Tampa Bay Pirate History -

The first written account of Gaspar appeared in a 1904 brochure for the Gasparilla Inn. The author later admitted the story was a work of fiction designed to attract tourists. Real Pirates of the Gulf Coast

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Tampa Bay area was a popular spot for pirates and privateers, who preyed on Spanish and French shipping in the region. One of the most notorious pirates to operate in the area was Jean Laffite, a French pirate who is believed to have used Tampa Bay as a hideout in the early 19th century. tampa bay pirate history

The classic “Golden Age of Piracy” (roughly 1650–1730) saw the likes of Blackbeard and "Calico Jack" Rackham pillaging the Caribbean. While Tampa Bay wasn’t a major hub like Nassau or Port Royal, it was a crucial watering hole. Pirates would slip into what is now Old Tampa Bay, near the present-day Courtney Campbell Causeway, to take on fresh water from the Hillsborough River and careen their ships (beaching them to scrape barnacles off the hulls). The first written account of Gaspar appeared in