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Tarpon Springs

Palm Harbor’s Wall Springs Park

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A place where everyone can reach great heights, see priceless views

You don’t have to be a millionaire to have water views worth millions.

Just spend a little time at Wall Springs Park in Palm Harbor.

A new observation tower features wide ramps, so everyone can get to the top to see water views. (Karen Haymon Long)

There, you can see the sultry Gulf of Mexico and mullet-jumping Boggy Bayou from fishing piers, docks and a $1.7-million observation tower that’s accessible by wheelchair all the way to the top.

You might just see a giant snook – fat and at least 30 inches long – like we did from one of the fishing piers. Or, perhaps you’ll spy soaring great blue herons, fish-toting osprey, and butterflies fluttering in their very own flower garden.

We watched a man and a woman fishing in waist-deep water out in the bayou, saw a tricolored heron, snowy egrets and park benches shaped like Doctor Seuss fish. We took all the trails and looked out

A wide boardwalk in the park leads to water views. The park is surrounded by watery beauty.

over the bubbling spring, where we watched wading birds fishing from grassy islands.

From wooden boardwalks, visitors can watch water from the Upper Floridian Aquifer bubble up through rocks and out a spill flowing westward. Park officials say the spring’s flow can vary from next to nothing during droughts to 7,405 gallons a minute. During heavy rainfall, an astounding 10.7 million gallons of water can flow through the spring in a day.

The spring – always 74 degrees – is named for the Wall family, who owned the property from 1884 to 1927. The Davis family, who bought it from the Walls, renamed it Health Springs and turned it into a popular health spa and bathing area for locals and tourists. The Cullens, who bought it in 1948, renamed it Wall Springs and opened it to the public as a recreation and swimming area until the mid-1960s.

Wall Spring remains a constant 74 degrees and can pump up to 10.7 million gallons a day during rainy season.

Pinellas County began buying the land in 1988 for a park. Today, to protect the spring, no swimming is allowed.

But, if you want to, you can stare at water all day from the top of the 35-foot observation tower that just opened last summer. An arsonist burned down its predecessor on Sept. 11, 2013, and it had to be rebuilt, fortunately, mostly with insurance money, according to a county official.

This tower, unlike the last, was designed with wide, ADA-approved ramps, so it’s easy for everyone to get to the gorgeous Gulf views at the top.

We even saw a man with a bike up there, although we wondered if that was against park rules.

The park’s benches add a whimsical touch to its natural beauty.

The park is 84 acres, so it offers plenty of room for serene walks, either along the wide, paved paths, or among fragrant magnolias, soaring pines and old oaks.

Picnickers can reserve covered shelters, or eat lunch on picnic tables, blankets on the grass, or on whimsical benches. Kids can play on a new playground under a soaring white canopy next to the butterfly garden and a Little Free Library shaped like a birdhouse.

The park has lots of other things to brag about – more than ample parking and clean restrooms, for starters. Plus, it is connected to the Pinellas Trail, which makes biking or walking there from Tarpon Springs or Palm Harbor a nice outing.

And, it’s about to get bigger and better.

The county owns 125 acres north of the park – acquired with a grant from the Florida Communities Trust Forever Florida program that helps communities protect natural resources, provide recreation and preserve fast-disappearing waterfronts.

A couple fishes in waters within view of Wall Springs Park. The park also has two fishing piers.

Plans call for another picnic shelter, restrooms, more trails and a parking area. A paved, mile-long path will lead from the existing park to a new observation platform overlooking the Gulf shoreline on the new property.

County officials hope the new segment of the park will be ready by the fall of 2020.

The park doesn’t have everything. There’s no kayak/canoe launch, and there is no plan for one in the future, at least for now.

Still, the park offers plenty to do, plenty to see and plenty of watery beauty.

Tips for the Trip
Wall Springs Park is a Pinellas County park at 3725 De Soto Blvd., in Palm Harbor. From Alternate 19 North (Palm Harbor Boulevard) take Brevard Street west to the park entrance.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m., daily
Admission: free
Info: (727) 943-4653 or PinellasCounty.org/park/21_Wall_Springs.htm
Where to eat: The park has five picnic shelters and grills, and other picnic tables, so it’s an ideal place to eat outdoors.

Wall Springs Park’s stone entrance wall reflects Pinellas County parks’ iconic architecture.

If you prefer to explore nearby restaurants, here are a few recommendations:

  • Iron Oak New American BBQ, at 917 11th St., in downtown old Palm Harbor, is an easy drive south from the park and has delicious barbecue, craft cocktails and lots of craft beers on tap. Sit outside or inside at the cozy bar; IronOakBBQ.com; (727) 754-7337. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.
  • Rusty Bellies on the water, at 937 Dodecanese Blvd., in Tarpon Springs. Go for fresh seafood and the views; RustyBellies.com; (727) 934-4047. Closed Mondays. Open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
  • Mykonos, at 628 Dodecanese Blvd., in Tarpon Springs, across from the sponge docks. Go for wonderful, authentic Greek specialties; (727) 934-4306. Open daily from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Rusty Bellies and Mykonos have free parking, a real plus in Tarpon Springs. The town has many other restaurants, not all Greek. Search for “Tarpon Springs restaurants” on the Web.

