Brewster, Florida

Brewster is a ghost town in southwest Polk County, Florida, United States, ten miles south of Mulberry. It is at an elevation of 143 feet above sea level and has been uninhabited since the early 1960s. The population is 3, according to the 2010 Census.

Brewster
Ghost town
Brewster Power Plant in 1920
Brewster
Location within the state of Florida
Coordinates: 27°45′9″N 81°58′47″W
CountryUnited States
StateFlorida
CountyPolk
Elevation
143 ft (44 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total3
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)

The village of Brewster was founded in 1910 and for decades flourished from phosphate mining. It was largely a company town for American Cyanamid. The town had its own schools, movie theater, medical clinic, post office, which was established in 1913 and discontinued in 1961,[1] and swimming pool.

The inventor of the digital computer, John Vincent Atanasoff, though born in Hamilton, New York, grew up in Brewster.

The village was officially closed down by the company in 1962. Much of Brewster was demolished at the time, but some abandoned buildings remain, including a smokestack which rises prominently in the area as a landmark. The deed to Brewster was turned over to the state of Florida in partial payment of a judgment against American Cyanamid for environmental damages.

  • Brewster Florida Smokestack in 2012 from Old Highway 37
  • Brewster Florida Abandoned Buildings in 2012 from Old Highway 37
  • Artist rendering of the former Brewster railroad depot

See also

References
  1. Gallagher, John S. (1997) Florida Post Offices, p. 152 Lake Grove, Oregon: The Depot


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