Timeline of St. Petersburg, Florida

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The following is a timeline of the history of the city of St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Florida, United States.

Late 19th century

• 1875 – John C. Williams purchases land.[1]
• 1884 – The St. Petersburg Times was established.[2]
• 1888
  • Peter Demens brings railroad into St. Petersburg.[1]
  • The first hotel is built, named the Detroit Hotel.[3]
• 1892
  • Town of St. Petersburg incorporated.[4]
  • David Moffett becomes first mayor of St. Petersburg.[5]
• 1897 – Electrical service established.[1]
• 1899
  • Orange Belt Railway constructs the Railroad Pier.[6]
  • Henry W. Hibbs introduces major fishing business.[7]
• 1900 – Population: 1,575

20th century

• 1903 – City of St. Petersburg incorporated.[1]
• 1904 – Trolley services enter St. Petersburg by F. A. Davis.[8]
• 1906
  • The Electric Pier is built, replacing the Railroad Pier.[9]
  • Shipping channel dredging begins.
• 1910 – Population: 4,127
• 1913 – The Municipal Pier is built, replacing the Electric Pier.[9]
• 1914
  • St. Louis Browns invited to use St. Petersburg for spring training at Coffee Pot Park.[10]
  • The St. Petersburg-Tampa Airboat Line perform the first commercial flight with a Benoist XIV flying boat.^[citation needed]
• 1915 – Mirror Lake Library opens.[11]
• 1916 – Al Lang becomes mayor.[12]

St. Petersburg–Tampa Airboat Line

A Benoist XIV was used for flights.

• 
  First takeoff run, January 1, 1914.
• 
  Airplane over Tampa Bay in 1914

• 1920 – Population: 14,237
• 1921
  • St. Petersburg Museum of History is founded.[13]
  • 1921 Tampa Bay hurricane.
• 1924
  • The United States Coast Guard opens base.[14]
  • Gandy Bridge opens.[15]
• 1925 – The Vinoy Park Hotel is built.[16]
• 1926 – Millions Dollar Pier is constructed, replacing the Municipal Pier.[17]
• 1928 – WSUN radio begins broadcasting.[18]
• 1930 – Population: 40,425
• 1940 – Population: 60,812
• 1942 – St. Petersburg used a training facility for the Army Air Force.[19]
• 1947 – Original Al Lang Stadium is built.[20][21]
• 1950 – Population: 96,738
• 1953 – WSUN-TV (television) begins broadcasting.[22]
• 1954 – The original Sunshine Skyway Bridge opens.[23]
• 1960
  • Population: 181,298.[24]
  • Howard Frankland Bridge is constructed.[25]
• 1965
  • Museum of Fine Arts is established.[26]
  • Bayfront Center is constructed.[3]
• 1968 – Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint Petersburg established.[27]
• 1970 – Population: 216,159.[24]
• 1973 – The St. Petersburg Pier is built.[28]
• 1976 – Al Lang Stadium is rebuilt.[29]
• 1980
  • Population: 238,647.[24]
  • The south bound span of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge collapses due to the MV Summit Venture striking a pier.[30]
• 1982 – Salvador Dalí Museum is established.[31]
• 1987 – The new Sunshine Skyway Bridge is constructed.[32][33]
• 1990
  • Population: 238,629.[24]
  • Tropicana Field is constructed.[34]
  • One Progress Plaza is constructed.
• 1992 – Florida Holocaust Museum is established.[31]
• 1993
  • Original Sunshine Skyway Bridge is demolished.[35]
  • Mazzaro Italian Market opened[36]
• 1998 – Tampa Bay Rays established as Tampa Bay Devil Rays.[37]
• 2000 – Population: 248,232

St. Petersburg, Florida: Museum of History. The St. Petersburg Museum of History (SPMOH) is a history museum located in St. Petersburg, Florida, dedicated to covering the area's history. As of 2020, the museum's director is Rui Farias

Museum of Fine Arts St. Petersburg

21st century

• 2001 – Rick Baker becomes mayor.
• 2003
  • Wikimedia Foundation established.
  • First ever St. Pete Pride celebration and declaration of June being Pride month [38]
• 2004 – Bayfront Center is demolished.
• 2009 – Signature Place is constructed.
• 2010
  • Population: 244,769
  • Bill Foster becomes mayor.
• 2011 – Salvador Dalí Museum is established in current building.[39]
• 2014 – Rick Kriseman becomes mayor.
• 2015
  • The St. Petersburg Pier is demolished.
  • The History Council of St. Petersburg is formed.[40]
• 2017 – Rick Kriseman is re-elected as mayor.[41]
• 2020 – St. Pete Pier opens.[42]

See also

• List of mayors of St. Petersburg, Florida
• History of St. Petersburg, Florida
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Pinellas County, Florida
• Timelines of other cities in the Central Florida area of Florida: Clearwater, Lakeland, Largo, Orlando, Tampa

