The inscription on the Tampa as Point of Embarkation for Spanish American War historical marker reads as follows:

" From April to June 1898, Tampa served as a port of embarkation for U.S Troops on their way to Cuba.  Some 30,000 troops arrived in Tampa and 16,000 embarked from Port Tampa on June 7.  The Tampa Bay Hotel was headquarters for the force’s leaders including Generals Milles and Shafter and Colonel “Teddy” Roosevelt.  The city also swarmed with visiting civilians including Richard Harding Davis and Clara Barton, founder of the American Red Cross. "