The 114 acres of land that now make up Chinsegut Hill and its surrounding preserve were first owned by a Colonel Pearson in 1842. Ten years later Pearson sold the property and the home he had built there to Colonel Francis N. Ederington. Ederington’…

In 1852, the Armed Occupation Act proposed a deal: families were encouraged to go to Florida, build a dwelling, and farm on the land, then after 5 years the government would officially sign the land over to you. As seen on an 1847 land survey, the…

Visitors to Pinellas County’s oldest park, Philippe Park, are in for a treat. Along with beautiful scenic views of Tampa Bay guests can witness a Florida rarity: a hill! This is no natural hill, however. The Safety Harbor Site is a shell mound…

Located inside the State Fairgrounds is a unique historical museum called Cracker Country.There you will find a charming variety of buildings that tell the story of Florida’s rural history, the Florida Crackers. The Terry Store was one of many…

Located in the heart of historic Pass-A-Grille is the quaint Gulf Beaches Historical Museum. This one of a kind museum has a history as fascinating as the artifacts inside. The Gulf Beaches Historical Museum was once the community church serving the…

For nearly a century, The Don CeSar has been an icon in St. Pete Beach. Standing eight stories tall, this beautiful Spanish-style hotel and spa can be seen from miles away against the paradisiacal blue sky of Florida. Thousands of people flock to…

The great railroad tycoons of the late 19th-century “Gilded Age,” such as Henry Plant and Henry Flagler, facilitated a massive transfer of goods and people into Florida through the railway industries. According to an 1850 census of the Fort Brooke…

The Vinoy Park hotel was first built in 1925 by Aymer Vinoy Laughner, a Pennsylvania billionaire. It took ten months to complete construction for this 375-room seasonal hotel, which provided a warm escape for wealthy northern visitors from December…

The ship’s voyage from thirty years of war service to a historic preservation site reached a crescendo on September 23, 2003 when the steam turbine engines were restarted for the first time since 1985 and SS American Victory set sail for her first…