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Port Tampa Historical Trail
Instructions:
1. Print this file.
2. At its end, click on
"rules", print it, and then click where indicated
at the end of the page "rules and patch order
form" to get back to the list of Florida trails.
3. If you want a hand-drawn map
showing the locations of all of sites, send a self-addressed
stamped envelope to Steve Rajtar, 1614 Bimini Dr., Orlando,
FL 32806.
4. Hike the trail and order whatever
patches you like (optional).
WARNING - This trail may pass through one or more
neighborhoods which, although full of history, may now be
unsafe for individuals on foot, or which may make you feel
unsafe there. Hikers have been approached by individuals who
have asked for handouts or who have inquired (not always in
a friendly manner) why the hikers are in their neighborhood.
Drugs and other inappropriate items have been found by
hikers in some neighborhoods. It is suggested that you drive
the hike routes first to see if you will feel comfortable
walking them and, if you don't think it's a good place for
you walk, you might want to consider (1) traveling with a
large group, (2) doing the route on bicycles, or (3)
choosing another hike route. The degree of comfort will vary
with the individual and with the time and season of the
hike, so you need to make the determination using your best
judgment. If you hike the trail, you accept all risks
involved.
Port Tampa Historical Trail
Copyright 1999 by Steve Rajtar
(From Interstate 275, drive south on
Dale Mabry Hwy., southwest and west on Interbay Blvd.,
southwest and west on Commerce St., and south on Picnic
Island Rd. Park at Picnic Island Park.)(0.0 miles so far)
South end of Picnic Island Rd.
1....Picnic Island
On July 4, 1888, this area was opened
as a beach amusement resort by Col. S.G. Harvey. It
originally was an island, but was later made a part of the
mainland. One could ride the Yellow Gal commuter
train from the Polk St. station in Tampa for 40 cents one
way, 45 cents round trip. It made nine trips daily.
(Walk north on Picnic Island Rd. and
east on Commerce St. to the intersection with the railroad
tracks.)(1.4)
Intersection of Commerce St. and the
railroad tracks
2.... Railroad Spur Line
Because this area known as Black Point
was closer to the entrance to Tampa Bay and the Gulf of
Mexico than was downtown Tampa at the mouth of the
Hillsborough River, Henry B. Plant built a nine-mile spur
line to this location. A 19-foot channel was dredged and
soon built were a freight and passenger station, railroad
yards, a railroad car repair shop, worker's homes, a pier,
and a brick power plant.
The railroad spur line opened on
February 5, 1888. By June of 1888, the Plant Steamship
Company was providing service to Havana on the 1676-ton Olivette
and the 884-ton Mascotte. Local boats connected Port
Tampa to St. Petersburg, Egmont Key and Green Springs.
These facilities were expanded after
the phosphate industry became the largest export industry at
the port. In 1892, two large wooden phosphate elevators were
constructed, followed by a steam-operated wooden elevator in
1903, a larger one in 1906, and a steel elevator in 1925.
The warehouses were dismantled in 1951 and the elevators
were torn down in January of 1971.
(Continue northeast on Commerce St.
to the intersection with Port Tampa Dr., and look to the
south.)(1.6) [Webmasters Note: See Map and More Photos]
South side of wharf
3.... Site of Hotels [Webmaster's
Note:
See Map and more Photos]
The Inn was a large hotel built on
pilings adjacent to the wharf. It was three stories tall and
accommodated 85 guests. An annex, the 14-guest St. Elmo Inn,
sought northern visitors and was a social center for Tampa
residents.
On March 28, 1898, the survivors of
the sinking of the battleship Maine arrived here on
the steamship Olivette. Through June of that year,
this was the embarkation point for troops and dignitaries
headed to Cuba, including Theodore Roosevelt. William
Jennings Bryan and Clara Barton also visited the facilities
here. On June 14, 1898, an invasion force of 16,000 left
here for Cuba.
The world's largest electrical sign
was first lighted here on October 30, 1953. It spelled out
"Atlantic Coast Line Port Tampa Terminals" with
letters 19 feet tall and up to 13 feet wide. The whole sign
was 76 feet tall and 387.5 feet wide, and used 4,000 feet of
red neon tubing.
(Continue east on Commerce St. to the
intersection with Germer St.)(1.9)
Intersection of Commerce and Germer
Sts.