By Karen Haymon Long

Published July 31, 2019

Get your ‘Greek’ on in Tarpon Springs

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If you’re looking for a quick getaway that offers a chance to experience Greek culture without leaving the Sunshine State, you may want to check out Tarpon Springs.

This statue of a sponge diver provides a sense of history at the marina. (B.C. Manion)

Besides having a chance to sample sweets from Greek bakeries, or dine on more substantial fare at Greek restaurants, you can learn about the sponge-harvesting industry that played a starring role in this community’s history.

The Sponge Docks, situated on Dodecanes Boulevard, is a great place to get a taste of what Tarpon Springs has to offer.

You can get a feel for the community’s history at the Spongeorama Sponge Factory, at 510 Dodecanese Blvd., which offers a free movie and museum about sponge diving.

Tarpon Springs offers plenty of opportunity for visitors to relax and chat with friends.

And, while the sponge industry isn’t what it once was, you can still see men tossing sponges on the docks, or take a boat ride to see a sponge diver in action.

For those with other interests, there are dolphin cruises available, and sport fishing, as well.

And, there are scores of specialty shops, too.

The Spiceman’s Kitchen, at 815 Dodecanese Blvd., for instance, offers more than 300 hot sauces, 50 barbecue sauces and marinades, and a variety of seasonings, rubs, pickled vegetable, jams, jellies and other items.

And, not far from there, you’ll find The Spice & Tea Exchange of Tarpon Springs, at 824 Dodecanes Blvd. It offers a selection of spices, custom blends, loose-leaf teas, sea and mineral salts, and other goods.

Sorting sponges at the Sponge Docks is a regular activity in Tarpon Springs.

There also are a number of shops selling soaps and skin care products, including Katherine’s Gifts Natural Skin Care, at 628 Athens St.

If you’re seeking spiritual refreshment, there’s St. Michael’s Shrine, at 113 Hope St., a small chapel built by a family in thanksgiving for the recovery of a young son who was near death.

Many linger in the serene setting, where they light candles for their intentions and gaze at the icons covering its walls.

St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Cathedral, at 36 N. Pinellas Ave., offers another sacred place in the city. It was designed as a replica of St. Sophia of Constantinople.

It’s easy to get around this Pinellas County community that’s situated off the Anclote River, and there are plenty of special events offered there throughout the year. For more information about upcoming events, visit SpongeDocks.net.

A breakfast sandwich, with a side of nostalgia

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When Laura Lewis saw the Dunkin’ Donuts going up on U.S. 41, in Lutz, she couldn’t wait until it opened,

She wanted to enjoy a bite to eat there, and to reminisce.

So, once the shop opened, at 17514 U.S. 41, she and her friend Carolyn Smith headed over there for breakfast.

Laura Lewis, left, and Carolyn Smith enjoy breakfast and share memories of Laura Lewis’ dad, who once operated a real estate office on the spot now occupied by a new Dunkin’ Donuts, on U.S. 41 in Lutz.
(B.C. Manion)

The shop serves hot coffee, iced coffee, hot tea, iced tea, espresso-based drinks, sandwiches, donuts and other bakery items.

Alex DaSilva, director of operations, said the shop chose that location because the area is experiencing residential and commercial growth, and Dunkin’ Donuts likes to get in on the front end of new development.

“It’s an up-and-coming market,” DaSilva said.

Lewis said she knows her dad, George M. Lewis, who spent his final years in Lutz, would be happy to see how the spot where he had his real estate office is being put to use.

He’d be glad to see that a family-oriented business is operating there, Lewis said.

Her dad was originally from the Kansas/Missouri area, she said.

He did various kinds of work through the years, said Smith, who has been a friend of Lewis’ for more than 30 years.

“He worked for the shipyard first,” Smith said.

“Then, from the shipyard, he did dredging,” she said. The dredging work involved area canals, and dredging for pipelines in South America, Smith added.

He also got into ranching and real estate.

At one point, he had 1,000 acres in Tarpon Springs, Lewis said. He also had 10 acres on Gunn Highway, in Citrus Park.

Lewis recalls helping her dad, when she was young.

“I used to trail my dad around all of the time, handing him tools and driving the tractor,” she said.

When she was older, she went to work for Maas Bros., earning $28 a week, but decided that wasn’t the life for her.

“I went out at lunchtime and joined the Army,” she said. She enlisted for three years, but had to stay longer because of the Korean War.

