an agreement signed in 1823 between the government of the United States and several chiefs of the Seminole Indians in the present-day state of Florida. The United States had acquired Florida from Spain in 1821 by means of the Adams-Onís Treaty. In 1823 the...
obliged the Seminoles to move to a reservation in central Florida. Under the terms of the treaty, Chief John Mico received $20 as compensation for the "improvements" the Seminoles had made in Hogtown.
The 1832 Treaty of Payne's Landing
Treaty of Payne's Landing
The Treaty of Payne's Landing was an agreement signed on 9 May 1832 between the government of the United States and several chiefs of the Seminole Indians in the present-day state of Florida.- Background :...
required the Seminoles in Florida to move to west of the Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
after three years. Most of the Seminoles did not want to leave Florida. As the deadline for the start of the removal approached, tensions increased in Florida. In June 1835 there occurred an incident called the "Murder of Hogtown" (not to be confused with a work of fiction so titled): A party of seven or eight Seminoles hunting off of the reservation had killed a cow and then made camp near Hogtown. A group of whites found five or six of the Seminoles at their camp, seized their weapons, and began whipping the Seminoles. The other two Seminoles returned to the camp, and seeing their fellows being whipped, opened fire on the whites. In the ensuring fight, three of the whites were wounded, one Seminole was killed, and another Seminole was reported to have been mortally wounded. Indian Agent Wiley Thompson
Wiley Thompson
Wiley Thompson was a United States Representative from Georgia.Born in Amelia County, Virginia, Thompson moved to Elberton, Georgia, and served as a commissioner of the Elbert County Academy in 1808...
demanded the surrender of the surviving Seminoles, and they were turned over to government custody for trial. There is no record of a trial occurring, however, reportedly because the whites involved did not want their actions examined in court. In August, Private Kinsley Dalton was killed while carrying the mail from Fort Brooke
Fort Brooke
Fort Brooke was a historical military post situated on the east bank of the Hillsborough River in present-day Tampa, Florida. The Tampa Convention Center currently stands at the site.-Fort Brooke as a military outpost:...
(Tampa
Tampa, Florida
Tampa is a city in the U.S. state of Florida. It serves as the county seat for Hillsborough County. Tampa is located on the west coast of Florida. The population of Tampa in 2010 was 335,709....
) to Fort King
Fort King
Fort King was a United States military fort in north central Florida. It was named after Colonel William King, commander of Florida's Fourth Infantry and the first governor of the provisional West Florida region. The fort was built in 1827, and became the genesis of the city of Ocala...
(Ocala
Ocala, Florida
Ocala is a city in Marion County, Florida. As of 2007, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 53,491. It is the county seat of Marion County, and the principal city of the Ocala, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had an estimated 2007 population of 324,857.-History:Ocala...
), allegedly in retaliation for the Seminoles killed at Hogtown.
The Second Seminole War
Second Seminole War
The Second Seminole War, also known as the Florida War, was a conflict from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between various groups of Native Americans collectively known as Seminoles and the United States, part of a series of conflicts called the Seminole Wars...
started late in December 1835, when 107 United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
troops were killed by Seminoles in the Dade Massacre
Dade Massacre
The "Dade Massacre" was an 1835 defeat for the United States Army that started the Second Seminole War, which lasted until 1842.On December 23, 1835, two U.S. companies of 110 troops under Major Francis L. Dade departed from Fort Brooke , heading up the King Highway on a resupply and reinforce...
. White settlers throughout Florida left their homes or took steps to protect themselves. The residents of Hogtown built a fortification called Fort Hogtown, and were part of the Spring Grove Guards (Spring Grove was about four miles west of Hogtown).
In 1853, the residents of Alachua County realized that the route of the planned Florida Railroad
Florida Railroad
The Florida Railroad was the first railroad to connect the east and west coasts of Florida, running from Fernandina to Cedar Key. The line later became part of the Seaboard Air Line Railroad, and, where still in use, is operated by CSX Transportation and the First Coast Railroad...
would bypass the county seat, Newnansville
Newnansville, Florida
The Newnansville Town Site was where the town of Newnansville was located. It is approximately 1.5 miles northeast of Alachua, Florida, on S.R. 235 off of US 441...
. A general meeting at Boulware Springs
Boulware Springs Water Works
The Boulware Springs Water Works is a historic site in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is located at 3400 Southeast 15th Street. On June 20, 1985, it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places...
was called to consider moving the county seat to a new town on the expected route of the railroad. William Lewis, who owned a plantation in Hogtown, offered 20 votes pledged to him in support of a new town on the railroad, with a deal that the town would be called Lewisville if it did not become the county seat. Lewis did not believe that there would be enough votes to move the county seat. However, Tillman Ingram, another plantation owner in Hogtown who also owned a sawmill there, offered to build a courthouse in the new town for such a favorable price that the move was approved. The name Gainesville was then chosen for the new town. Ingram built Oak Hall, said to be the first important house in downtown Gainesville, as well as the first courthouse. Lumber from the Hogtown mill had also been used for the oldest house in Gainesville, the Bailey House, built on the Bailey Plantation before Gainesville was established.
An 1855 map of Hogtown and Gainesville is found on the site of the Alachua County Library District.
In 1961, the City of Gainesville annexed the former site of Hogtown. Colloquially, "Hogtown" is oft used as a synonym for Gainesville and many Gainesville businesses and events identify themselves as "Hogtown".