Clearwater History

Here’s a brief history of the area that is now known as Clearwater Florida.

The Clearwater area was originally the home of the Tocobaga indian people. These indigenous Americans populated much of the Tampa Bay area until the mid 1800s when their population declined considerably. Their decline was due to diseases for which they had no natural immunity. You can learn more about the Tocabaga indians in this Wikipedia article.

Around 1835, the United States Army began construction of Fort Harrison as a defensive outpost during the Seminole wars. The fort was located on a bluff overlooking Clearwater Harbor. This fort became a major stronghold for the US during the battles with the Seminoles who were another native american tribe that actually was made up of several different tribes that lived in Florida.

Clearwater Begins To Grow

The area’s population began to grow in 1842, when the Federal Armed Occupation Act of 1842 offered 160 acres to anyone who would bear arms and cultivate the land. Early settlers in Clearwater included the Stevens, Stevenson and McMullen families. Each built large farms and until the early 1980′s dominated the life and economy of the area.

Prior to 1906, the area was known as Clear Water Harbor. And the name Clear Water was thought to have come from a stream that was in the area of the then city hall. Fresh water springs are actually quite common in the area and throughout Florida. The nearby Safety Harbor Spa is actually famous for it’s healing waters and hospitality.

Clearwater was originally part of Hillsborough County (Tampa). And it was a long arduous journey between the two cities until the first road was built in 1849. Getting from Tampa to St. Peterburg was even more difficult except by boat. Once the road was built Clearwater began to grow.

The town began developing in the late nineteenth century, when Peter Demens completed the first passenger railroad line into the city in 1888. It then became easy for northerners to escape brutal winters and visit Florida. The area’s popularity as a vacation destination grew after railroad magnate Henry B. Plant built a Victorian resort hotel named Belleview Biltmore just south of Clearwater in 1897. It still stands today in a rebuilt form. It’s for sale. Want to buy it?

By the early 1900s, Clearwater’s population had grown to around 400, growing to nearly 1,000 in the winter when the “snowbirds” arrived.

Clearwater was reincorporated, this time as a city, on May 27, 1915, and was designated the county seat for Pinellas County, which broke from Hillsborough County in 1912. Also in that year, a bridge was built across Clearwater Harbor, joining the city with Clearwater Beach.

Clearwater Beach, although located on a separate barrier island, belongs to the city of Clearwater and fronts the Gulf of Mexico. A new, much higher bridge, was built in the early 2001, replacing the former drawbridge. Clearwater Beach is certainly the jewel of the area and is world famous as one of the most beautiful and visited beaches in all of Florida. Caladesi Island State Park was rated many times by Dr. Beach as one of the most beautiful beaches in the area. It won his highest recommendation as America’s Best Beach in 2008.

During World War II, Clearwater became a major training base for US troops. Every hotel in the area, including the Belleview Biltmore and the Fort Harrison Hotel, were commandeered as a barracks for new recruits. Traffic was stopped for companies of soldiers marching through downtown, and nighttime blackouts to confuse potential enemy bombers were common practice. Sand Key, now an area of high-rise luxury condominiums, was used as a target by U.S. Army Air Corps fighter-bombers for strafing and bombing practice.