After that, she used her G.I. Bill to get her education and then became an industrial arts teacher, teaching woodshop in New Jersey for 35 years before retiring to Lutz.

Smith, whose mother was Lewis’ mother’s best friend, has been a close friend for more than three decades. The women share a home in Lutz.

Lewis’ mother, Smith said, “was like my mother’s sister.”

Both women were enjoying a trip down memory lane during their recent Dunkin’ Donuts visit.

At one point, Lewis’ dad had a huge sign in front of his real estate business on U.S 41, Smith recalled

People would pay him to use the sign for advertising.

“It was 20 (feet) to 30 feet high,” Smith said. “When they would come and put an advertisement on it, he would tell them: ‘No alcohol, no tobacco, nothing offensive,’” Smith said.

“He went to Lutz Baptist, right down the street, and he said, ‘My people see that and I want something nice on the sign,’” she explained. “One time they put up a cigarette ad. He called, and they came and took it down right away.”

When Dunkin’ Donuts was under construction, they had to keep the sign on the property — it was planted too deep into the ground for them to remove it, Smith said.

“I was here when they put it in. It has to be cemented in about 15 feet deep. It’ll never come out,” Smith said.

“They tried to get it out of the ground and they couldn’t, so they just built the Dunkin’ Donuts sign around it,” she said.

“A piece of him is always here,” Smith said.

Published March 8, 2017

Bus riders will get new routes, shorter waits at bus stops

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Shorter wait times at bus stops on State Road 54 and a new Land O’ Lakes connector bus route are ready for a roll-out.

Effective Aug. 15, riders on Bus Route 54, known as the Cross County Connector, will have new Saturday service, a new route pattern with a bus stop on U.S. 19, and buses that run every hour, not every two hours.

The route will stretch from U.S. 19 to City Hall in Zephyrhills, with stops in between at The Shops at Wiregrass and Tampa Premium Outlets.

Pasco County will give bus riders an upgrade with two new buses that have plush seats, reading lights and luggage racks. (Courtesy of Pasco County)
Pasco County will give bus riders an upgrade with two new buses that have plush seats, reading lights and luggage racks.
(Courtesy of Pasco County)

To ensure the shorter waits, some bus stops with low ridership along Duck Slough Boulevard and within the Trinity area served by Bus Route 23-Little Road will be discontinued.

“It’s going to make our routes more efficient,” said Philip Pumphrey, Pasco County’s public transportation director.

Riders also will get an upgrade with two new 40-foot buses with plush seats, reading lights and luggage racks.

The goal is to give riders more commuting options and a better ride, Pumphrey said.

The Pasco County Commission approved the new service route on State Road 54 at its July 26 meeting in New Port Richey.

The Land O’ Lakes bus service is scheduled for March 18, pending approval of Pasco County’s proposed 2017 budget.

The route will move north on U.S. 41 with bus stops that include the Central Pasco Chamber of Commerce, the Land O’ Lakes Community Center, post office, Land O’ Lakes High School and the detention center.

A loop eastward along State Road 54 will have stops at Collier Commons and the Land O’ Lakes Branch Library.

The new bus routes and shorter time waits were among recommendations in a report from Tindale Oliver & Associates. The consulting firm completed a study of the county’s transportation needs into 2040.

By extending Bus Route 54 to U.S. 19, county officials anticipate riders can transfer directly to Bus Route 14-Madison Street; Bus Route 18-Tarpon Springs/Grand Boulevard; Bus Route 25-Rowan Road, and Bus Route 23-Little Road.

There will be fewer transfers overall for riders trying to connect with the cross-county connector and destinations to the east or to board Bus Route 19 for destinations south, and from there to the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority system (PSTA).

Future improvements recommended by Tindale Oliver’s consultants include bus service until 11 :30 p.m., cutting wait times to 30 minutes on all routes and adding Sunday service. The consultants also recommended adding 30-minute local and express bus routes in future, and providing a 15-minute rapid bus service.

Published August 3, 2016

Strolling through a living history museum

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Whether you’re looking for a place to entertain the kids, want to take out-of-town visitors to a unique attraction or have a penchant for history — chances are you’ll find much to enjoy at Heritage Village in Pinellas County.

The village is a collection of 31 historic structures and features, some dating back to the 19th century.

The only structure at Heritage Village that came from outside of Pinellas County was this railroad depot, which was originally in Sulphur Springs, a small community on the north side of Tampa. It’s from around the 1920s. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)
The only structure at Heritage Village that came from outside of Pinellas County was this railroad depot, which was originally in Sulphur Springs, a small community on the north side of Tampa. It’s from around the 1920s.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photos)

Children and adults alike can meander through the pine and palmetto flatwoods to get a glimpse of buildings where people lived, shopped, worked, worshipped and had fun.

