Video Library:
Local History

1932-1941: “Tough Times, but Citrus is at Its Prime”
The land boom stalled and stopped in Florida; the Great Depression had strangled the nation at the end of the 1920s. Local relief, recovery, and reform efforts did take place, along with a war declared on mosquitoes and plans for an international war also declared by the end of the 1930s. As developers reshaped the beach communities, agricultural development flourished in the largely rural areas north of St. Petersburg.

1922 – 1931: "The Land Boom and Distant Clouds on the Horizon" - Although much of the real estate boom took place in St. Petersburg, ripples of economic activity covered the entire county. Frenzied speculation brought many investors and seasonal residents to the area, and the opening of the Gandy Bridge connected lower Pinellas with industrial activities across Tampa Bay.

1912- 1921: “Independence, New Challenges, and New Opportunities.” Historian James Schnur discusses the period between 1912 and 1921 in this presentation.

1842-1911: "From Punta Pinal to Peerless Pinellas," This lecture examines this period of early settlement along the Pinellas Peninsula - including early communities, notable pioneer families, and the stirrings for separation from Hillsborough County.

Florida’s 48th county was created on Jan. 1, 1912 as the Pinellas Independence Bill went into effect, establishing Pinellas County as a separate entity from Hillsborough County.  In celebration of our 100th birthday, Heritage Village and the Pinellas County Historical Society will, over the coming months, host a series of lectures starting Sept. 11, 2011 examining our history in a series called, ""Pinellas by the Decades -- A Centennial Celebration."

On March 1, 2011, a team of archaeologists excavated an 1,100 year old Native American dugout canoe from the shoreline of Tampa Bay in the Weedon Island Preserve.  The artifact will have to undergo a 2-year preservation process before it can be displayed at the county’s Weedon Island Cultural and Natural History Center.
Weedon Island Preserve website

Pinellas native, Mr. Willie Tellis, describes what Pinellas County was like when growing citrus and cattle ranching were the mainstays of a family’s livelihood.

Heritage Village website

An illustrated presentation about pioneer life on Caladesi Island by Ms. Terry Fortner - a descendant of Henry Scharrer, who homesteaded Caladesi Island in the late 1800’s.

Heritage Village website

Almost every hotel in Pinellas County was used as training barracks for U.S. servicemen headed for the war in Europe and the Pacific. This presentation discusses the impact the military’s presence had on Clearwater and the surrounding area. Heritage Village website

The buildings at Heritage Village chronicle the history of Pinellas County. Now, get a look inside these structures, and hear their stories from the people who actually lived and worked in them…on Pinellas Pioneers.

This show, part of Heritage Village's Speaking of History lecture series, is a presentation by Mr. Philip G. Fatolitis, one of Tarpon Springs' few remaining original hard-hat sponge divers.
Heritage Village website

Join us as we bring you the best Florida folk performances from previous year's Pinellas Folk Festival.
Heritage Village website

Learn about the Pleistocene Epoch fossils found in Pinellas County and the ancient Native American presence here, local sites you can visit, and ongoing archaeological efforts - in which you can participate - to learn more about Pinellas County’s past.
Weedon Island Preserve website

Step into yesteryear as this visual tour - set to music – takes you among our many restored historical structures in a tranquil pine and palmetto woodlands and sample the live events that bring our pioneer past to life.
Heritage Village website

Take a tour of Pinellas County's living history museum as host Hank Shaw gives us a primer on what you can explore on a trip to the village.
Heritage Village website