HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – The original location of Fort Alafia is a signifigant part of eastern Hillsborough County’s history. However, the spot no longer marked as it has been for years.
A historical state marker stood near the fort’s original location for decades. But it’s been relocated to from the original site to Alderman’s Ford Regional Park.
Nadine Jackson opposes the new location. “We were confused. Why is it going in the park a mile and half from where it is supposed to be, and we couldn’t get a hold of anybody to find out why,” Jackson said.
Jackson and others were surprised to learn the marker, which celebrates the history of the area, won’t be going back to its original spot. The marker was stolen and recovered in the 1990s.
It then sat in storage for nearly two decades.
Shelby Bender with the Eastern Hillsborough County Historical Society talked with News Channel 8 Tuesday. “I think more people will have an opportunity to read the sign and maybe it will peak some interest in the history of the local community,” Bender said.
Bender said the old spot along County Road 39 was just too busy considering how things have changed since it was first placed there in 1961. “We looked to put the sign where the public would have accessibility to it, more visibility to it, and safe location,” she said.
Jackson doesn’t agree. She said the sign is harder to see in the park. “Unless you’re looking for the sign, you can’t see it from highway. You have to know where to look to see the sign,” she said
Opponents of the new location feel the sign no longer tells the truth. “You are changing history by moving the marker from a site to a new site and it doesn’t say on the sign any particular location; it says this is the site, and so we are rewriting history here,” Jackson said.
History buffs and residents just want the sign returned to the original location so there is no question about its historical significance.