Pinellas
County is a peninsula bordered by the Gulf of Mexico
on the west and by Tampa Bay on the east. The county
is 38 miles long and 15 miles wide at its broadest
point. Its land area covers approximately 264 square
miles. view
location of Pinellas County
 Pinellas is derived from the Spanish words Punta
Pinal meaning "point of pines."
That was an accurate description for this area when
it was discovered by Panfilo de Narvaez in 1528,
36 years after Columbus arrived in the Caribbean
and 37 years before the founding of St. Augustine.
Narvaez and 400 soldiers, probably the first Europeans
in this area, primarily came looking for gold and
silver.
Instead they found the Tocobagan Indians, an agricultural
tribe that had occupied the peninsula for hundreds
of years. Narvaez and his crew treated them cruelly,
ransacked their huts, and pillaged their ceremonial
mounds, but found no treasure. Hernando de Soto
and other Spanish intruders also came to this area
of Florida looking for treasures but fared no better.
It was another 300 years before the first white
settler, Odet Philippe, landed on the shores of
Tampa Bay sometime in the early 1830s. He established
his plantation, St. Helena, on the site of what
is now Philippe Park in Safety Harbor. Philippe
is credited with planting the first citrus grove
in the area and was instrumental in beginning Florida's
citrus industry.
Federal homesteading legislation, passed in 1842,
opened up the area to settlers who came to claim
their 160 acres. Completion of the Orange Belt Railroad
to St. Petersburg in 1888 assured continued growth
and development of the peninsula. Entrepreneurs
built elaborate hotels to entice wealthy investors
and tourists. The Belleview, later the Belleview-Biltmore,
was finished in 1897. A famous Baltimore doctor,
F.A. Davis, wrote glowing reports describing Clearwater
Harbor as "the most healthful location."
Many who came for their health decided to stay.
Before 1912, Pinellas was part of Hillsborough County
and was known as West Hillsborough. Arduous trips
to Tampa over marshy lands and often impassable
wagon trails for meetings, plus a growing resentment
at not getting a fair share of benefits for taxes
paid, created pressure for secession. After years
of political maneuvering and conniving, a bill finally
passed both houses of the Florida Legislature. Following
an overwhelming local referendum vote, Pinellas
became a separate county on January 1, 1912. The
population was 13,000. Clearwater was designated
the County seat.
The growth of Pinellas County has been steady but
with its share of ups and downs. The euphoria of
boom times was frequently interrupted with the reality
of "busts"-the stock market crash and
depressions, hurricanes, wars, and over-speculation.
The years after World War II brought thousands of
new residents attracted by Florida's reputation
as a tropical paradise and its promise of new opportunities.
Pinellas County has grown steadily over the years.
Its population estimate in 1997 was 893,468 permanent
residents with an additional 40,921 seasonal residents.
If the early explorers were to return today, they
would find their "gold" in the form of
tourism, which has become Pinellas County's most
important industry. An estimated 4,251,045 visitors
added almost $2 billion to the Pinellas economy
in 1997.
 Facts About
Pinellas County
Photos
of Pinellas County
County Museum's
Heritage Village
PINELLAS COUNTY HISTORICAL MUSEUM
11909
125th Street N., Largo, FL 34644
(727) 582-2123
Heritage
Village & Pinellas County Historical Museum
offers an opportunity to visit the county's past.
This 21-acre, living history village is operated
and funded by Pinellas County Government. The Pinellas
County Historical Society also provides some financial
assistance, as well as assistance for various historical
projects. A large, trained volunteer staff is indispensable
to the operation of the Village.
There are 25 structures, some dating back to the
mid-19th century. The Village includes a school,
church, railroad depot, and store, as well as a
variety of houses. The homes range from the McMullen
loghouse, the oldest existing structure in the county,
to the magnificent Victorian-era Seven Gables House.
The museum's exhibits trace the history of Pinellas
County from the Indian-Spanish period to contemporary
times. The museum also has a 2,000-volume library
and an archive with over 10,000 items. Heritage
Village is also the site of the Daniel McMullen
Home for the Fiber Arts. Weaving, quilting, and
other crafts are demonstrated at Heritage Village
as part of its "hands-on" approach to
history. A Country Jubilee is held annually in October;
other events are scheduled throughout the year.
Gulf Beaches Historical Museum
115
10th Avenue
St. Pete Beach, FL 33706
(727) 360-2491
Officially opened
on March 18, 1993, this newest museum of our local
past is housed in what was the first church to be
built on the barrier islands. Its focus is on the
history of Pinellas County's beach communities.
In 1995, the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum was
recognized by St. Petersburg Preservation, Inc.
and the St. Petersburg section of the American Institute
of Architects as a historic site and was honored
for Best Use of an Existing Structure.
North Pinellas Historical Museum
2043 Curlew Road
Palm Harbor, Florida 34683
(727) 724-3054
The museum features a variety of exhibits on the history of the Palm Harbor, Crystal Beach, and the Ozona and Curlew communities, focusing on the period from when these areas of Pinellas County were first settled in the 1800s up to the present day.
Fort De Soto quartermaster Storehouse Museum
3500
Pinellas Bayway South,
Tierra Verde, FL 33715
(727) 582-2267, ext. 20
Officially
opened on Veteran’s Day November 11, 2000,
this addition to Fort De Soto County Park offers
visitors the rich history of the area and has significantly
increased visitors’ understanding of the role
of Fort De Soto in United States history. The museum
is located in the reconstructed former Army Quartermaster
Storehouse. Inside the museum, people can take a
walk through time, viewing exhibits that tell the
stories of different eras from early history to
the present.
Pinellas
County Government- Mission, Vision & Values
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