Bartow is a Polk County city in Central Florida, located east of the Tampa Bay area. The estimated population is now in excess of 16,000 residents. It is the count seat of Polk County. Named in the honor of Francis S. Bartow, the first Confederate officer to die in the Civil War, the residents are know as Bartowans. Bartow is the second largest city, in geographical area, in Polk County.

Few people lived in Florida in the early 1800s, because of the heat and humidity, animals and the bigger threat of the Seminole Indians. By the mid 1800s, most communities were formed in forts to ward off indian attacks. Bartow was originally established as Fort Blount, and then renamed Bartow, and became the Polk County seat.