4.... Western Boundary
This was the western boundary of the
original 1885 purchase of the townsite of Port Tampa by C.W.
Prescott and James W. Fitzgerald. It extended eastward from
Germer to Wall Sts., and from Commerce St. on the north,
southward to Montana St.
(Walk south on Germer St., east on
Ingraham St. and south 500 feet on Sherill St.)(2.2)
West side of Sherill St., between
Ingraham and Idaho Sts. (7218 S. Sherill St.)
5.... St. Marks Missionary Baptist
Church
This church organized in 1892 with
first pastor Rev. Dukes. The first sanctuary was remodeled
in 1905 and rebuilt in 1961.
(Walk north on Sherill St. and east
on Ingraham St. to the intersection with Juniata St.)(2.3)
Northwest corner of Ingraham and
Juniata Sts.
6.... Site of Bank
The First Bank of Port Tampa City
opened here in 1924, and two years later James C. Yeats
moved it to the corner of Commerce and Mascotte Sts.
(Continue east on Ingraham St., then
walk south on Kissimmee St. to the intersection with Idaho
St.)(2.6)
Southwest corner of Idaho and
Kissimmee Sts. (4910 Idaho St.)
7.... Mt. Zion A.M.E. Church
This church was founded in 1889, and
its first sanctuary opened in 1907 at the corner of
Kissimmee and Richardson Sts. Its first pastor was Rev. J.H.
Johnson. The present church building opened here in 1942.
(Cross to the southeast corner.)(2.6)
Block formed by Idaho, Kissimmee,
Richardson and Mascotte Sts.
8.... Site of Advent Christian Church
Gospel boat captain Rev. J.T. Johnson
formed the Advent Christian Church on April 10, 1898. He
opened a wooden frame church on this block for the soldiers
awaiting departure for the Spanish-American War, who pitched
their tents nearby.
(Continue east on Idaho St., then
walk north on West Shore Blvd. to the intersection with
Bradley St.)(2.8)
Southeast corner of West Shore Blvd.
and Bradley St. (7300 West Shore Blvd.)
9.... Site of Tiffany Tile Plant
A ceramic tile business opened here in
1952. It was one of the largest commercial businesses in the
city not related to the railroad or shipping.
(Walk east on Bradley St., south on
Sparkman Ave., and east on Richardson Ave. until it ends at
the chain link fence, and look to the east.)(3.5)
Southeast of Port Tampa
10.... MacDill Air Force Base
This base opened in 1939, creating
economic opportunities for Port Tampa. It was named after
Col. Leslie MacDill who, on November 9, 1938, died in an
airplane crash at Anacostia Base in Washington, DC.
(Walk north parallel to the fence
(Manhattan Ave.) and west on Interbay Blvd. 150 feet past
Sparkman St.)(4.4)
Northeast corner of Interbay Blvd.
and DeSoto Ave. (8407 Interbay Blvd.)
11.... Gambrell House
This home was built in 1900 and was
the residence of the Gambrell family.
(Walk east on Interbay Blvd. 150 feet
past Sparkman St.)(4.5)
South side of Interbay Blvd., between
Sparkman and Shamrock Sts.
12.... First Baptist Church
This church formed on November 28,
1901, and temporarily used the Methodist church building.
Rev. J.E. McIntosh served as the first pastor. The Baptists
built their first santuary in 1905. It was followed by
another in 1959. The old church building was given to a
black congregation, who moved it to another location.
(Continue east on Interbay Blvd.,
then walk north 125 feet on Shamrock St.)(4.6)
West side of Shamrock St., between
Interbay Blvd. and Prescott St. (6835 S. Shamrock St.)
13.... Faul House
Faul St. is named after the family who
owned this house, which was built in about 1890.
(Continue north on Shamrock St. to
the intersection with Prescott St.)(4.6)
Southwest corner of Shamrock and
Prescott Sts. (6821 S. Shamrock St.)
14.... Silveus House
This house dates to about 1890, and
was the Silveus residence.
The earliest lot purchasers after
development began in the 1880s were Egmont Key ship pilots
and Spanish merchants from Havana. Prescott and Fitzgerald
were joined by H.G. Warner to form the Port Tampa Building
and Loan Association, and lots sold from $100 to $1,000.
(Continue north on Shamrock St., then
walk east on Lancaster St., north on Trask St., and west on
McCoy St. to the intersection with West Shore Blvd.)(5.1)
West side of West Shore Blvd.,
between McCoy and Staunton Sts. (6601 S. West Shore Blvd.)
