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This project id for those that were born, lived and died in Hardee County, Florida.
Hardee County was created by an act of April 23, 1921 in which the Florida Legislature divided "old DeSoto County" into five parts, forming the Counties of Hardee, DeSoto, Charlotte, Highlands and Glades.
The county is named after Cary A. Hardee, the Governor of Florida who served from 1921 to 1925 and who signed the act creating the county.
The settlement of what is now Hardee County, Florida began with the establishment of the Kennedy-Darling Indian-trading post on Paynes Creek in April 1849. The enterprise came to a tragic end on July 17, 1849, when two of the clerks, George Payne and Dempsey Whidden, were killed by Indians. A third clerk, William McCullough, and his wife Nancy were also wounded, and the post was burned down.
Reports of the attack motivated the U.S. Army to establish a chain of fortifications across Florida, and construction began on Fort Chokonikla on October 26, 1849. The fort was subsequently abandoned in July 1850 due to an outbreak of sickness and never reoccupied.
During the Seminole Wars, Fort Green and Fort Hartsuff were both garrisoned in the area. Fort Hartstuff would later become the settlement and county seat of Wauchula.
The Florida Southern Railway arrived in 1886 and ushered in a new era of increased settlement for what is now Hardee County, with many new settlers finding employment working with the railroad, tending stores, farming, ranching and teaching.
At the dawn of the 20th century, the county seat Wauchula was incorporated in 1902, and the first bank was opened in 1904.
A community group of activists referred to as "Divisionists" first began lobbying for the creation of new counties with the area of "old DeSoto County" in 1907, and after a 15-year campaign, the Florida Legislature separated Desoto into five parts, creating the 638-square mile Hardee County.
On August 13, 2004, Hurricane Charley went directly through Hardee County. Maximum sustained winds in downtown Wauchula were clocked at 149 mph with higher gusts. Most buildings in the county sustained damage, and many were totally destroyed.