It’s a place which offers children a chance to let their imaginations run wild, and where visitors of all ages can find out all sorts of interesting facts about the region’s history.

The 21-acre site boasts everything from buildings that were spared from destruction to reproductions of iconic structures.

There are interior exhibits, too, showcasing Florida’s role in agriculture, tourism and other industries.

Visitors can drop in at H.C. Smith Groceries, to check out a 1915-era grocery store. Out back, there’s a restored service garage.

The Sulphur Springs train depot has a prominent spot, and there’s old railcar, too. The depot was moved from a community on the north side of Tampa and is typical of early railroad depots. It is the only structure brought to the village from outside of Pinellas County.

H.C. Smith Groceries, was built in 1915 and originally stood on the southeast corner of Sixth Avenue and Fifth Street South in St. Petersburg. The store served as a grocery and meat market.
H.C. Smith Groceries, was built in 1915 and originally stood on the southeast corner of Sixth Avenue and Fifth Street South in St. Petersburg. The store served as a grocery and meat market.

The Williams Park Bandstand in the village is a replica of a structure originally built in 1894. It’s a popular spot for gatherings and on one recent afternoon, children were racing across the bandstand’s floors, laughing and playing.

The village also is home to Safford Pavilion, built in Tarpon Springs around 1896 in the Cycadia Cemetery, east of U.S. 19. The pavilion was constructed to honor Anson K. Safford, a former territorial governor of Arizona and an important early pioneer of Tarpon Springs.

Other points of interest include a boiling shed, a sugar cane mill, two schools, several wood-frame homes, a church, a sponge warehouse and some cottages.

There are rocking chairs on porches, inviting visitors to sit down and relax, and there are displays which spur memories of previous generations or invite conversations about what life was like decades ago.

A historical placard near the 1½-story log cabin built by James and Elizabeth McMullen tells of the family’s cattle business and other ventures.

Business ventures and tourism flourished after regular railroad service came to Pinellas County. Train service improved efficiency in transporting crops and other goods to distant markets and bringing people here to enjoy the climate.
Business ventures and tourism flourished after regular railroad service came to Pinellas County. Train service improved efficiency in transporting crops and other goods to distant markets and bringing people here to enjoy the climate.

“The cattle ended up on dinner plates throughout the South and even Cuba,” the sign says. “By 1869, the family manufactured syrup barrels and held sugarcane grinding parties.”

Visitors to the village can peek into homes that are outfitted with vintage furnishings.

There’s also an outhouse, a smoke house and a barn filled with wagons.

The boat shop is a recent addition to the village and it seemed to be a popular place one recent afternoon.

There’s also a nature path —the Shirley McPherson Native Plant Trail — which meanders through a pine flatwood habitat.

And, for those who would prefer a bigger nature show, the Florida Botanical Gardens, at 12520 Ulmerton Road, is right next door.

Neither attraction charges admission.

Visit PinellasCounty.org to find out more.

Heritage Village
What: A collection of 31 historic structures and features, some dating back to the 19th century, situated on 21 acres of land.
Where:11909 125th St. N., Largo
When: Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
How much: Free
More information: PinellasCounty.org

Published March 9, 2016

 

Hurricane winds leave path of destruction

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The Hurricane of 1921 — which struck nearly a century ago — was the most destructive storm to hit Florida since 1848. It made landfall with sustained winds of 115 mph as a Category 3 hurricane, near Tarpon Springs, on Oct. 25, 1921.

Maxine Gause was one of only 10 students attending school that day in Elfers.  She was safe inside the brick school building built in 1914.

Gause remained in the classroom with her mother, who was a substitute teacher.

Sunnybrook Tobacco barn number 3 in Dade City, destroyed by the Hurricane of 1921. (Photo from the Burgert Brothers Photography Collection, November 2, 1921)
Sunnybrook Tobacco barn number 3 in Dade City, destroyed by the Hurricane of 1921. (Photo from the Burgert Brothers Photography Collection, November 2, 1921)

She shares her experience in an account published by Fivay.org, a website that contains a wealth of information about Pasco County history.

She describes the storm blowing open the classroom door.

“So we had to take turns standing against it, a few at a time, until the storm finally eased up. We were frightened!” Gause recounts.

On the same website, Pauline Stevenson Ash recalls her day at school when the storm passed through Elfers: “During that hurricane, most of the windows blew out, and we took turns sweeping out the water, for almost seven hours!”

The Hurricane of 1921 was at its worst in Dade City later that same day, nearly 95 years ago.

The Dade City Banner published headlines that read “Dade City in Path of Tropical Storm,” and “San Antonio Old Times Never Saw the Like.”