15.... Site of Shady Pines Mobile
Home Park
This residential area was established
in 1938 and was owned by the city until it was sold to
private ownership in 1951.
(Walk south on West Shore Blvd. and
west on Prescott St. until it ends at the bay.)(5.9)
West end of Prescott St.
16.... Port Tampa Pier
The first pier located here was
constructed during the 1890s. It and the surrounding area
were used by local residents to swim, fish, picnic, and
sail. On June 14, 1911, the city opened a public bathhouse
on the pier. Prescott St. was paved to the pier in 1923 and
is named for C.W. Prescott, a wealthy merchant from Erie,
Pennsylvania.
A Boy Scout clubhouse was constructed
near the pier in about 1927.
(Walk east on Prescott St. to the
intersection with West Shore Blvd. and cross to the
southeast corner.)(6.6)
Triangular lot bounded by West Shore
Blvd. and Commerce and Prescott Sts.
17.... Port Tampa Park
This park was established on August 5,
1930, when the city leased the land from the Atlantic Coast
Line Railroad for $1 per year.
(Continue east on Prescott St. to the
intersection with Commerce St., and look to the south.)(6.6)
Southwest corner of Commerce and
Fitzgerald Sts.
18.... Masonic Temple
Masonic Lodge #153, F.& A.M., was
chartered on April 23, 1896. Early meetings were held in the
Opera Lodge Hall and then in the Knights of Pythias
Building. The present building opened in 1946.
(Continue east on Prescott St. 150
feet past the intersection with Fitzgerald St.)(6.6)
North side of Prescott St., between
Commerce and DeSoto Sts. (4719 Prescott St.)
19.... Site of Calumet Club
A club was founded on November 30,
1897, by 37 ships' captains and their wives. A clubhouse was
built on Interbay Blvd. with a billiard room, dance floor
and social areas. It was the city hall from 1923 until 1947,
and was then moved here to serve as a community social
center. It was razed in 1975.
(Continue east on Prescott St., then
walk south 150 feet on DeSoto St.)(6.7)
West side of DeSoto St., between
Prescott St. and Interbay Blvd. (6823 S. DeSoto St.)
20.... Johnson-Wolff House
This Masonry Vernacular home was built
in 1885 with a Spanish style, second-story balcony and a
flat roof. The Plant Steamship Lines built this and other
one-story 50 x 16 foot homes for workers with front and back
porches. The owner of this home beginning in 1893, Norwegian
seaman Capt. Henry L. Johnson, remodeled it by removing the
balcony and adding a New England style hipped roof and front
and side balustraded porch.
Johnson had the first automobile in
Port Tampa in 1901, and used it to take malaria patients to
Tampa during a major outbreak. He caught the disease and
died.
This house was added to the National
Register of Historic Places on July 24, 1974.
(Continue south 75 feet on DeSoto
St.)(6.7)
West side of DeSoto St., between
Prescott St. and Interbay Blvd. (6825 S. DeSoto St.)
21.... Lowery House
This brick home of the Lowery family
was built in about 1910.
(Continue south on DeSoto St. to the
intersection with Chisholm St.)(6.8)
Northeast corner of DeSoto and
Chisholm Sts. (6914 S. DeSoto St.)
22.... Port Tampa United Methodist
Church
This church was organized in a home in
1889. A sanctuary was open here by 1902.
(Cross to the southwest corner and
continue south 150 feet on DeSoto St.)(6.9)
West side of DeSoto St., between
Chisholm and Loughman Sts. (7005 S. DeSoto St.)
23.... Hinricks House
This house was built in about 1910 for
the Hinricks family.
(Continue south on DeSoto St., then
walk west on Loughman St. and north on Fitzgerald St. to the
intersection with Chisholm St.)(7.1)
Southeast corner of Fitzgerald and
Chisholm Sts. (7002 S. Fitzgerald St.)
24.... Site of St. Ignatius Catholic
Church
The first Catholic mass in Port Tampa
was held by Father Daniel O'Sullivan from Tampa on June 19,
1898, in the home of Manuela Garcia at the corner of
Fitzgerald and Prescott Sts. Bishop John Moore of the
Diocese of St. Augustine dedicated a new church here on May
14, 1899.
