Gulf City lost pirate settlement Florida
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hardluck:
Hello All
Here is a ghost town so lost that I cannot even find a picture of it. :D
Gulf City is an abandoned town site in Hillsborough County, located near Ruskin Florida. It should be noted that the orginal Gulf City is not where the present Gulf City but nearby. The orginal Gulf City was founded by Ben Margoza in the mid-17th century. In 1895 it was listed as having a population of 76 people, and a post office. Gulf City was completely abandoned around the 1920s. The Bridge connecting the island is gone, the buildings are gone. But what lies below the ground where iot once stood.
Interesting relics for a metal detectorist?
Hardluck
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kayakpirate:
Are you sure it was on that island? I detected that island before and didn't find anything. The bridge that fell was a modern bridge that was supposedly damaged by a hurricane. It also appears that the channel was dredged and the sand was pumped onto the island.
I believe the old Gulf City is where the current one is.
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hardluck:
Hello Kayakpirate
Sorry I did not reply earlier I have been away.
You are maybe correct. However How I was lead to believe the earlist site was on the island. Perhaps relics of the early settlement was buried deep under sand dumped there after dredging? Do please keep informed any developments.
Hardluck
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kayakpirate:
I have pinpointed where the post office was from an old map. There are 4 new houses with perfect lawns there, so no detecting it. It was on a Northern point just South of the Island.
What information lead you to believe the original site was on the Island? You are probably right since that would be more secure and it was the pirate Ben Margoza who started it.
I got a new deep seeker and a hand held mag, I'll check it out again this winter.
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salvor6:
I have been to Gulf City many times. My buddy and I detected the whole island. Found nothing. There are other sites nearby that the pirates used. Little Cockroach Island is unusual in that it rises about 6 feet above sea level. All the other islands are low and marshy. Little Cockroach is where the pirates supposedly buried silver bars. There are numerous huge holes on the island.
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salvor6
seldom:
Quote:Posted by kayakpirateIt also appears that the channel was dredged and the sand was pumped onto the island.
Thats a problem everywhere along the Gulf coast and I would guess the East coast also.
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hardluck:
Hello All
There may very little trace of the orginal settlement. The 17th century layers of habitation could be buried under 3 centries of natural soil or sand overlay plus dredging and effects of time and tides etc. What would be very good is if some one could find an early document to varify the early existance of this alleged pirate settlement?
Anyway I still thing it worth digging a little further into?
Pardon the pun. :D
Hardluck
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alpharalpha:
I lived in Gulf City as a child. The bridge actually was built by some real estate types trying to sell property on Goat Island but (I know one of the men who worked on this) they used chopped wood in with the fill dirt on the island side of the bridge and the 2nd car to drive across it cracked there and that was the end of that. There is a sub shop in Ruskin called Marion's Subs (she's since passed on but the store's still open) she was from Gulf City as was her Mother Ms Hanson who I used to visit, she was at least in her 80s back in 1980 so she was there prior to the building of the Tamiami Trail. She said the only paths around were cow paths thru the tall grasses and prior to the founding of Ruskin. The Morgans farm a good chunk thru the middle and the rest has various houses, trailers etc. Where there were cow fields have been purchased and turned into retirement trailer parks. At one time there was a fish camp and a general store as the fishing used to be very good there. If you go a bit south there's Old Sun City where they made some movies hoping to turn it into a place for that purpose and you can see the old sidewalks and some set debris in the woods but Gulf City I've explored all over and except for one other house probably as old as Ms Hansons (which has been torn down) I've never seen any trace of anything prior to 1900. Used to be great fossil hunting at a shell pit but now they've been filled in and houses are built around them. The little manatee river is the only thing holding it from being another housing development as the cost to run city water and sewer under the river is cost prohibitive. I can tell you in 1970 you could walk across the open span of the broken bridge which now erosion is enough to sail a boat thru and they've removed the top of the bridge. For what it's worth. When I was young the origin of that bridge was speculation until I made friends with someone who was from Gulf City and like I said worked on the project. Was a nicer place in the 70's.
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