Although the Mt. Zion Methodist Church was never rebuilt following the Hurricane of 1921, the Mt. Zion Cemetery still exists today with 16 confederate burial sites. In 1977, the Mt. Zion Cemetery Association was formed for the perpetual care and maintenance of approximately 6 acres, of which many are burial sites of pioneer families from Pasco County. (Doug Sanders/Photos)
Although the Mt. Zion Methodist Church was never rebuilt following the Hurricane of 1921, the Mt. Zion Cemetery still exists today with 16 confederate burial sites. In 1977, the Mt. Zion Cemetery Association was formed for the perpetual care and maintenance of approximately 6 acres, of which many are burial sites of pioneer families from Pasco County.
(Doug Sanders/Photos)

The newspaper was forced to abandon its offices during the storm “…as the building became too tipsy to be comfortable.

“The boys did what they could to protect the stock and cover the linotype,” the newspaper reported.

West of Dade City, the hurricane demolished one of the oldest churches in Pasco County.  The Mt. Zion Methodist Church had been built in 1872 with “hand-hewn timbers and sawed rough boards” according to the historical marker erected in 1980.

The Masonic Lodge had used the church’s second floor as a meeting place.

The storm also flattened the church at Prospect, but, according to the Dade City Banner on May 12, 1922: “The people of the neighborhood have just completed the rebuilding of the edifice and on Easter night had their first service.”

With only 18 telephones of the Pasco Telephone Company still in use, damage reports came in from across the county.

In Odessa, The Lyon Pine company mill reported $15,000 in roof damages.  The Dowling Company mill estimated damages of $30,000 after six of its smokestacks crashed to the ground.

Dade City’s ice and power plant also reported that smokestacks were toppled by the hurricane winds.

High winds blew down a turpentine business and a large stand of trees in Darby.

And, a hotel in Zephyrhills lost part of its roof.

When the Hurricane of 1921 reached San Antonio, it shattered buildings, uprooted trees and flattened the water tanks at Holy Name Academy.

A few lucky families had food and shelter at the St. Charles Inn. Holding a lantern at night, owners guided guests to their rooms.

Built by Charles Barthle in 1913, the St. Charles Inn is a whitewashed building with 1,500 square feet of porches that are supported by six columns. More than $100,000 in renovations have restored the structure as a bed and breakfast, with 62 windows that open and close by encased ropes and weights.
Built by Charles Barthle in 1913, the St. Charles Inn is a whitewashed building with 1,500 square feet of porches that are supported by six columns. More than $100,000 in renovations have restored the structure as a bed and breakfast, with 62 windows that open and close by encased ropes and weights.

Yet, Sunnybrook Tobacco Company, in Dade City, reported the biggest storm damage, losing nine large barns and 110 acres of shade-grown tobacco. The damage was estimated at $100,000.

Established in 1897, Sunnybrook was the largest employer in Pasco County with 500 acres. (Ironically, the company would close its doors after suffering additional losses from the black shank tobacco fungus, and a fire in 1924 that burned up 150,000 pounds of fine wrapper tobacco valued at $200,000.)

The Dade City Banner, on Oct. 28, 1921, also reported $1,000 in damages to the south end of the Dade City packing house and offered this gloomy assessment: “The citrus crop is more than half on the ground, and growers have suffered a great loss.”

Area travelers also encountered fallen utility poles and streets littered with storm debris for several weeks, as well as destroyed bridges, cutting off traffic.

“The Atlantic Coast Line by Trilby was practically the one way out,” according to a Dade City Banner report, published nearly a century ago.

By Doug Sanders

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at .

Published February 24, 2016

Russian politics played a role in San Antonio train depot

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The history of a train depot building in San Antonio is rooted in political uncertainty in Russia roughly 135 years ago.

On Feb. 17, 1880, a second assassination attempt on Emperor Alexander II occurred in the imperial dining room of the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg, Russia.

Terrorists blew up the dining room, killing or maiming 67 people – but the emperor wasn’t present during the attempt on his life.

The Orange Belt No. 203 was the primary locomotive that was used for the tourist line between San Antonio and Blanton in 1976. It was built in 1925 for the Washington & Lincolnton railroad that ran out of Lincolnton, Georgia. When it had mechanical problems, the railroad was able to lease Orange Belt No. 11. (Courtesy Jack Bejna/railroadpictures.net)
The Orange Belt No. 203 was the primary locomotive that was used for the tourist line between San Antonio and Blanton in 1976. It was built in 1925 for the Washington & Lincolnton railroad that ran out of Lincolnton, Georgia. When it had mechanical problems, the railroad was able to lease Orange Belt No. 11.
(Courtesy Jack Bejna/railroadpictures.net)

The previous year, nitroglycerine was used in a failed effort to destroy Alexander II’s train. And, there was the unsuccessful mission to blow up the Kamenny Bridge in St. Petersburg as the tsar was passing over it.