The church was built by Henry Levick,
a contractor who lived in Tampa Heights.
(Continue north on Fitzgerald St. 125
feet past Chisholm St.)(7.1)
East side of Fitzgerald St., between
Chisholm St. and Interbay Blvd. (6912 S. Fitzgerald St.)
25.... Carranza House
This house was built as the residence
of the Carranza family.
Fitzgerald St. is named for Capt.
James W. Fitzgerald, the superintendent of the Plant
Steamship Lines. When the first white child was born in Port
Tampa on November 17, 1891, to Syrena Alford, she named him
Luther Fitzgerald Alford after the town's founder.
(Continue north 100 feet on
Fitzgerald St.)(7.1)
East side of Fitzgerald St., between
Chisholm St. and Interbay Blvd.
26.... Site of First House
The first house built in Port Tampa
was located near here. It was a one-story frame home which
the Bell Telephone Company used as an early home for its
telephone exchange.
(Continue north 50 feet on Fitzgerald
St.)(7.1)
East side of Fitzgerald St., between
Chisholm St. and Interbay Blvd. (6904 S. Fitzgerald St.)
27.... Richardson House
This house was built in 1900 as the
residence of the Richardson family.
(Continue north 50 feet on Fitzgerald
St.)(7.1)
100 block of Fitzgerald St. (about
6900)
28.... Site of Fitzgerald House
Capt. Fitzgerald, as did many of the
Egmont Key pilots, preferred two-story frame homes with high
ceilings and extensive porches upstairs and downstairs. He
had one which fit that description near here, but it burned
down in 1931.
(Continue north on Fitzgerald St.,
then walk west 100 feet on Interbay Blvd., and look north
across the street.)(7.2)
North side of Interbay Blvd., between
Fitzgerald St. and West Shore Blvd.
29.... Port Tampa Library
This building was erected in 1947-48
and served as the city hall, replacing the Calumet Club
building. Port Tampa was annexed by Tampa on May 11, 1961.
(Continue west on Interbay Blvd. to
the intersection with West Shore Blvd.)(7.2)
Southeast corner of West Shore and
Interbay Blvds. (8612-16 Interbay Blvd. and 6902-08 West
Shore Blvd.)
30.... Hanks' Corner
In about 1920, this brick building was
erected by H.J. Hanks to replace the Warner Building on this
corner. This included a store and a filling station at the
corner, and was called Hanks' Corner. It later housed
Keeton's Drug Store, which opened on September 15, 1939.
The filling station was enclosed in
about 1945 and converted to a restaurant, then became a
beauty parlor and barber shop. The building was purchased by
V.T. Clark in 1956 or 1957.
(Walk south on West Shore Blvd. 200
feet past Loughman St.)(7.4)
Southeast corner of Ingraham and
Loughman Sts. (7110 S. West Shore Blvd.)
31.... West Shore High School
This began in 1926 as West Shore High
School. Later, it became a junior high school and then an
elementary school.
Before the school was built here, on
the site was the Old Printery, also known as the Graham
Lottery Building. Built in 1893 for $48,000, it housed the
country's largest manufacturer of lottery tickets. The
lottery had moved here after it was chased out of Louisiana.
The winning numbers were drawn in Honduras, then printed
here.
It was closed by the federal
government in January on 1895, and the town leased the
building to the St. Louis Catholic Benevolent Association of
New Orleans for use as a Catholic school. During the
Spanish-American War, it was used as a supply base and then
was returned to use as a private school until 1906. The
building was then used as a public school until 1926, when
it was razed to make room for the present school building.
(Continue south 130 feet on West
Shore Blvd.)(7.4)
West side of West Shore Blvd.,
between Loughman and Ingraham Sts. (7115 S. West Shore
Blvd.)
32.... Site of Newspaper Office
In 1935, F. Ralph Gervers started
publishing the Port Tampa Beacon here.
(Continue south on West Shore Blvd.,
then walk west on Ingraham St. and north 100 feet on
Mascotte St.)(7.5)
East side of Mascotte St., between
Loughman and Ingraham Sts. (7114 Mascotte St.)
33.... Baker House
This was the residence of the Baker
family.
(Continue north on Mascotte St. to
the intersection with Commerce St.)(7.6)
Southwest corner of Commerce and
Mascotte Sts. (4902 Commerce St.)
