History buffs, this is the place for you! Find all things Florida history here, from prehistoric times to the 20th century. We explore Indian mounds, historic rivers, the oldest towns in Florida, and so much more. Florida is filled with a number of “firsts” and big names who made important discoveries or inventions here.
The Jungle Prada Mound Complex in St. Petersburg, Florida is one of the largest mound sites in the Tampa Bay area. Though much of it was destroyed prior to the 1950s, like many of Florida’s Native American mounds, Jungle Prada still encompasses three mounds on public and private land. I visited Jungle Prada twice this…
In 1903, local plumber George Turner, Sr. drained a shallow lake in St. Petersburg. The lake had filled in an ancient sinkhole. Drained, the land dipped to fifteen feet below street level. It created a tropical microclimate in subtropical St. Pete and provided the perfect place for Turner to indulge in his passion – gardening….
In 2021 the Clearwater Historical Society Museum and Cultural Center hosted a special exhibit called “Let’s Eat!” Open until the first week in December, the exhibit showcased the oldest restaurants in Clearwater. They chose those which have or were open at least 40 years. Though most are closed permanently, six of the restaurants still welcome…
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…
Archaeology fascinates me. It always has. All that ancient history, the way people lived and did things, how our ideas and inventions developed. The huge amount knowledge that people before us possessed. I first learned of Madira Bickel Mound State Archaeological Site years ago. It was Florida’s first archaeological site to be preserved as a…