These events, and the political uncertainty that followed them, prompted Piotr Alexandrovitch Dementieff, a Russian nobleman, to flee to Florida as a Russian exile.

Dementieff, who later shortened his name to Peter A. Demens, would go on to become a co-founder of St. Petersburg, Florida.

And, the city would become home to the southern terminus for one of the longest narrow gauge railroads in the United States at the time of its completion in 1888.

The decision to locate a railway line in St. Petersburg was made during the same time that Henry B. Plant was opening up a rail line near Port Tampa, which had a depth of 5 feet.

St. Petersburg, by comparison, had a harbor with a depth of 18 feet, enabling it to import and export more cargo.

With dozens of railroads competing in Florida, Demens saw an advantage in running a railroad north from St. Petersburg to transport the area’s abundant long-leaf yellow pine and its citrus.

Known as the Orange Belt Railway, the mainline was 152 miles long.

It was the first to cross central Pasco County diagonally — through Trilby, San Antonio, Ehren, Drexel and Odessa.

The Orange Belt Railway also played a role in the development of other towns along its route including Tarpon Springs, Dunedin, Clearwater and Largo.

San Antonio’s historic depot is the last one remaining on the Orange Belt Railway. The railway crossed Pasco County for 80 years, connecting northern markets in the St. Johns River area with St. Petersburg. The depot was completely restored in 1996 with a $15,600 preservation grant from the state, plus a $25,000 contribution from Pasco County and countless hours of volunteer help. The depot currently serves as railroad museum, a community building and a voting precinct location. (Doug Sanders/Photo)
San Antonio’s historic depot is the last one remaining on the Orange Belt Railway. The railway crossed Pasco County for 80 years, connecting northern markets in the St. Johns River area with St. Petersburg. The depot was completely restored in 1996 with a $15,600 preservation grant from the state, plus a $25,000 contribution from Pasco County and countless hours of volunteer help. The depot currently serves as railroad museum, a community building and a voting precinct location.
(Doug Sanders/Photo)

As a narrow gauge (3 feet) railway company, Demens had arranged for some incredible financing — which left him in debt with angry capitalists in Philadelphia.

“At one time, his creditors chained his locomotives to the tracks,” writes Glen Dill for The Suncoast News in August 1988. “At another time, his unpaid track-laying crew stormed after him on a hand car, planning to lynch him.”

The Orange Belt faced many hardships in its early years due to debt run up during various phases of construction.

Frigid temperatures during the Great Freeze of 1894-1895 killed many citrus groves in Florida.

The freeze also ended Demens’ ownership of the Orange Belt.

Within weeks, he sold the Orange Belt Railway to railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant.

Plant converted most of the railway to standard gauge (4 feet 8 1⁄2 inches), which made it more profitable.

In 1902, the Plant system became part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. Passengers would later ride on that railroad in luxury Pullman railcars with sleeper berths during Florida’s land boom in the 1920s.

As cars, buses and planes took more passengers, the Atlantic Coast Line discontinued its train service in 1970.

The depot in San Antonio was left abandoned and forgotten until 1976, when a group of Tampa residents organized under the name of Robert Most and Associates. They took passengers on a round-trip railroad excursion, typically a 90-minute trip, from San Antonio to Blanton on weekends and holidays.

The last ride took place on Feb. 21, 1978.

Sections of the Orange Belt rail line are now part of the Pinellas Trail in Pinellas County, the South Lake Minneola Scenic Trail in Lake County and the West Orange Trail in Orange County.

The depot in San Antonio is a reminder of the vibrant role that railroads played during the early days of Florida’s development.

The historic depot is the last one remaining on the Orange Belt Railway, which crossed Pasco County for 80 years, connecting northern markets in the St. Johns River area with St. Petersburg.

The depot was completely restored in 1996 with a $15,600 preservation grant from the state, plus a $25,000 contribution from Pasco County and countless hours of volunteer help.

With a history that had its roots in politics, the San Antonio depot also has a connection to political life today.

Besides serving as a railroad museum and community building, it’s a voting precinct, too.

Peter Demens won a coin toss, according to a local legend, and named St. Petersburg, Florida, after his hometown in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Demens was selected as a Great Floridian in 2000 by the Florida Department of State and the Florida League of Cities.

By Doug Sanders

Doug Sanders has a penchant for unearthing interesting stories about local history. His sleuthing skills have been developed through his experiences in newspaper and government work. If you have an idea for a future history column, contact Doug at .

Published December 9, 2015

Famous Tate plans new store in Lutz

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The Tampa-based appliance and mattress store Famous Tate is looking to build its 10th location in central Pasco County, within arm’s reach of Walmart along U.S. 41.

