But its isolation came to an end in with the opening of a three-mile wooden bridge from the mainland at Seminole Street. Tate never owned the whole island to begin with, only acres, Wallace points out. However, Ernest Tate was a very noticeable personality and made himself known.
Old Rickety was scarred with burn marks from various fires. Smoking was popular in those days, and the ash flicked from lit cigarettes often caused blazes that required the bridge to close for repairs. Want more of our free, weekly newsletters in your inbox? Despite its quirks, the bridge made it easier to bring building materials over to the beach. It was a tourist attraction itself, covered in flowering bushes.
Beachgoers could stroll on a sidewalk in the middle of the bridge that ran through the lush plants. The city unveiled the Memorial Causeway in Over the years, the drawbridge caused traffic backups for miles on holidays and spring break, leaving cars idling. The drawbridge malfunctioned more and more as it aged, getting stuck opening and closing.
In , the Department of Transportation announced repairs to the bridge, but the city raised funds to construct a new bridge instead. The project was completed in Soon after bridges were built connecting Clearwater Beach to the mainland, pavilions popped up. They provided a cool oasis for beachgoers, offering icy beverages and a place to change out of sand-crusted bathing suits. They could leave their work slacks and dresses in lockers and change back into them after enjoying the sun.
Pavilions faded in popularity as society relaxed and exposed skin became the norm. By the s, most had morphed into other kinds of businesses, including mini golf courses, restaurants and hotels. The last remaining pavilion from the old days is the Palm Pavilion. Built in , the original pavilion was open year-round and offered wool bathing suit rentals, according to the Palm Pavilion website.
Beachgoers could also play skee-ball or dance to music they picked out on the jukebox. The dance floor area became a beachwear store in the s. As the decades passed, the business expanded its menu and eventually got rid of the changing rooms to become the bar and restaurant it is today.
Pier 60 opened in June and soon became the focal point of the beach. To boost his passenger business, he built several grand resort hotels, including the Belleview Biltmore in Clearwater grew steadily throughout the early part of the century.
Tourists and settlers were drawn to the area because of the climate and toutings of early developers and speculators. The Florida real estate boom began in earnest in and peaked in The bottom fell out in the bust of , foreshadowing the market crash and nationwide depression.
As Clearwater, Largo, St. Petersburg and other communities grew, so did the clamor for independence. It was a day-long trip to travel to the courthouse in Tampa. By act of the Legislature, Pinellas County was created on Jan. Clearwater was the county seat. The city of Clearwater was incorporated on May 27, The library was built in with a grant from Andrew Carnegie. In the same year, the city built the first wooden bridge to Clearwater Beach, opening it up for development. The first library was opened in , thanks to a grant from Andrew Carnegie.
Also in , the city built the first wooden bridge to Clearwater Beach, opening it up for development. Clearwater continued to grow in the early part of the century, mainly thanks to the climate and development opportunity. The Florida real estate boom began in , peaked in and bottomed out in , just before the market crash. Every hotel in the area was used to house new recruits.
Today, Clearwater has grown to over , people. For more information on the history of Clearwater FL please visit these website.
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