The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1907-05-15
Historical Sketch.
By William L. Straub.

Agr1Cultur1St an historical sketch OF
St. Petersburg he had in mind some
thing more extensive than this, but
researches quickly forced the con-
clusion that anything like full his
tory of Pinellas Peninsula would re-
quire a great deal more space than
could be afforded here. Some day
he hopes to be able to indulge keen
desire to delve more deeply into the
ancient history he got gllmpses of,
but for present purposes it will suffice
to begin with the settlement and
settlers now here.
Mrs. Jeanette Baum of 247 First
avenue north, is the ranking resident
pioneer of St. Petersburg, and Mr..
David Mofett is the next.
Mr.. and Mrs. Jacob Baum, coming
from Pennsylvania, arrived on the
site Of the future and then totally un-
suspected metropolis of the West
Coast, in December, 1873. Mrs.
Baum's brother, Mr.. A. B. Chandler,
had preceded them and spied out the
land, and a home was built, and all
orange grove planted the Baum
grove on Ninth street, later known as
the Handley grove, and now owned
by Messrs. c. Perry Smell and J. c.
Hamlet. Gen. J. C. Williams of De-
troit, Mich, who had previously
bought most of the land comprising
the present town, much OF it at $I.Oo
per acre, arrived a couple of weeks
later. Two cabins, the Meeker place,
near the western, and the Squirting
near the southern limit, stood in this
territory, both long since gone. Mr..
Moffett of Bloomington, Ind, arrived
on Christmas Day, 1879.
Mr.. Weir of Ohio, and now a resi-
dent of the state of Washington, built
the first house, the cottage now stand
ing in good repair in Mr.. MOtfett's
orange grove Mail was gotten at
Pinellas, then a settlement Of great
expectations, and came from Tampa
by sail boat. School and church were
attended in the old Miranda school
house, which stood On the present
estate of Hon. Jos. C.. Sibley, between
Tangerine and Lakeview avenues,
two miles southwest of the town.
The only store on this end of the
Peninsula was kept by Mr.. Vincent
Leonardy on the place now owned by
H. A. Curtis, the florist. There were
no doctors.
The coming of the Orange Belt
railroad from Sanford, Fla, in 1888,
started a village, and it was named
St. Petersburg by Mr.. P. A. Demons,
the Russian promoter OF the road,
now a resident of California.
Mr.. E. R. Ward was the first bust
ness man, moving general store
from Pinellas to where now stands
the J. E. Wickham residence, 10Y
Ninth street south. The first building
of any pretensions under the new era
was the Hotel Detroit, built in 1889.
The first building was the present
Chinese laundry at us Second street
north A postoffice was established
in 1888, and Mrs. E. E. Ward was the
postmistress.
The first church structure was the
building at I12 Eighth street north,
now owned as a cottage residence by
Mrs. Bellona B. Havens, built in 1888,
by the Congregational society, and
Rev. David G. Watt was the first
pastor. The first school was also held
in this building in 1888, Mr.. Jacob
Keagy being the teacher.
The first newspaper was issued No
vember Fl, I8oo-The South Florida
Home, by Mr.. Young C. Lee, which
Mr.. Lee later converted into an agrl-
cultural paper and published from his