St Pete in a Snap
Building a State: Florida’s Path from Territory to Union
On March 3, 1845, Florida became the 27th state of the United States. After 23 years as a U.S. territory, and…
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St Pete in a Snap
Al Lang: St. Petersburg’s Mayor & Ambassador to Baseball
Albert Fielding Lang, known as Al Lang, was a businessman and mayor of St. Petersburg from 1916 to 1920. Born in…
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St Pete in a Snap
The First Checkered Flag: Willy T. Ribbs and St. Petersburg’s Grand Prix Debut
On November 3, 1985, Willy T. Ribbs won the inaugural St. Petersburg Grand Prix, a high-octane street race that drew thousands…
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St Pete in a Snap
Charley Pride: Before Nashville, There Was Baseball
Charley Pride is best remembered as a groundbreaking country music star, but before Nashville, he was chasing a very different dream:…
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St Pete in a Snap
St. Pete’s Wartime Women
World War II forced America to rethink who could serve, and women were ready. In 1942, the WAAC, later known as…
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St Pete in a Snap
The Treaty That Changed Florida
For Florida, the treaty meant a formal transfer of sovereignty. Spain surrendered its claims to territory east of the Mississippi River,…
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St Pete in a Snap
Pheil Theater: A Stage for a Growing City
On February 20, 1919, St. Petersburg celebrated the grand opening of one of downtown’s newest showpieces, the Pheil Theater, built by…
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St Pete in a Snap
Chairman of the Board: The Hubert Rutland Story
Born on February 18, 1894, Hubert Whitfield Rutland Sr. was one of St. Petersburg’s most influential entrepreneurs, helping shape downtown through…
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St Pete in a Snap
Sanitation Strike Cleans Up City’s Working Conditions
On May 6, 1968, more than 200 Black sanitation workers in St. Petersburg walked off the job. They were demanding fair…
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St Pete in a Snap
The Educator Who Transformed Pinellas County Education for Generations
Vyrle Davis was a pioneering Pinellas County educator who helped reshape public education in St. Petersburg. In 1973, he became the…
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St Pete in a Snap
Million Dollar Pier: Centerpiece of St. Pete for Four Decades
Opened in 1926, St. Petersburg’s Million Dollar Pier quickly became one of the city’s most celebrated attractions and a centerpiece of…
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St Pete in a Snap
Pierce Gahan: Recreation Pioneer Remembered
Pierce V. Gahan was a pioneering figure in the development of organized recreation in St. Petersburg, serving as the city’s first…
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