Timeline of Pinellas County, Florida history facts for kids

Pinellas County, Florida, has a rich and exciting history, stretching back hundreds of years! This timeline will take you on a journey through the most important moments, from ancient tribes to modern-day developments. You'll discover how this beautiful area grew from a wild peninsula into the lively place it is today.

Early History: From Ancient Tribes to Spanish Explorers (900–1842)

• 900 – 16th century: The Tocobaga people lived in the Tampa Bay area, including what is now Pinellas County. They were the first known inhabitants.
• 1513 – March 27: Spanish explorer Ponce de Leon discovered Florida.
• 1515 – 1519: Spanish explorers visited the Pinellas barrier islands. They traded with the Tocobaga people.
• 1528: Spanish explorer Panfilo de Narvaez likely landed on the Pinellas peninsula.
• 1539: Another Spanish explorer, Hernando de Soto, explored the Tampa Bay area.
• 1702 – 1713: During Queen Anne's War, English raids reached Tampa Bay. The Tocobaga people were almost completely wiped out. Pinellas became largely empty.
• 1739 – 1748: English mapping teams visited the Pinellas Peninsula during the War of Jenkins' Ear.
• 1757: A Spanish expedition renamed Tampa Bay "La Bahia de San Fernando" after the Spanish king. They called the entrance to Tampa Bay "La Punta de Pinal de Jimenez" (Point of Pines).
• 1763: Spain gave Florida to England after the French and Indian War ended with the Treaty of Paris (1763).
• 1783: The American Revolutionary War ended with the Treaty of Paris (1783). England gave Florida back to Spain.
• 1817 – 1818: The First Seminole War took place.
• 1821: Spain gave Florida to the United States.
• 1823: The U.S. Army built Fort Brooke. This fort later became the city of Tampa, Florida.
• 1834: Hillsborough County was formed. The Pinellas peninsula was part of it, called West Hillsborough.
• 1835: Odet Phillippe started a farm near an old Tocobaga village. This area is now Safety Harbor.
• 1841: Fort Harrison opened on Clear Water Harbor. It was a place for soldiers from Fort Brooke to rest.
• 1835 – 1842: The Second Seminole War occurred.
• 1842: The Armed Occupation Act offered land grants in Florida's undeveloped areas.

Growth and Development (1843–1906)

• 1843: Antonio Maximo Hernandez settled on what is now Maximo Point in St. Petersburg.
• 1848: The Egmont Key lighthouse was built. A strong hurricane, the Great Gale of 1848, destroyed it later that year. The storm flooded much of Pinellas.
• September 27, 1848: The hurricane created a new waterway called John's Pass. John Levique and Joseph Silva discovered it and named it.
• 1855: The first public school opened on land donated by John Taylor. It is where Clearwater High School stands today.
• 1859: Clear Water Harbor (later Clearwater, Florida) became the first community on the Pinellas peninsula. The first post office in Pinellas was established there.
• 1861 – 1865: The American Civil War took place.
• 1868: Anna Germain and John Donaldson were the first African-Americans to settle in lower Pinellas. A road opened from Yellow Bluff (Ozona, Florida) to Tampa.
• 1869: Organized hunting groups tried to get rid of black bears and Florida panthers. These animals threatened the Pinellas cattle industry.
• 1876: "Pinellas Village" got its first post office. This area is now St. Petersburg.
• 1884: Plans for Disston City (future Gulfport) were filed.
• 1885: Pinellas's healthy climate was praised at a medical meeting in New Orleans.
• 1886: The first house on Passe-a-Grille Island was built.
• 1887: Tarpon Springs became the first officially recognized city on the peninsula.
• 1888: St. Petersburg, Florida was planned and named. It was named after St. Petersburg, Russia, the hometown of Orange Belt Railway owner Peter Demens. The Orange Belt Railway reached Tarpon Springs in January and St. Petersburg in May. This brought fast growth to the area.
• 1890: Tampa Bay Ice Company started operations. This greatly helped the local fishing industry.
• 1891: Clearwater officially became a city.
• 1892: St. Petersburg officially became a city.
• 1893: St. Petersburg's first bank was created.
• 1894: The Hillsborough Times newspaper moved from Clearwater to St. Petersburg. It was renamed The St. Petersburg Times.
• 1895: St. Petersburg made a rule against cows with bells wandering in town. Henry B. Plant bought the Orange Belt Railroad.
• 1897: Henry Plant opened the Belleview Biltmore hotel. The St. Petersburg Electric Light and Power Company, which later became Florida Power Corporation, was started.
• 1898: Construction began on Fort DeSoto. St. Petersburg High School was founded.
• 1899: Dunedin officially became a city.
• 1900: The first hotel on St. Petersburg's gulf beaches was built on land.
• 1905: The St. Petersburg Reading Room and Library Association was founded. The Town of Largo became the first city in Pinellas County to use a Council-manager government.
• 1906: Fort Dade was built on Egmont Key.

