September 26, 2024

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. For 50+ years – Fort Meade was a military post and town that I grew up near in the 1970s. It’s in Anne Arundel County Maryland – between Baltimore, Washington, and Annapolis. It’s named after U.S. Civil War Union Major General George Gordon Meade (1815-1872).

But then this past year I was made aware of another Fort Meade – 30 miles away from my current home here in the Heartland of Florida. Fort Meade Florida is also named after George Gordon Meade. After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in West Point New York in 1835 – he served in the Second Seminole War here in Florida from 1835 to 1842. He continued his service in the Mexican-American War from 1846 to 1848.

Fort Meade Florida is a small historic city in rural southwestern Polk County. It’s the oldest city in the county – with origins dating back to 1849. (Happy 175TH Anniversary !) It was established along a new military road (a portion of modern-day U.S. 98) that was constructed between Fort Brooke (Tampa on the west coast) and Fort Pierce (on the east coast).

Fort Meade’s population has held fairly steady over the past 60 years – between 4,000 and 6,000. I’ve driven through Fort Meade a few times recently – on my way to and from Bartow and Lakeland to the north (along U.S. 98). Kiki’s Egg House is a wonderful diner along the main road through downtown. They serve breakfast and lunch, and you’ll find a lot of the locals there. Every future drive through Fort Meade will probably include a hearty meal there for me.

I have not yet visited the Historical Society Of Fort Meade Florida Museum – which I had hoped to do before publishing this blog post. But there will be plenty of opportunities to do so. They are currently open 3 days a week – on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays – from 10 AM to 2 PM. I actually have it on my schedule to visit today, so if I actually do so then this will become a 2-part series, and I’ll write all about it next – #TravelThursday.

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