Historic Tampa will be the venue of the 61st Annual Florida United Numismatists (FUN) Show in January 2016. Located in Hillsborough County on the west coast of Florida, Tampa has a rich history. Initially inhabited by various Native American groups, the ill-fated Narvaez Expedition landed near present day Tampa in April, 1528, with the intention of starting a colony. However, this attempt failed. A dozen years later Hernando de Soto established a short-lived Spanish outpost. Shortly thereafter, the outpost was abandoned when it became clear that there was no gold in the area. Except for indigenous peoples this entire area would be virtually uninhabited for the next two hundred years.
After Great Britain acquired Florida in 1763 as part of the Treaty which ended the French & Indian War, the Tampa area did have a few residents, particularly fishermen. These people lived in a small village at the mouth of Spanish Town Creek on Tampa Bay along what is now Bay Shore Boulevard in Tampa’s Hyde Park neighborhood. Spain regained control of Florida in 1783 as part of the Treaty of Paris at the end of the American Revolution.
In 1821 the United States purchased Florida from Spain and in 1824 established Fort Brooke at the mouth of the Hillsborough River on Tampa Bay just about where today’s Tampa Convention Center in downtown Tampa is located. It will be at this Convention Center that the FUN Show will be held.
The 1715 Fleet Society, as usual, will make its appearance by having a table where visitors can meet and enjoy pleasant conversation. There will be some items for sale. We will feature our 2016 calendar, as well as some commemorative items from last year’s Anniversary celebration. Also a new silver ingot (1 oz.) will be available. We have not yet been assigned a table number but as soon as we receive that information we will post it in a future newsletter item.
The Tampa Convention Center is located at 333 South Franklin Street, Tampa, Florida. The FUN show will take place between January 7 – 10, 2016.
It is recommended that reservations be made as soon as possible for those intending to attend the FUN Show.