Becoming a County and Rapid Changes (1907–1945)

• 1907: Pinellas's "Declaration of Independence" was a big step toward creating Pinellas County.
• 1910: Gulfport, Florida officially became a city. The Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad was extended to Tarpon Springs.
• 1911: St. Petersburg's first high school building was constructed.
• 1912: Pinellas County officially separated from Hillsborough County.
• 1913: Pinellas Park officially became a city.
• 1914: Aviation history was made in St. Petersburg. Tony Jannus made the world's first scheduled airline flight. It was with the St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line from St. Petersburg to Tampa. The Tampa and Gulf Coast Railroad was extended to St. Petersburg. The first SAL train arrived on September 22.
• 1916: Morton F. Plant, Henry B. Plant's son, gave $100,000 to build Clearwater's first hospital. It is still named after him. Oldsmar, Florida officially became a city.
• 1917: A "no fence law" made it illegal for cattle to roam freely.
• 1918: Cattle stampeded in St. Petersburg.
• 1921: A real estate boom began in Pinellas. A severe hurricane caused a lot of damage. It created Hurricane Pass between what are now Caladesi and Honeymoon islands. Forts Dade and DeSoto were no longer active.
• 1923: The County passed a plan to build roads and bridges.
• 1924: The Gandy Bridge opened. It cut the travel distance between St. Petersburg and Tampa in half. The bridge was the longest automobile toll bridge in the world.
• 1925: Palm Harbor was named. The St. Petersburg Kennel Club started greyhound racing at what became Derby Lane. Groups from the North warned that the Florida real estate market was about to crash.
• 1926: The real estate boom ended, causing big problems for the local economy. The Bee Line Ferry started service between Pinellas and Manatee Counties.
• 1927: The American Legion Hospital for Crippled Children was founded.
• 1928: The County Commission appointed "Impounding Masters" to keep cattle inside county pastures. R. E. Olds sold his properties in Oldsmar and bought the Fort Harrison Hotel.
• 1929: The Great Depression began.
• 1930: The City of St. Petersburg could not pay its debts.
• 1934: The Davis (Courtney Campbell) Causeway connected Clearwater more directly with Tampa.
• 1938: Treasure Island officially became a city.
• 1941: World War II began. Population growth in Pinellas slowed down a lot.
• 1942: The military started sending personnel to Pinellas for training.
• 1943: St. Pete Beach officially became a city.
• 1945: World War II ended. Pinellas began a period of fast growth and development. Redington Beach officially became a city.

