Moore House

George Washington and Frances Moore left Kentucky in 1875 to follow his parents to the Pinellas Peninsula. They built this house next to his parents' plot of land - just east of Stevenson Creek. George, a blacksmith and machinist and "Fanny" had 5 children The family grew vegetables, cultivated citrus and other fruits while also raising cattle and hog that roamed freely.

This five-room house typifies the average family farm home of the late 19th century. Adjacent to the house is an outhouse, as homes of this period lacked indoor plumbing.

Citrus - The Florida Gold Rush:

Cotton, the primary crop in Pinellas during the 1870s, gave way to citrus groves. The Moore's were among the first int he region to grow oranges and grapefruit. With the arrival of the Orange Belt Railway in 1888, the Moore's were is position to move citrus quickly from their packing plants to distant markets. Their agribusiness thrived until 1910 when they sold the land. Citrus grew continually on the land until the late 1970s with later owners living in this grove house.

Yellow Fever hits the Moore's:

In 1887 George Washington Moore traveled to the small town of Tampa on a business trip where he contracted yellow fever and died. This deadly virus, spread by mosquitoes, ravaged many Florida communities during the 1880s. The Pinellas Peninsula escaped an outbreak because of its sparse population and geographic isolation from the rest of Florida.

The Family Legacy Continues"

Daughter Effie Married into the Duncan family who homesteaded in the Largo area when they maintained a large citrus grove. Son Moffett, a prominent Dunedin businessman, took advantage of the feverish land boom He operated a feed store and ice cream shop, delivered ice, ran a cemetery, made cement block, manufactured cigar boxes, sold real estate and even became Dunedin's first "historian".

Florida Cracker Style:

This native pine home typifies the average farmhouse of the late 19th century. The original two room home had full porches on the front and back, - a welcome relief from the heat prior to air conditioning. They converted the back porch into two rooms and built an additional room along the front porch. Commonly known as the Florida Cracker style, the home's design follows the Gulf Coast Cottage style found along the coast in the Deep South. Look few the original two rooms.

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