Earlier this week, we honored America's fallen with Memorial Day. And many of our country's best military leaders are remembered in an interesting place.

Let's go to Downtown Tampa, where the streets bear the names of nine generals.

Why do they call it Marion Street?

The soldier who kicks some British backside in the movie "The Patriot" is loosely -- really loosely -- based on the general who gave Tampa's Marion Street its name.

"Francis Marion, who was also known as the Swamp Fox," said Rodney Kite-Powell, curator of history at the Tampa Bay History Center.

Kite-Powell said Marion isn't the only hero general from the war that made America to be honored by a Tampa street.

There's "Morgan Street, named for Daniel Morgan." And there's another guy you may have heard of: "George Washington had a street named for him," Kite-Powell said.

Who was the driving force behind these road names? Early Tampa leader John Jackson -- who also has a street bearing his name. He laid out the city and named all of the first roads.

Some of the streets in Downtown Tampa are just head-scratchers. There are inspiring figures like Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin. But they're paired with -- Zack? Some guy's first name?

Not just any guy. General and President Zachary Taylor.

"Taylor was commander of all of the American forces at one time during the Seminole War in the 1830's. And his headquarters was here at Fort Brooke," Kite-Powell said.

It's likely John Jackson, the street planner, knew Zachary Taylor. And, I guess Jackson knew him pretty well -- he just called him the nickname "Zack" when it came time to name a street in his honor.

"It's interesting that there's no Taylor -- why he called it Zack and not Taylor," Kite-Powell said. "It's perhaps because he had a Tyler Street. Maybe he didn't want people to be confused by Taylor and Tyler."

President John Tyler is one of the later generals to snag a street name. There are also Generals Lewis Cass and Winfield Scott, who both ran for president.

Pierce first showed up on a Tampa map the year General Franklin Pierce went to the White House. But across the state, the city of Fort Pierce came from a different source: the president's brother, Benjamin.

There's only one way to finish all this up: General David Twiggs. He and his bold beard were stationed for years at Fort Brooke, the Army post that became the center of a new city called Tampa.

Why do they call it that? Now you know.

Grayson Kamm, 10 News