Soulwalk Maps

Central Avenue & The Scrub

Following the Civil War, a large portion of Tampa’s formerly enslaved Black population formed a new neighborhood just to the northeast of the city in an area of scrub palmetto. The community took on the name The Scrub, and by 1900 a business community began to take root along Central Avenue, which ran along its western border. Once the core of Tampa’s Black community, the business district is now home to Perry Harvey, Sr. Park and The Scrub is the site of the ENCORE! development.

Downtown

Downtown Tampa is the oldest part of modern Tampa, dating back to the creation of Fort Brooke in 1824. The Village of Tampa grew up just north of the fort, and by 1855, that village became a city. As a southern city, a portion of the population consisted of enslaved Black people. Following the Civil War and into the late 1800s, the northern end of Tampa, from Polk Street north, saw a concentration of African American residents and businesses.

Maps & Landmarks

The Garrison

The Garrison, as a neighborhood, grew from the closing of Fort Brooke by the War Department in 1883. Shortly after the closure, the property was transferred to the Department of the Interior and opened up for homesteads. Four families, three of whom were African American, filed for homesteads. Those three families eventually took possession of the eastern and northeastern sections of the old fort. The area was soon surrounded by the new Port of Tampa, and Black dock workers and their families began to move into the growing neighborhood.

Maps & Landmarks