Fort Lonesome

Florida's ghost towns are railroad towns Flagler built, 1920s land-boom subdivisions that busted, and phosphate and turpentine camps.

Fort Lonesome is a rural area located in southeastern Hillsborough County, Florida, United States, 36 miles (58 km) southeast of Tampa. A sawmill briefly revived the area with a few houses and three stores in the early 1930s. It was short-lived: a fire destroyed the mill and eventually the "town" disappeared. Today, it is mainly a farming region.

Fort Lonesome started with soldiers before it had settlers — the frontier's usual order of operations.

The on-the-ground condition of Fort Lonesome is unverified — it's listed here with unknown status. That could mean standing buildings, or an empty field. Go prepared for either, and consider sharing what you find so the record improves.

Nobody has confirmed the access situation, so treat any visit as reconnaissance: verify land ownership first, and be ready to admire from the road.

Here's the honest truth: access to Fort Lonesome is unverified. We couldn't confirm whether the site sits on public land, private property, or something in between — so verify land ownership and local rules before visiting, and respect private property at all times. The mapped point for Fort Lonesome is roughly 27.7047, -82.1458 — use it as a starting point and cross-reference a current topographic map before leaving pavement.

Ghost-town etiquette is simple: take only photographs. Removing artifacts is illegal on public lands and disrespectful everywhere else — and on federal land it can be a serious offense.