More than ever about the past of St. Petersburg and South Pinellas County is waiting to be enjoyed at the renovated and enlarged Museum of History.
By SCOTT TAYLOR HARTZELL
Published November 18, 2004
[Photo courtesy of the St. Petersburg Museum of History]
One of the historic photos in the St. Petersburg Museum of History's collection comes from the Vinoy Hotel, now the Renaissance Vinoy Resort. It shows a busy kitchen as the hotel chefs and other staff prepare for a banquet.
The St. Petersburg Museum of History reopens this weekend after a 13-month, $1.5-million renovation with almost a third more exhibit space for its artifacts, photographs and memorabilia.
The museum's main mission since its inception in 1920 has been to showcase the city's heritage, and three new exhibits on the evolution of South Pinellas, St. Petersburg's neighborhoods and heritage, and the 1920s hotel boom do just that.
But the museum has more than local lore.
"The museum holds surprises among its artifacts," said Sam Bond, the museum's director from 1995 to 2000. "The collections are its gem."
Take President William Howard Taft's monogrammed blue-striped pajamas, for example. The corpulent president, at 300 pounds and with a 54-inch waist, had to have a bigger bathtub installed in the White House. One of his chauffeurs gave the pajamas to John J. Agoa in 1930, and Agoa donated them to the museum in 1967.
Or take the field hat from the Spanish-American War, owned by a Charles Williamson of the Hospital Corps U.S.A. It is covered with a detailed drawing of an eagle, the names of the places at which he had been stationed and a parody of the Lord's Prayer.
"Our Father who art in Washington, McKinley be thy name . . . Lead us not into Cuba, but deliver us from the Army."
It isn't clear if Williamson ever lived in St. Petersburg.
Also in the museum's archives is a dog-eared document dated 1689 and signed by Jasper Cerda Mendoza, viceroy of New Spain, which included Florida. In beautiful handwriting, he ordered 14,962 pesos be distributed among the officers and men who had subdued pirates in the gulf.
"These artifacts weave their way through the nation," Bond said. "They'll make you want to go home and go through your closet."
A 16-foot cypress canoe that was culled from the city's Crescent Lake in 1924 is one of the museum's prize pieces. "My favorite," said Will Michaels, the facility's director. "A perfect blend of Native American and European cultures."
Some of the artifacts are mysterious, including a piece adorned with horns, feathers and beads, 20 inches high, 26 inches wide and a foot deep.
"It might be an African ceremonial headdress," said Bond, 55.
If artifacts tell tales of the past, it seems our descendants were quite gifted at concealing their drinking habits. In the collection is a dark metal teapot minus a spout, with an amber-colored flask hidden inside. The museum also has a cane with a concealed flask.
Said Bond, "It's a world of dreams here. People coming in will be taken on a journey."
The St. Petersburg Museum of History, 335 Second Ave. NE, reopens at noon Saturday. Regular hours are noon-7 p.m. Mon. with free admission from 5-7 p.m., 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Sat. and noon-4 p.m. Sun. Admission is $7 adults, $5 seniors and students, $3 ages 7 to 17, free ages 6 and younger. (727) 894-1052; www.stpetemuseumofhistory.org
