The city was named for George Meade, at the time an Army lieutenant serving in Florida following the Second Seminole War.

The town and road were originally sited by then-lieutenant George Meade of the Corps of Topographical Engineers, whose commander named it for him.

[6] Around the start of the American Civil War a mounted volunteer company nicknamed the "Hickory Boys" was formed at the fort.

Fort Meade's Christ Church (Episcopal) located at 1 North Cleveland Avenue, was built in 1889.

Located within the historic district, the church was used for the HBO motion picture Judgment, featuring Blythe Danner, Keith Carradine and Jack Warden (1990).

[9] The town was burned by Union forces in 1864[10] and all of the original structures were destroyed, except the second fort which was dismantled in the 1890s.

Fort Meade has over 300 homes on the National Register of Historic Places and a handful that date to the late 1800s.

Fort Meade is located within the Central Florida Highlands area of the Atlantic coastal plain, with a terrain consisting of flatland interspersed with gently rolling hills.

Mosaic Corporation developed a world class 10,000 acre golf and spa resort named Streamsong nearby.

Legoland Florida opened on October 15, 2011, and is having an economic impact on Fort Meade and the surrounding areas.

Many of the historic homes are being purchased and restored despite a depressed Florida real estate market.

The library aims to host educational opportunities and encourage literacy in the community of Fort Meade.

The Woman's Club received permission to use the abandoned Chamber of Commerce building on 75 East Broadway for the public library.