St Pete in a Snap
The Florida Theatre Upstaging the Arts
The Florida Theatre was constructed in 1926 during the city’s boom era. Designed by architects Roy A. Benjamin and Robert E.
Read moreAuthor Archives: SPMOH
St Pete in a Snap
Ben T. Davis: The Man Who Lost A Bridge
Tampa businessman Capt. Ben T. Davis knew a good plan when he saw one. Why not give old George Gandy and…
Read more
St Pete in a Snap
Part Four: Sarah Armistead
Fresh out of the courtroom, Sarah Craven Judge Williams has just succeeded in retaining what amounts to $2.9 million and hundreds…
Read more
St Pete in a Snap
The Life & Lies of St. Pete’s Founding Mother
Meet Sarah Armistead, formerly Sarah Williams, formerly Sarah Judge, formally Sarah Craven, also known as the “Mother of St. Petersburg”. In…
Read more
St Pete in a Snap
Sailing into History: The St. Petersburg Yacht Club
Founded in 1909 by a small group of sailors, the St. Petersburg Yacht Club had no dock or clubhouse. What they…
Read more
St Pete in a Snap
The Life & Lies of St. Pete’s Founding Mother, Part II Sarah Judge
After a relatively anonymous childhood, growing up in Ontario, Canada as the eldest of five children, Sarah Craven, or rather, Sarah…
Read more
St Pete in a Snap
Pinellas Pioneers and the Great Gale of 1848
In the early to mid-1830’s pioneer settlers from the United States and fishermen from Spanish Cuba began settling the Pinellas Peninsula.
Read more
St Pete in a Snap
The Life & Lies of St. Pete’s Founding Mother
Meet Sarah Armistead, formerly Sarah Williams, formerly Sarah Judge, formally Sarah Craven, also known as the “Mother of St. Petersburg”. In…
Read more
St Pete in a Snap
St. Pete’s Sea Vamps and the Great Swimsuit Shakedown
“Naturally, the best manner of selling St. Petersburg’s sunshine was through the medium of the pretty girl,” disclosed columnist Jane Graham…
Read more
St Pete in a Snap
John and Anna Donaldson: St. Petersburg’s Earliest African American Pioneers
The 1842 Armed Occupation Act gave Americans the first real incentive to settle our area. The Act provided 160 acres of…
Read more
St Pete in a Snap
Franklin J. Mason and the Princess Martha
In the summer of 1923, the 250-room Mason Hotel began to rise on the corner of 4th Street and First Avenue…
Read more
St Pete in a Snap
Timeless Elegance – The Vinoy
The history of the Vinoy is woven inextricably into the fabric of the history of the city of St. Petersburg. For…
Read more