Executives of the small retail chain are scheduled to meet with county officials Dec. 16 to discuss opening a 14,000-square-foot store on Land O’ Lakes Boulevard, in an outparcel just south of Walmart, not far from where Dale Mabry Highway begins. The 1.6-acre parcel is owned by Hagman Properties Inc. of Tarpon Springs, the land’s only deed-holder, according to Pasco County property records.

This would be Pasco’s third Famous Tate store. The closest current one is at 5419 Village Market in Wesley Chapel, and a second is located in Port Richey.

The company was founded in 1954, and employs more than 200 people in six counties, according to the company’s website. Aspire Engineering Inc. of Tampa will take the lead on the project.

Meeting with county officials is typically an early step in the development process, and no timetable on when construction might begin was released.

Moore, Remsberg spending money outside Pasco

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Bringing money into the county is something politician after politician has brought to campaigns and local government for years, and the Pasco County Commission race between Mike Moore and Erika Remsberg has been no different.

In fact, both have ideas on how to attract more jobs and higher wages to the area, as well as bring in an influx of money to help businesses grow and prosper. Yet, when it comes to their own spending habits, some might scratch their heads on how much they are willing to spend with local businesses and local people.

Since the end of February, the District 2 race to replace the retiring Pat Mulieri has raised $135,000 between the two candidates, with nearly $169,000 already spent in that period. Yet, Moore only devoted 32 percent of his total expenditures inside Pasco, while Remsberg wasn’t much better at 39 percent.

Those numbers got far worse for Moore after his primary victory over Ken Littlefield and Bob Robertson, where of the $53,500 he spent, only about $13,000 — or 19 percent — went to help Pasco businesses. Remsberg stayed consistent after the primary, $2,240, or 37 percent, locally.

Since the end of February, both candidates have sent $115,000 out of the county. That’s some $30,000 more than they want taxpayers to give them each year in salary for sitting on the dais, and enough to fund five full-time and one part-time jobs that pay $10 an hour.

“First, I was disappointed my local spending amount was so low,” Remsberg told The Laker/Lutz News in an email. “Must be because the Tarpon union printer I used was just over the border. Secondly, I think reporting the amounts donated is more important than the percentages. Given the vast difference in amounts donated to our contributions, I think percentages do not paint the picture as well as the dollar amount does.”

An early Monday morning request to Moore for comment was still pending return.

Twice in October, Moore had a week where he spent more than $20,000, with less than 6 percent of that going to local businesses. Instead, during those two periods, he spent $37,323 with Majority Strategies in Ponte Vedra for advertising, and nearly $3,000 with Allegra Marketing in Tampa for printing.

Even food preparation was not something Moore could find locally, spending $2,224 for food at a fundraiser, supplied by Catering by the Family in Tampa.

Remsberg also had a bad week in October where nearly 95 percent of her spending was done outside of Pasco. It was there she spent nearly $1,100 with Image Media in Tarpon Springs for printing. Before that, she had taken some of her printing work to Tampa, where she spent more than $925 with Gunn Printing in July.

Since the end of February, Moore has raised more than $123,000 in cash, far more than the $11,600 Remsberg raised over the same time. However, more than half of Moore’s donations have come from people and groups associated with real estate, development and construction.

To date, those groups have given Moore nearly $63,000 in contributions, with more than $40,000 of it coming since the primary. At the same time, Remsberg has picked up just $350 from contributors like that, all of it coming from an operating engineer union. That accounted for 3 percent of her total contributions.

“A campaign mostly financed with money from developers creates a conflict of interest when the candidate will be ruling on issues affecting those developers,” Remsberg said. “Pasco County loses significant revenues on incentives for development causing Pasco County residents to pick up the bill. We do not have enough money to fix our roads in Pasco, but we can spend money helping developers pay for the roads they are building for their own projects.”

Voters will have a chance to decide between Moore and Remsberg on Nov. 4.

Cancer journey chronicled through ceramic busts

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People facing a life-threatening disease have different ways of coping.

Some join prayer groups. Others keep journals. Some write blogs.

Land O’ Lakes resident Jan Tucker decided she wanted to keep a physical record of what her breasts looked like before she began cancer treatment.

These three ceramic busts, created by artist Paul Phillips, chronicle Jan Tucker’s journey through cancer. The bust on the left shows Tucker’s upper torso before she began cancer treatment. The one in the middle shows her at her lowest point in the battle. The bust on the right shows her upper torso after breast reconstruction. (B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)
These three ceramic busts, created by artist Paul Phillips, chronicle Jan Tucker’s journey through cancer. The bust on the left shows Tucker’s upper torso before she began cancer treatment. The one in the middle shows her at her lowest point in the battle. The bust on the right shows her upper torso after breast reconstruction.
(B.C. Manion/Staff Photo)

She knew that her brother, Paul Phillips — who does ceramics and other kinds of art — could make the ceramic bust because he’d done body castings for women who were pregnant.

