Brooksville is a city in Hernando County, Florida, in the United States. It is the county seat of Hernando County.6
Geography
Brooksville is located at 28°33′13″N, 82°23′19″W (28.553529,
-82.388668).1
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area
of 12.9 km² (5.0 mi²). 12.8 km² (4.9 mi²) of it is
land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.60%) is water.
Demographics
Hernando County Courthouse
As of the census2 of 2000, there were 7,264 people, 3,220 households, and 1,832 families residing
in the city. The population density was 567.7/km² (1,469.5/mi²). There were 3,920
housing units at an average density of 306.4/km² (793.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 74.93% White, 21.31% African American, 0.36% Native American, 1.23% Asian, 1.09% from other races, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.07% of the population.
There were 3,220 households out of which 23.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.1% were
non-families. 38.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or
older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.82.
In the city the population was spread out with 22.1% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 21.7% from 25 to 44, 18.7% from
45 to 64, and 29.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 80.2 males.
For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.4 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $25,489, and the median income for a family was $31,060. Males had a median
income of $29,837 versus $21,804 for females. The per capita income for the city was
$16,265. About 16.8% of families and 21.5% of the population were below the poverty
line, including 27.9% of those under age 18 and 11.5% of those age 65 or over.
History
William Sherman Jennings House
Brooksville, originally known as Melendez, was first settled about 1845. A map printed in
1855 shows the town of Melendez as being the capital of Benton
County, the former name of Hernando County. It remained the county seat of Hernando County
for more than one hundred years.
Fort DeSoto, a military fort established about 1840
to give protection to settlers from Indians, 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 1840's 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,
know named Melendez, was formed.
Brooksville was established in 1856, and grew from a consolidation of Pierceville and Melendez.
Brooksville was incorporated on October 13, 1880.
The City of Brooksville, as it is known today, 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.
Brooksville is a residential-commercial community which has experienced continuous growth. There are several modern medical
facilities, including Brooksville Regional Hospital Inc., Oak Hill Community Hospital and Spring Hill Regional Hospital serving
the area, a campus of Pasco-Hernando Community College located at the edge of the city, and a business section with 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, and biking opportunities.
Naming
http://www.ci.brooksville.fl.us/
Brooksville was named in honor of Representative Preston Brooks of South Carolina because of the role he played in a drama which took place in the Chamber of the
U.S. Senate in 1856.
On May 22, 1856, Brooks beat Senator Charles Sumner with his Gutta-percha wood walking cane in the Senate chamber because of a
speech Sumner had made three days previous criticizing President Franklin Pierce and Southerners who sympathized with the
pro-slavery violence in Kansas ("Bleeding Kansas"). In particular, Sumner lambasted Brooks' kinsman, Senator Andrew Butler, who
was not in attendance when the speech was read, describing slavery as a harlot, comparing Butler with Don Juan for embracing it,
and mocking Butler for a physical handicap. Senator Stephen Douglas of Illinois, who was also a subject of abuse during the
speech, suggested to a colleague while Sumner was orating that "this damn fool [Sumner] is going to get himself shot by some
other damn fool." (Jordan et. al The Americans)
Brooks consulted with fellow South Carolina Rep. Laurence M. Keitt on dueling etiquette. Keitt instructed him that dueling was
for gentlemen of equal social standing, and suggested that Sumner occupied a lower social status comparable to a drunkard due to
the supposedly coarse language he had used during his speech. Brooks thus decided to attack Sumner with a cane.
Two days after the speech, on the afternoon of May 22, Brooks confronted Sumner as he sat writing at his desk in the almost
empty Senate chamber. Brooks was accompanied by Laurence M. Keitt, also of South Carolina, and Henry A. Edmundson of Virginia.
Brooks said, "Mr. Sumner, I have read your speech twice over carefully. It is a libel on South Carolina, and Mr. Butler, who is a
relative of mine." As Sumner began to stand up, Brooks began beating Sumner on the head with his thick gutta-percha cane with a
gold head. Sumner was trapped under the heavy desk (which was bolted to the floor), but Brooks continued to bash Sumner until he
ripped the desk from the floor. By this time, Sumner was blinded by his own blood, and he staggered up the aisle and collapsed,
lapsing into unconsciousness. Brooks continued to beat Sumner until he broke his cane, then quietly left the chamber. Several
other senators attempted to help Sumner, but were blocked by Keitt who was holding a pistol and shouting "Let them be!"
Sumner was unable to return to duty for more than three years while he recovered. He later became one of the most influential
Radical Republicans throughout the conduct of the American Civil War, and on through the early years of Reconstruction.
[edit] After the attack South Carolinians sent Brooks dozens of brand new canes to replace the one he had broken. The Richmond
Enquirer crowed: "We consider the act good in conception, better in execution, and best of all in consequences. These vulgar
abolitionists in the Senate must be lashed into submission."
Wikisource has original text related to this article: On his assault on Charles SumnerBrooks survived an expulsion vote in the
House but resigned his seat, claiming both that he "meant no disrespect to the Senate of the United States" by attacking Sumner
and that he did not intend to kill him, for he would have used a different weapon if he had. His constituents thought of him as a
hero and returned him to Congress. Brooks remained in office until his death from the croup in 1857 and is buried in Edgefield,
South Carolina.
Trivia
- On Sept. 12, 1842, Seminole Indians attacked the McDaniel party near the community of
Chocachatti, south of Brooksville, killing Charlotte (Mrs. Richard) Crum.
- Stephen M. Sparkman, a prominent member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida, was born on a farm in Hernando County
just south of Brooksville on July 29, 1849. Sparkman was elected as a Democrat to the 54th United States
Congress and to the ten succeeding Congresses (March 4, 1895-March 3, 1917).
- Brooksville is the birthplace and childhood home of former U.S.
Congressman and current Florida Attorney General Bill McCollum.
- William Sherman Jennings moved to Florida in 1885 and began a law practice
in Brooksville, becoming the judge of Hernando County in 1888. In 1893, Jennings accepted an election to the state legislature
and became speaker of the house in 1895. During the next few years, he served as a colonel in the Florida militia, president of
the Brooksville town council and chairman of the Democratic committee. In 1900, Jennings was elected Governor of Florida for the term from 1901 to 1905. After his term in office, Jennings practiced law
in Brooksville and then Jacksonville. He died on February 28, 1920.
- Brooksville is also the birthplace of Atlanta Braves pitcher Mike Hampton.
- Jerome Brown, a defensive lineman for the Philadelphia Eagles, was killed in an automobile accident in 1992 in Brooksville.
- Brooksville is the childhood home of Cincinnati Reds pitcher Bronson Arroyo. Arroyo pitched for Hernando High School and graduated in 1995.
- Brooksville was once a major citrus production area and was known as the "Home of the
Tangerine".
- George Lowe, well-known for his role as Space Ghost in Space Ghost Coast to Coast on Adult Swim, grew up in
Brooksville. He began learning radio skills at WWJB AM 1450, an AM station in the early 1970s in the area.
References
- ^ Brooksville city, Florida - DP-1. Profile of General Demographic
Characteristics: 2000. 2000 US Census. Retrieved on 2007-01-22.
External links
Coordinates:
28.553529° N 82.388668°
W
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