Visiting the Clearwater Historical Society

A block or two south of downtown Clearwater sits a two-story block building. It faces Fort Harrison Street on the edges of Clearwater’s historic Harbor Woods neighborhood. A chain link fence encloses a grassy field beside the building. Rounded waist-high bushes line the sidewalk in front. A flag pole flies the American flag. A short modern sign announces the building to be the Clearwater Historical Society Museum and Cultural Center.

Starting in 2016, I drove by the building several times a week on the way to my office. At that time, the building sat vacant, it’s walls a sickly hospital green. Trees obscured much of the front of the building.

In 2017 or 2018 amid a flurry of activity, the overgrown trees came down. The grass was cut. The walls were painted a more historic gray. New windows and doors were installed. A large canvas banner announced “the future home” of the Clearwater Historical Society.

History of the Clearwater Historical Society

The Clearwater Historical Society is housed in the former South Ward School. Originally built in 1906, this school replaced an older wood schoolhouse. It was known simply as Clearwater School. It had four large classrooms. In 1912, the city constructed a second building to house Clearwater High School. In 1915, a new elementary school was built nearby, creating the need for individual names for Clearwater’s two schools. Clearwater School became South Ward School while the new school a mile or so north became North Ward School.

New schools sprang up around Clearwater – several elementary schools, Clearwater High School, and Clearwater Junior High. In the 1950s and 1960s the third major building was constructed at South Ward School. It housed the cafeteria, kindergarten, and media center. South Ward School operated as a school and civic center until 2008 when it closed permanently. North Ward School closed permanently in 2009 and remains empty.

South Ward School sat vacant and deteriorating until 2016 when the Clearwater Historical Society began to raise funds to renovate it. Work continues for fundraising to finish preserving the other buildings. The Historical Society Museum occupies the first floor of the original building #1. Building #2 is used for special events.

Displays at the Clearwater Historical Society

Historic displays and artifacts occupy one room of building #1. The museum uses the other first floor room for special exhibits. At the time I visited, the special exhibit was “Let’s Eat!”, a robust romp through Clearwater’s oldest and most iconic restaurants.

When I visited the Clearwater Historical Society Museum, several older people also walked through the exhibits. I heard over and over a variation of “Oh, look at that! Do you remember (so-and-so)?” One woman told me she visits often to see the faces of people she grew up with who are no longer alive, to relive her childhood in the memories stored at the museum.

It’s a small museum yet filled with history and worth an hour or so to walk through and learn more about Clearwater. If you live in the area, you might recognize many of the names. Like many towns around the country, Clearwater honored many settlers and important people by naming buildings, streets, and neighborhoods after them.

The1880s

Until the 1880s, residents around Clearwater built their own log homes and furniture. Citrus and Sea Island cotton grew here; cattle roamed wild in the forests. By the 1880s, a distinct downtown area had grown near Clearwater’s waterfront. It had a shell-paved main street, post office, newspaper, several hotels, and churches.

The 1890s

The 1890s saw a rise in businesses and tourism. A public fishing dock is built, as is the Belleview Biltmore, known then as The Belleview Hotel. Ernest Tate buys Clearwater Beach. Can you imagine?

The 1900s

Fishing and golf draw northern tourists for Clearwater’s mild winters. Businesses continue to grow, and the population explodes. Telephones, ice, and electric service become more widely available.

The 1910s

This decade saw a sense of community and continuing growth. With two major fires affecting the downtown area, construction moved away from wood to brick or mortar.

The 1920s

The glamour and opulence of the 1920s hit Clearwater just as much as it did the rest of the United States. Roads sprang up, including a wooden bridge to Clearwater Beach. Known as “the rickety bridge”, it crossed from present-day Seminole Avenue to present-day Recreation Center. With easier access to Clearwater Beach, hotels, businesses, and homes began to sprout up on the island.

Clearwater Beach

With construction of the “rickety bridge” and then the original Memorial Causeway, spending the day or a vacation at the beach became a way of life. More hotels, restaurants, fishing charters, and homes began to dot the island.

Recreation in Clearwater

Like today, outdoor activities dominated the leisure time of early Clearwater residents. Fishing, golf, jazz, tennis, baseball, and croquet all found favor among Clearwater citizens. Any given Saturday, a group could be found enjoying one of these activities.

More Information and Directions

The Clearwater Historical Society Museum and Cultural Center is open Friday and Saturday only, from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM. It is run solely by volunteers and funded by donations and the special events they hold a couple of times a year. Admission is free.