Modern Pinellas: Post-War Boom to Today (1946–present)

Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg

• 1946: A population boom began as former military personnel returned as visitors or residents.
• 1947: Madeira Beach officially became a city.
• 1949: Indian Shores officially became a city.
• 1951: The St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra performed its first concert.
• 1953: North Redington Beach officially became a city. WSUN-TV became the first TV station to serve Pinellas.
• 1954: The first span of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge opened. It connected Pinellas County with Manatee County.
• 1955: The Gulf Coast Highway (U. S. Highway 19) opened to St. Petersburg. It provided a direct route from Pinellas County to Tallahassee, Florida.
• 1956: Redington Shores and Indian Rocks Beach officially became cities.
• 1957: Clearwater was the fastest-growing U.S. City.
• 1960: The Howard Frankland Bridge provided a third link across Tampa Bay.
• 1963: The Seaboard Air Line and Atlantic Coast Line railroads got approval to merge. They became the Seaboard Coastline Railroad in 1967.
• 1964: Pinellas became the first county in Florida to adopt a Commission-Administrator form of government.
• 1965: The St. Petersburg Fine Arts Museum opened.
• 1967: The American Legion Hospital for Crippled Children was renamed All Children's Hospital.
• 1968: The St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra merged with the Tampa Philharmonic. They became the Florida Gulf Coast Orchestra.
• 1969: Boca Ciega Bay became Florida's first aquatic preserve. C. Bette Wimbish became the first African-American elected to the St. Petersburg City Council.
• 1970: The Central Pinellas Transit Authority started providing public transportation north of St. Petersburg.
• 1971: Amtrak took over railroad passenger service from the Seaboard Coast Line. A second span of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge was opened.
• 1972: Judge James Sanderlin became the first African-American elected to a county-wide office.
• 1973: Community services and facilities struggled to keep up with a huge increase in growth during the early 1970s.
• 1974: The Comprehensive Land Use Plan was the first county-wide effort to manage growth in Pinellas County. 200 acres (0.81 km2) of Egmont Key were set aside as a national wildlife refuge.
• 1975: The Church of Scientology bought the Fort Harrison Hotel.
• 1976: The Pinellas County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) replaced the Pinellas County Transportation Authority. It became the county-wide transportation planning group.
• 1977: Pinellas County's Heritage Park opened. It showed historically important buildings from Pinellas County. Corrine Freeman became St. Petersburg's first woman mayor.
• 1978: Egmont Key was added to the national register of Historic Places.
• 1980: Parts of the southbound span of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapsed. This happened after it was hit by the freighter SS Summit Venture. County voters approved the Home Rule Charter.
• 1982: The Salvador Dalí Museum opened in St. Petersburg.
• 1983: Pinellas County opened its new Resource Recovery Plant.
• 1984: Amtrak stopped passenger train service in Pinellas. County-wide bus service began in Pinellas County. The St. Petersburg Municipal Transit System joined the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority. The Florida Gulf Coast Orchestra became The Florida Orchestra.
• 1985: A severe drought led to rules about watering. A four-cent local gas tax was passed. Hurricane Elena threatened Florida.
• 1990: The first part of the Pinellas Trail opened between Dunedin and Seminole. The land for it was bought in 1983.

Barbara S. Ponce Public Library exterior

• 1993: The "No Name Storm" caused $500 million in damage.
• 1998: The Devil Rays baseball team started playing in the Thunder Dome, which was renamed Tropicana Field. Calvin Harris became the first African American County Commissioner.
• 2000: A change to the county rules was made to end "annexation wars" between cities and the county.
• 2004: Four hurricanes just missed Pinellas County, causing only minor damage.
• 2006: Legal arguments continued between Largo and Pinellas County. A court ruled that Pinellas County was wrong to limit how much cities could expand.
• 2019: A beachfront mansion in Pinellas County sold for a record $16.5 million. This was the most expensive home ever sold in the Tampa Bay area. The house was originally built by Ryan Howard, a famous baseball player. It sits on a 2.5-acre private beach lot. It has a two-story library, a bowling alley, a large wine cellar, and a trophy room. Ben and Karla Mallah now own this large property on the Gulf of Mexico.

Images for kids

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  Pinellas County Courthouse Clearwater, Florida

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  Osprey at Wallsprings Park

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  Taylor Lake sunset

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  Sunrise over Tampa as seen from SR688

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  The Pier

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  Boatramps at Caledesi Island State Park