Tampa Landmarks · South Tampa Roosevelt Elementary SchoolHonoring Theodore Roosevelt and the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry — a living legacy since 1925 ✦ ✦ ✦Built in 1925 and named in honor of Theodore Roosevelt and his Rough Riders, Roosevelt Elementary School in South Tampa has maintained an active partnership with the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment – Rough Riders, Inc. for decades — one of the most enduring living tributes to the regiment's legacy in the Tampa Bay area. 
Roosevelt Elementary School historical marker — S. Ferdinand Ave. at W. Tacon St., Tampa, FL · Erected 2006
A School Named for the ColonelWhen construction began on a new elementary school in South Tampa in 1925, the community chose to name it after Theodore Roosevelt — the larger-than-life Colonel who had led the Rough Riders through Tampa's streets and into battle at Cuba's San Juan Hill just 27 years earlier. The name was a statement of civic pride and a recognition of how deeply the Rough Riders' story was woven into Tampa's identity. Roosevelt Elementary quickly became a school of academic excellence, and the connection to the Rough Riders proved lasting. The school developed a close relationship with the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment – Rough Riders, Inc., collaborating on educational and civic activities that bring the history of 1898 alive for new generations of Tampa students. A Living PartnershipRoosevelt Elementary School benefits even today from the spirit of the Tampa Rough Riders. The school maintains an active partnership with the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry Regiment – Rough Riders, Inc. for educational and civic activities — making it one of the few Tampa landmarks where the connection to 1898 is not just commemorated but actively continued. The School Today
Roosevelt Elementary School, Tampa
Roosevelt Elementary School, Tampa
Historical Marker — Full InscriptionMarker TextRoosevelt Elementary School
Honors Theodore Roosevelt and the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry "Rough Riders" Theodore Roosevelt was the Assistant Secretary of the Navy when the battleship U.S.S. Maine was sunk in Havana Harbor. After the United States declared war on Spain in April 1898, initiating the Spanish American War, Roosevelt resigned his position and joined the military. Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt recruited volunteers to serve in the newly organized 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, which soon earned the nickname, "Rough Riders." In June 1898, Roosevelt and the Rough Riders camped in Tampa before they disembarked to Cuba. Famed for their charge up Cuba's San Juan Hill, the Rough Riders were brave men who were determined to achieve an independent Cuba, a goal that Tampa's Cuban immigrants had long sought. Erected 2006 by Roosevelt Elementary School and the Hillsborough County Historical Advisory Council. Location3205 S. Ferdinand Ave., Tampa, FL 33629
Coordinates: 27° 54.993′ N, 82° 29.832′ W |
