Brewster is a ghost town in Polk County, Florida. It sits roughly 15.9 km (9.9 mi) S of Mulberry.
Brewster is a ghost town in southwest Polk County, Florida, United States, ten miles south of Mulberry. It is at an elevation of 143 ft (44 m) above sea level and has been uninhabited since the early 1960s. The population is 3, according to the 2010 Census. 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, and a post office, which was established in 1913 and discontinued in 1961. It also was the site of a rail switch yard, Agrock rail yard. 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...From the Wikipedia article “Brewster, Florida”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunrise & sunset directions
At Brewster the sunrise point swings a long way through the year: about 63° (ENE) at the June solstice and 116° (ESE) in late December. Sunset moves from 297° (WNW) in June to 244° (WSW) in December, and the midday sun climbs to 86° in summer but only 39° in winter.
| Date | Sunrise | Azimuth | Sunset | Azimuth | Noon sun | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox (Mar 20) | 7:33 AM | 90° E | 7:40 PM | 270° W | 62° | 12h 07m |
| June solstice (Jun 21) | 6:33 AM | 63° ENE | 8:27 PM | 297° WNW | 86° | 13h 54m |
| September equinox (Sep 22) | 7:17 AM | 89° E | 7:26 PM | 271° W | 63° | 12h 09m |
| December solstice (Dec 21) | 7:15 AM | 116° ESE | 5:38 PM | 244° WSW | 39° | 10h 23m |
Azimuth is measured clockwise from true north (90° = east, 270° = west). Computed for 2026; values change by less than a degree from year to year.
Golden hour & blue hour by month
Weathered wood and rusted metal show texture best in low-angle light; overcast skies suit interiors and moody black-and-white work.
| Month (15th) | Blue hour starts | Sunrise | Golden hour ends | Golden hour starts | Sunset | Blue hour ends | Daylight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 6:55 AM | 7:21 AM | 7:55 AM | 5:21 PM | 5:55 PM | 6:20 PM | 10h 34m |
| February | 6:42 AM | 7:06 AM | 7:38 AM | 5:48 PM | 6:20 PM | 6:44 PM | 11h 14m |
| March | 7:15 AM | 7:38 AM | 8:09 AM | 7:06 PM | 7:37 PM | 8:00 PM | 11h 59m |
| April | 6:40 AM | 7:04 AM | 7:35 AM | 7:22 PM | 7:53 PM | 8:17 PM | 12h 49m |
| May | 6:14 AM | 6:40 AM | 7:13 AM | 7:38 PM | 8:11 PM | 8:36 PM | 13h 31m |
| June | 6:06 AM | 6:33 AM | 7:07 AM | 7:52 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:52 PM | 13h 53m |
| July | 6:16 AM | 6:42 AM | 7:16 AM | 7:53 PM | 8:26 PM | 8:53 PM | 13h 44m |
| August | 6:35 AM | 6:59 AM | 7:31 AM | 7:36 PM | 8:07 PM | 8:32 PM | 13h 08m |
| September | 6:51 AM | 7:14 AM | 7:45 AM | 7:03 PM | 7:34 PM | 7:58 PM | 12h 20m |
| October | 7:05 AM | 7:29 AM | 8:00 AM | 6:29 PM | 7:00 PM | 7:24 PM | 11h 31m |
| November | 6:25 AM | 6:50 AM | 7:23 AM | 5:03 PM | 5:37 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 47m |
| December | 6:46 AM | 7:12 AM | 7:47 AM | 5:01 PM | 5:36 PM | 6:02 PM | 10h 24m |
Local time (America/New York), including daylight saving time. Golden hour runs from about −4° to +6° solar altitude, so the morning golden hour begins during blue hour, before sunrise.