References

1. "History Of St. Petersburg - St. Petersburg". www.stpete.org. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
2. "Times History". www.tampabay.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2010. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
3. Deese, Alma Wynelle (2006-01-01). St. Petersburg, Florida: A Visual History. The History Press. ISBN 9781596290952.
4. "What happened on February 29 in 1892 year". historyindates.com. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
5. "St. Petersburg Daily Times - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
6. "St Petersburg Pier". savethepier.org. Archived from the original on 2013-11-27. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
7. Deese, Alma Wynelle (January 1, 2006). St. Petersburg, Florida: A Visual History. The History Press. ISBN 9781596290952.
8. Hartzell, Scott Taylor (2002-01-01). St. Petersburg: An Oral History. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9780738514253.
9. Michaels, Will (2012-01-01). The Making of St. Petersburg. The History Press. ISBN 9781609498337.
10. Quesada, A. M. de (2000-02-16). Baseball in Tampa Bay. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781439610053.
11. "Mirror Lake Public Library" (PDF). www.stpete.org. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
12. "Remembering Al Lang, St. Petersburg's Mr. Baseball". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on February 5, 2013. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
13. "About". St. Petersburg Museum of History | St. Petersburg, Florida. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
14. "USCG Sector St. Petersburg FL". www.uscg.mil. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
15. "George "Dad" Gandy and his Bridge". www.tampapix.com. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
16. "The Evening Independent - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
17. "St. Petersburg Times - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
18. Jack Alicoate, ed. (1939), "Florida", Radio Annual, New York: Radio Daily, OCLC 2459636
19. "St. Pete Goes to War" (PDF). www.stpete.org. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
20. Pahigian, Josh (2015-02-10). 101 Baseball Places to See Before You Strike Out. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9781493016471.
21. "Al Lang Stadium - St. Petersburg International Baseball". www.stpeteinternationalbaseball.com. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
22. Charles A. Alicoate, ed. (1960), "Television Stations: Florida", Radio Annual and Television Year Book, New York: Radio Daily Corp., OCLC 10512206
23. Proceedings of the 2nd Historic Bridges Conference: March 11, 1988, University Inn, Columbus, OH. Ohio State University. 1988-01-01.
24. Population of the 100 Largest Cities and Other Urban Places in the United States: 1790 to 1990, U.S. Census Bureau, 1998
25. Anderson, Anne (2010-03-16). Insiders' Guide® to the Greater Tampa Bay Area: Including Tampa, St. Petersburg, & Clearwater. Rowman & Littlefield. ISBN 9780762762309.
26. "Curator at Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg resigns unexpectedly". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
27. "Chronology of Catholic Dioceses: USA". Norway: Roman Catholic Diocese of Oslo. Retrieved April 22, 2017.
28. Michaels, Will (2012-12-04). The Making of St. Petersburg. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781614237761.
29. Byrd, Alan (2004-01-01). Florida Spring Training: Your Guide To Touring The Grapefruit League. Intrepid Traveler. ISBN 9781887140522. Al Lang stadium built 1976.
30. Newton-Matza, Mitchell (2014-03-26). Disasters and Tragic Events: An Encyclopedia of Catastrophes in American History [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. ISBN 9781610691666.
31. Hellmann, Paul T. (2006-02-14). Historical Gazetteer of the United States. Routledge. ISBN 1135948593.
32. PCI Journal. The Institute. 2006-01-01.
33. "BUILDING BIG: Databank: Sunshine Skyway Bridge". www.pbs.org. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
34. Sandomir, Richard (2008-10-09). "A Home in Florida That Nobody Seems to Want". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
35. McMorrow-Hernandez, Joshua (2015-04-27). Tampa Bay Landmarks and Destinations. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 9781439651063.
36. "Mazzaro's Italian Market is a little piece of Italy in St. Pete". ABC Action News Tampa Bay (WFTS). 2022-06-10. Retrieved 2024-05-15.
37. "Rays Timeline". Tampa Bay Rays. Archived from the original on June 10, 2010. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
38. "St. Pete Pride". Tampa Historical. Tampa Historical. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
39. "Salvador Dali Museum tour". www.tampabay.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2011. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
40. "Establishing St. Petersburg as an International Cultural Heritage Destination" (PDF). StPete. The History Council. Retrieved 12 March 2020.
41. Salomone, Julie (November 8, 2017). "Kriseman wins race for mayor in Saint Petersburg". WFTS. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
42. Moore, Waveney Ann; Talbot, Peter; Welch, Monique; Solomon, Josh (July 6, 2020). "After years, St. Pete Pier opens to a crowd of thousands Monday". Tampa Bay Times. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved July 21, 2020.

Bibliography

• St. Petersburg, Florida. Black America. Charleston, South Carolina: Arcadia. 2003.