She also knew that her brother might feel strange about applying the material to make the mold to her body, so she asked him to teach her husband Ben how to do the first layer, to avoid potential embarrassment.

Tucker initially just wanted a physical reminder of what she looked like before she was diagnosed with invasive ductile carcinoma — an aggressive, fast-growing cancer.

Being a private person, she didn’t expect others to see it. But those plans changed, and now three ceramic busts — chronicling her journey through cancer — will be on display at an art exhibit and sale to help raise money for the American Cancer Society and the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute.

One bust shows her upper torso before treatment began. The second records her at her lowest point in her cancer battle. The third shows her torso after reconstructive surgery.

The story of Tucker’s fight for her life began like many other stories about breast cancer: She found a lump in her right breast during a routine monthly self-exam.

Ironically, it appeared at a time in her life when she’d never felt healthier. She was 46, and she and Ben routinely worked out.

When she found the lump, Tucker made an appointment with her doctor to check it out as part of an annual exam. That exam, as well as a mammogram, showed it was a cyst, which didn’t surprise Tucker because she’d had cysts before.

So, Tucker went about her daily life, working as an online business professor and developing online courses.

As time went on, though, the lump grew. It was right at her bra line and was becoming uncomfortable. She also felt two smaller lumps.

Still, she had no plans to go back to the doctor before her annual check.

“My husband kept nagging me,” Tucker said. “‘You need to go get this checked.’”

But she didn’t until he hurt his foot, and now it was Tucker urging him to see a doctor. They made a deal: He would go for his foot, if she went for her breast.

On the return visit, the doctor said the lump was larger, but was still a cyst. But after Tucker told the doctor it was bothering her, the doctor referred her to a breast surgeon to get the lump drained.

The breast surgeon – Dr. Kimberly Apple – wanted an ultrasound. That led to additional diagnostics, a core biopsy, and a needle biopsy on six cancer tumors.

The doctor told Tucker she would call her with the results, either way. That call came on a Friday morning, April 26, 2013.

“When I picked up the phone, I hear her say, ‘I’m sorry.’ I hear her voice crack,” Tucker said. Then she starts with the doctor jargon.”

She heard the doctor talking, but couldn’t process what she was saying.

“Everything kind of stops in your world,” Tucker said. “It was so surreal.”

The doctor asked Tucker if she had any questions. Tucker had one: “Is it treatable?”

Yes, but it would require extensive treatment.

Tucker’s cancer was so advanced that she had to undergo chemotherapy before surgery. That’s when she decided to have her brother do the ceramic bust.

“I called him and I said, ‘I want to remember how I am today,’” she said.

A week later, she was undergoing chemotherapy.

“It’s awful. There’s no way to sugarcoat it,” Tucker said, noting she went through five rounds of chemo in six months.

Next, she had a nipple-sparing bilateral mastectomy.

She planned to do reconstruction, but lost so much blood she had to have a transfusion, which led to an infection.

“I was down to 95 pounds,” Tucker said. “I’m bald at this point. I have no eyebrows, no eyelashes. My skin is sagging, and I was extremely depressed. I was in a really, really dark place.

“I called Paul and said, ‘I want to do another casting.’

“He’s like, ‘Really?’”

She said she wanted to remember this stage of the battle, too. That casting was done on Feb. 26.

When she got over the infection, she pursued reconstruction again. After that was done, Tucker did another body casting to show her upper torso after reconstruction. That casting was done on Aug. 16.

“It just kind of brought the whole thing together,” Tucker said.

She still had no intention of making the ceramic busts public. But that changed after her brother, who had exhibited some of his art works at Alchemy Art Lounge in Tarpon Springs, told the owner about the castings he’d done for his sister.

“The owner got real quiet and said, ‘My mother has breast cancer,’” Tucker said.

Then the owner suggested having a Pink Party in October, and to donate the proceeds to the American Cancer Society and Moffitt. Tucker agreed to have her ceramic busts on display because they help convey the stages she has been through.

“There really is no better way to illustrate the story than that,” said Tucker, who is now 48.

She and her husband have two sons, Van — who just graduated from the University of South Florida with a degree in chemical engineering — and Adam, a sophomore at USF, who is pursuing the same degree.

Tucker said she never would have chosen to walk the path, yet she knows it has yielded new insights.

“I am a different person today because of this,” Tucker said. “I am much more focused on what’s important in life, and it’s not chasing a promotion.”

If you go …
WHAT: Alchemy Art Lounge and Hard Bodies Yo present a Pink Party, featuring an art show and sale, a silent auction and a chance drawing for prizes.
WHERE: 25 Dodecanese Blvd., Tarpon Springs
WHEN: Oct. 9, 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
DETAILS: Proceeds will benefit cancer charities
INFO: Paul Phillips at (386) 334-5943

Published September 24, 2014

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