Milky Way & night sky
From Brewster, the Milky Way core is visible in a dark sky from February through October. June gives the longest window (about 7.0 hours on a moonless night), and the core peaks around 33° above the southern horizon. Our light-pollution model puts the sky at about Bortle 4 (rural / suburban transition), good enough for detailed Milky Way images.
| Month | Core visible (15th) | Hours | Max altitude | Direction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | Below 10° in darkness | — | 3° | — |
| February | 4:39 AM – 5:39 AM | 1.0 | 20° | SE → SE |
| March | 3:45 AM – 6:15 AM | 2.5 | 30° | SE → SSE |
| April | 1:44 AM – 5:34 AM | 3.8 | 33° | SE → S |
| May | 11:48 PM – 5:08 AM | 5.3 | 33° | SE → SSW |
| June | 9:59 PM – 4:59 AM | 7.0 | 33° | SE → SW |
| July | 9:57 PM – 3:27 AM | 5.5 | 33° | SSE → SW |
| August | 9:31 PM – 1:31 AM | 4.0 | 33° | S → SW |
| September | 8:53 PM – 11:23 PM | 2.5 | 30° | SSW → SW |
| October | 8:18 PM – 9:28 PM | 1.2 | 21° | SW → SW |
| November | Below 10° in darkness | — | 5° | — |
| December | Below 10° in darkness | — | -18° | — |
Window when the galactic core is at least 10° high during astronomical darkness on the 15th of each month. Pick nights within a few days of the new moon. Plan exact nights with the Milky Way planner.
Estimated sky darkness: 4 Bortle 4 — Rural / suburban transition. Light domes are visible in several directions; the Milky Way is clear but lacks detail near the horizon. Modeled zenith brightness ≈ 20.66 mag/arcsec².
Weather & best season
Long-term NASA satellite data for this area show November as the clearest month (about 39% average cloud cover) and July as the cloudiest (59%). August is the warmest month and January the coldest, which matters for gear, snow access and how long batteries last at night.
Average cloud cover (%)
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High °F | 87 | 90 | 97 | 99 | 103 | 102 | 98 | 96 | 94 | 94 | 90 | 88 |
| Low °F | 24 | 28 | 34 | 41 | 54 | 66 | 70 | 68 | 62 | 38 | 37 | 26 |
| Precip. (in) | 1.9 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 4.1 | 8.5 | 7.3 | 7.7 | 6.7 | 3.4 | 1.7 | 2.2 |
Monthly climatology for the surrounding 1° grid cell from NASA POWER (MERRA-2). Mountain sites can be colder and cloudier than the cell average.
Photography tips for this ghost town
- Old buildings under the Milky Way make strong night images in dark rural skies.
- Look for details: door hinges, faded signs, square nails and window frames tell the story.
- Leave everything as you found it; removing artifacts from public land is illegal.
- Respect private property and closures: many ghost towns are on private land or protected historic sites — never enter unstable buildings.
- For interiors with windows, blend two exposures (one for inside, one for the view) instead of relying on HDR alone.
- Check road and trail conditions with the managing agency before you go.
Season: High-elevation mining towns are reachable mostly from June to October; desert ghost towns are best in spring and autumn.
Suggested gear: Wide-angle lens, Tripod, Headlamp, Sturdy boots. Work out exposures with the depth of field, ND filter and NPF rule calculators.
Permits, drones & access
Private property: Many ghost towns sit on private land or protected historic sites. Respect signs, never enter unstable buildings and leave artifacts in place.
Nearby photo spots
Other locations within 25 km of Brewster, closest first.
FAQ
When is the best time to photograph Brewster?
What time is golden hour at Brewster?
Where does the sun rise and set at Brewster?
Can you see the Milky Way from Brewster?
Do you need a permit to photograph at Brewster?
How far is Brewster from Mulberry?
Sources
Location data: Wikidata, USGS GNIS / GeoNames, Wikipedia. Sun, moon and Milky Way times are computed by LWPhoto Atlas for 2026. Climate: NASA POWER. Sky darkness is a population-based estimate (Walker's law), not a measurement. See data sources & licenses.