St. Joseph, Pasco County, Florida facts for kids

Saint Joseph, often called St. Joe, is a small community in Pasco County, Florida. It's not a city, but a special kind of area called an "unincorporated community." It was started by German Catholic families a long time ago. You can find St. Joe in northeastern Pasco County, close to San Antonio and Saint Leo University.

St. Joe is famous for something sweet: it says it's the "kumquat capital of the world"! Kumquats are small, tasty citrus fruits. Because of this, the nearby town of Dade City has a fun Kumquat Festival every year. St. Joe is also home to Sacred Heart Catholic Church. This church is very old, being the third oldest in the Diocese of St. Petersburg.

History

How St. Joe Began

The area we now call St. Joe started as a small, unnamed place. It was connected to a larger Catholic community called San Antonio. Back then, this area was part of southern Hernando County.

A lawyer named Judge Edmund F. Dunne was involved in a big land deal in 1881. This was called the Disston Land Purchase. As payment for his work, Judge Dunne received 100,000 acres of land. The next year, he chose the spot for San Antonio. He wanted it to be a safe place for Catholics in Florida. Many of the first people who moved there were from Ireland and France.

German Families Arrive

Starting in 1883, many families from Germany began to move to this area. One of the first was Bernard A. Barthle. For a few years, people called the area "Barthle Settlement" or "Barthle Crossing." This was because of the Barthle family's land.

In 1888, the name St. Joseph became common. This name honored Barthle's first hometown in America, St. Joseph, Minnesota.

Other Villages and St. Leo

Judge Dunne planned many small villages around San Antonio. These included St. Thomas, Villa Maria, Carmel, and San Felipe. But only St. Joseph is still around today.

In 1889, a group of monks called the Benedictines came to the area. They started the monastery of St. Leo and St. Leo College. These were built on land that used to belong to Judge Dunne. Later, this area became part of a separate town called St. Leo. The Benedictine monks came because more and more German families were moving there. These families wanted a priest who spoke German. Even though Judge Dunne also planned the area for St. Leo, it got its name after the monks arrived.

Schools in St. Joe

The Nathe family gave land for St. Joseph School. This school was next to Sacred Heart Church. It opened in September 1881. The school stayed open for 100 years. In 1981, the Pasco School Board closed it. A new, bigger school called San Antonio Elementary opened about 2 miles away.

However, the old school buildings were used again. On October 15, 1984, the Sacred Heart Early Childhood Center opened. It started with only 7 children. Today, this center has grown a lot. It helps over 150 children from 6 weeks to 12 years old. The Diocese of St. Petersburg runs the center.