34.... First Bank of Port Tampa City
In 1926, the bank moved into this new
home, built by bank president James G. Yeats. It is
constructed of imported Italian marble and cost $125,000.
The bank closed on July 17, 1929, reopened on August 24,
1929, was robbed on February 26, 1932, and closed for good
in 1933.
The building was bought by the
Toffaleti brothers, who operated the Toffaleti Brothers
Grocery and General Merchandise Store in it until 1954. The
bank vault was converted to a refrigerator. The business was
sold in 1954 to Ernie Toffaleti and V.T. Clark. Clark later
moved the business to Hanks' Corner.
(Walk southwest on Commerce St. and
south on Kissimmee St. to the intersection with Loughman
St.)(7.7)
Northeast corner of Kissimmee and
Loughman Sts.
35.... Site of Ice Cream Parlor
On this corner was a three-cornered
building in which Laura Switzer operated an ice cream
parlor. The ladies who formed the literary club in 1910-11
held their early meetings there.
(Cross to the southwest corner.)(7.7)
Southwest corner of Kissimmee and
Loughman Sts. (7101 Kissimmee St.)
36.... Fitzgerald Building
This two-story building was one of
only two business buildings, along with the Brick Corner, to
survive fires in 1908-10. For a time, this was the home of
the post office.
It was a small store when Albert F.
Delbaugh bought it from G.O. Buie. Delbaugh enlarged it and
moved the Keystone Market here from Davis' Corner. The store
closed in 1940.
Across the street on the southeast
corner was the Willis Building, erected in 1900.
(Continue south on Kissimmee St. to
the intersection with Ingraham St.)(7.8)
Northeast corner of Kissimmee and
Ingraham Sts. (7108 Kissimmee St.)
37.... Site of Knights of Pythias
Building
Previously on this site was the Opera
Lodge Hall, followed by the Pythias building in about 1910.
In 1955, Ray A. Parrish and Arthur Stetzel opened the Port
Tampa Auto Parts store on the ground floor. Another occupant
here was Munn's Ceramics.
The Knights of Pythias, Gulf Lodge
#48, had been chartered on March 20, 1896. They met in the
Opera Lodge Hall until it burned down in 1908 or 1910.
(Cross to the northwest corner.)(7.8)
Northwest corner of Ingraham and
Kissimmee Sts.
38.... Site of Brick Corner
On this corner was located the Davis
Building, the site of the first city council meeting on June
30, 1893. In the building was the office of C.E. Hoadly and
R. Bowen Daniel, who was chosen to be the first mayor.
This was early Port Tampa's main
business district, known as the Brick Corner. Nearby was the
Cuesta & Rey cigar factory founded by Angel La Madrid
Cuesta in 1893, but he later moved his business to West
Tampa.
This and the Fitzgerald Building at
the corner of Fitzgerald and Loughman Sts. were the two
business buildings that survived the major fire of 1908.
Roy Davis bought the building to be
used as a dry goods store, then renamed as Davis' Corner. In
it was Risley Drug Store, then a restaurant operated by
Thomas Gomez. Beginning in about 1927, the Gomez family
operated Tommy's Place for about 25 years.
(Look across to the southwest
corner.)(7.8)
Southwest corner of Ingraham and
Kissimmee Sts. (4916 Ingraham St.)
39.... Fire Station
This fire station was built in 1961 at
a cost of $16,862.50. It replaced one built on Kissimmee St.
in 1894 for $50. That wooden one was sold in 1961 for $25.
(Walk west on Ingraham and Commerce
Sts., and south on Picnic Island Rd. to the point of
beginning.)(10.0)
Bibliography
A Guide to National Register Sites
in Florida, (Florida Department of State 1984)
A History of the City of Port Tampa
1888-1961, by Port Tampa City Woman's Club (1972)
Florida Historical Markers &
Sites, by Floyd E. Boone (Gulf Publishing Company 1988)
Florida's History Through Its
Places: Properties in the National Register of Historic
Places, by Morton D. Winsberg (Florida State University
1988)
Guide to Florida's Historic
Architecture, (University of Florida Press 1989)
Historic Overview of Port Tampa,
by M.C. Leonard (Hillsborough Community College 1978)
Historic Overview of Tampa Heights,
by M.C. Leonard (Hillsborough Community College 1978)
Plant's Place: Henry B. Plant and
the Tampa Bay Hotel, by Dr. James W. Covington (Harmony
House 1990) | 
