History of St. Pete
Generations of Growth
St. Petersburg has always been characterized by endless sunshine, soaring pelicans, and a glistening waterfront, so it’s easy to imagine what attracted its founders here nearly 150 years ago.
Historic Preservation in St. Pete
History of St. Pete
Like most of the United States, the Tampa Bay area was home to generations of Indigenous tribes before the first White settlers arrived. While Spanish explorers came and went in the 1500s, it wasn’t until much later that the St. Pete we know began to form.
People began moving to the area during the 1830s and 1840s, setting up homesteads, planting citrus and other crops, and raising animals. After the Civil War, more settlers arrived, including the area's first Black settlers, John Donaldson and Anna Germain, in 1868.
In 1875 John Constantine Williams of Detroit, Michigan moved to Tampa and bought 2,500 acres of warm waterfront land that would eventually become St. Petersburg. Thirteen years later, he transferred part of that land to Peter Demens, an exiled Russian aristocrat. In exchange, Demens extended the Orange Belt Railroad to Williams’s settlement. The first train arrived in St. Petersburg in 1888, carrying empty freight cars and a single passenger.
Legend says that Williams and Demens flipped a coin to see who would name the city. Demens won the coin toss and named it after Saint Petersburg, Russia. Williams named the city’s first hotel after his birthplace, Detroit.
In 1903, with a population of only a few hundred people, St. Petersburg incorporated as a city.
Breaking New Ground
In 1914, the rich history of spring training and Florida's love affair with baseball began when the city's former mayor, Al Lang, convinced Branch Rickey to move his St. Louis Browns to the Sunshine City for spring training.
That same year Tony Jannus flew his Benoist airplane across Tampa Bay in 23 minutes, skimming across the water at a height of 50 feet. The event is commonly hailed as the birth of commercial aviation.
And the city’s first library was built along Mirror Lake, opening its doors in December of 1915. It remains in operation today.
Booming & Building
The 1920s brought the state's first big growth boom with new residents and tourists arriving by automobile, railroad, and yacht. In 1924 the Gandy Bridge opened—cutting travel time to Tampa by more than half, and positioning St. Pete to become Pinellas County's largest city.
During the Great Depression, the real estate boom crashed and St. Petersburg recovered with the help of large Public Works Administration projects in the 1930s. St. Petersburg's City Hall was built with New Deal federal funds in 1939 and remains in operation today.
During the 1940s, the city witnessed more growth. The U.S. Coast Guard Station on Bayboro Harbor was used as a training base for World War II troops and St. Pete became a major technical services training center for the Army Air Corps. More than 100,000 trainees filled every hotel in the city, swelling the population and creating a housing shortage as their families looked for places to live. After the war, many of the service members stationed here took up permanent residence with their families.
ST. PETE’S BLACK HISTORY
African Americans have long been an important part of St. Pete’s story, but history that centers the Black community is often a lesser-known piece of the narrative of how St. Pete came to be. The area’s first Black settlers, John Donaldson and Anna Germain, arrived in 1868. They married and created a homestead for themselves and their children on what would become 18th Ave. South and 31st St. South. For 20 years, the Donaldsons were the only African American family settled in present-day St. Pete.
The arrival of the Orange Belt Railway in 1888 brought African American men to St. Pete to build the beds and lay the rails. The new arrivals created the first of what would become several predominantly Black neighborhoods. Peppertown, near 3rd and 4th Avenues South, just east of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St., is credited with being the first. Historians say the enclave was named for the abundance and variety of peppers grown there in gardens and pots.
Next came Methodist Town, between 9th and 14th Streets North & Burlington Ave. N and 5th Ave. N., and what was first called Cooper’s Quarters, roughly 1st to 5th Avenues South and 9th and 16th Streets South. Cooper’s Quarters later became known as the Gas Plant neighborhood for the two tall cylinders that held the city’s natural gas supply.
Through the 40s, 50s, and 60s, one such neighborhood in South St. Pete became known as “The Deuces” and developed into a thriving downtown area for African Americans and other minority communities. Home to the iconic Manhattan Casino, which drew America’s finest African American musicians, the Deuces reached its peak in the 1960s with more than 100 Black-owned or operated businesses, entertainment spots, and professional offices that served the neighborhood.
Developing Into a Destination
The 1950s brought the advent of air conditioning, which spurred housing for retirees. Central Plaza and West St. Pete shopping centers began to draw commerce from the downtown core and as the population peaked, streetcar tracks were removed to make way for a society of automobiles. New developments included the municipal marina, the main library, a waterfront arena known as the Bayfront Center, and the Museum of Fine Arts.
In the last twenty years, St. Pete has emerged as a top destination for visitors around the world as opportunities for business and recreation have grown. A relocated Salvador Dalí Museum, Dale Chihuly’s world-renowned glass collection, an annual international mural festival, and several other major museums cemented St. Pete’s reputation as a City of the Arts. With the continued expansion of USF St. Petersburg and the presence of a St. Petersburg College campus, downtown became home to a growing number of students and an Innovation District.
The city’s notable ‘Inverted Pyramid’ pier, a successor to the popular Million Dollar Pier, was closed in 2013 to make way for the latest iteration of the St. Pete Pier, a 26-acre dynamic extension of the beloved waterfront park system that opened in 2020.
Today, St. Pete hosts hundreds of events, bringing millions of people through downtown and to every corner of the city. A clear vision and comprehensive economic development strategy have elevated the city’s profile and attracted new investments in arts, culture, technology, and recreation. And as the city grows into its next phase, it’s the sense of community and the understanding and preservation of our shared history that will help shape St. Pete’s future.
Self-Guided Historic Tours
Residents and visitors can experience St. Pete history on foot by engaging with one of the many self-guided historic tours around the city. Heritage trails are a valuable cultural resource and an important component of historic preservation and heritage tourism. In addition to preserving personal stories, heritage trails bring life and add value to the surrounding physical environment.
Walk St. Pete: Downtown Audio & Photo Tour
The Florida Stories Walking Tour app offers fun stories about characters from the city’s past and guides users to some of downtown’s best in historic architecture. This tour is a collaboration between the Florida Humanities Council and St. Petersburg Preservation. Inc.
Downtown & Waterfront Walking Tours
There are three routes to choose from on the Downtown and Waterfront Walking Tours. Visitors can guide their own tour or hire a professional docent to host a tour. This tour is a collaboration between the Florida Department of State—Division of Historic Resources, St. Petersburg Preservation Inc. and Southern Roots Realty, Inc.
African American Heritage Trails
The African American Heritage Trail has two self-guided walking tours, each of which contains a concentration of resources that are significant to the history of St. Petersburg’s African American residents. Nineteen markers and a corresponding guide explore the African American community between the arrival of the first African Americans in 1868 and the Civil Rights era ending in 1968. Both trails begin at the Dr. Carter G. Woodsen Museum at 2240 9th Ave South. This tour is a collaboration between the City of St. Petersburg and the African American Heritage Association of St. Petersburg.
Historic Outdoor Museum of Roser Park
The Historic Outdoor Museum of Roser Park is a self-guided walking tour that currently features twenty-eight markers describing the neighborhood's features and history. This tour is maintained through the Historic Roser Park Neighborhood Association.