New name broadens scope of museum

The North Pinellas Historical Museum, with artifacts from the early 1900s, tries to attract all area residents.

By JULIE CHURCH, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published September 9, 2002

PALM HARBOR -- Just off the busy intersection of Belcher and Curlew roads is a quiet piece of Pinellas County history.

The 3,200-square-foot Judge Hartley house was built about 1915 and sits on nearly 5 acres of land, said Winona Jones, the director of the North Pinellas Historical Museum.

"It is a really unique property, because it is one of the few buildings in Pinellas County to have a cellar built underneath," Jones said. "It's a great property for a museum."

Until recently, the museum was called the Palm Harbor Historical Museum. That was the name when it opened in Fountains Plaza on U.S. 19 in early 1980s. It moved to several other locations around downtown Palm Harbor before settling in its current location.

But since opening the museum at the Judge Hartley house in 1998, volunteers have frequently heard complaints from residents of other North Pinellas communities, who said the name did not accurately reflect the photos and exhibits contained within.

"Because it is run by the Palm Harbor Historical Society, we didn't give much thought to the name when we opened the museum at the Hartley house," Jones said. "But before long we began to hear from people in Ozona and Crystal Beach and East Lake, "It's not our museum. It's Palm Harbor's museum.' "

This summer, board members decided it was time to change the name to accurately reflect the history of all of North Pinellas. In July, the Pinellas County Commission approved changing the name of the facility to the North Pinellas Historical Museum.

Inside the two-story house, which is built from bricks and mortar that were made on site, are hundreds of photos and other artifacts from the early 1900s and before, when North Pinellas was primarily a citrus, lumber and fishing area.

Judge Thomas William Hartley's parents built the house after moving to the area from the Midwest, Jones said. Hartley, who was a justice of the peace and a citrus grove owner, and his family lived on the first floor of the structure, but the second story was never finished. Jones said that since it was renovated for the museum, the upper floor had been converted into one huge room, which is used for genealogy research.

"We have a lot of pictures of the way the area used to be from the early 1900s and before," Jones said. "We also have a permanent exhibit dedicated to the citrus industry, which was such a big part of Palm Harbor's history."

At least one of Hartley's grandsons still lives near the museum and continues to contribute items for the facility's collections.

The museum building is owned by Pinellas County, which leases it to the Palm Harbor Historical Society for $1 per year. Upkeep and operating costs are the responsibility of the society.

"The museum is entirely run by volunteers," according to Jones, 74, who says she spends more hours than she can count managing the facility.

It is officially part of Heritage Village, the county-run historical museum in Largo, but it has very little to do with the day-to-day operations, said Jan Luth, the director of Heritage Village.

Luth said the museum played an important role in preserving Pinellas County's history.

"We have so many people who have come to this area from other states and don't know much about the way the county used to be," Luth said. "Having a museum in north county is a great way to learn about their communities and to take away a sense of history."

If you go

The North Pinellas Historical Museum, at the northwest corner of Belcher and Curlew roads, is open Thursdays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and other hours by appointment. Admission is free. Call (727) 724-3054.

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