Brooksville, County seat in Hernando County, Florida, United States
Brooksville is a county seat in Hernando County, Florida, surrounded by green hills and pine forests in the central part of the peninsula. The town sits at about 59 meters (194 feet) elevation and spreads across several neighborhoods with wide streets and low buildings.
The town formed in 1856 when two neighboring settlements from the 1840s, Melendez and Pierceville, merged together. Over the following decades it grew through railroad connections and became the administrative center of the county.
The name honors a 19th-century congressman, Preston Brooks, whose political support aided early settlers. Today people live along gentle hills and follow a rhythm between farming and small trade.
Visitors reach the center on foot or by car, as public transport is limited and parking is usually free. The town suits short walks, especially in the morning or late afternoon when temperatures are more comfortable.
Nearby stood Fort DeSoto, a military post and trading place from 1840 that closed a few years later due to water shortage. The ruin is now overgrown with brush and barely recognizable.
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