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Welcome
to Point of Interest Road
Signs! A
collection of photos of road and trail signs. Click
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Old
Polk County Courthouse Marker
Location
of sign - 100 East Main Street,
Bartow, Florida
Photo
taken- December 2008
Photo
courtesy of Jimmy Wayne
Text
of sign:
Old
Polk County Courthouse
Polk
County was established February 8, 1861 formed from eastern
Hillsborough County and western Brevard County and
comprised one of
two counties created after the state's secession from the union.
Polk County was named after James Knox Polk
the eleventh president
of the United States. Polk served from 1845 to 1849, and was the
first president to hold office after Florida
achieved statehood. The
turbulent 1860's saw Polk's seat of government changed several
times. Located first at Mud Lake, the
county seat soon moved to
Jefferson, a surveyed town site within the present day limits of
Bartow. Court and County records were
maintained in the home of the
county clerk the Reverend Jeremiah Hayman at Six Mile Creek. In 1867
cattleman Jacob Summerlin
donated 120 acres of land at Bartow for a
town site and seat of county government. Several courthouses have
existed at this site,
built in 1867, 1884 and 1909.
A
Florida Heritage Site
Sponsored
by the Polk County Historical Commission and the Florida Department
of State
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