Headlines through the years

A look back at the events, people and places that made North Pinellas the unique place that it is. The information is compiled from past editions of the St. Petersburg Times.

By Compiled by CHRISTINE GRAEF

© St. Petersburg Times, published November 26, 2000

Nov. 8, 1940

Growing citrus touted as good investment

CLEARWATER -- Members of the Kiwanis Club were told yesterday by E.H. Hurlebaus, production manager for the Clearwater Growers Association, that a citrus grove at the present price is as good as any agricultural investment.

He said that citrus was one of the two largest revenue producers in Pinellas.

Old methods in production, he said, have been discarded in favor of new in an effort to cut down production costs.

The speaker declared that if 100-million people would eat one grapefruit every other week and an extra one on Thanksgiving and Christmas and one orange a day, the production would have to be doubled.

He believed the possibilities of citrus as a food product had not yet been nearly exhausted.

Dec. 11, 1923

Many autos counted on road

CLEARWATER -- During a period of one hour on Sunday afternoon -- between 4:30 and 5:30 -- 537 automobiles passed the Worden campground north of the city, according to manager Worden, who hired a person to keep accurate count. Of these machines, 237 bore Florida licenses and the rest were divided between Ohio, Michigan and Indiana, except 33 cars which were provided with "license applied for" tags.

These figures give some indication of the amount of travel on Pinellas roads and the importance of the new county highway program.

Nov. 8, 1940

Winner gets wheelbarrow ride

CLEARWATER -- T.E. Harris of Engman Street, who bet on Wendell Wilkie, will push a wheelbarrow down Cleveland Street at 3 o'clock this afternoon carrying Ed Dalton, 721 New York Ave., who backed Roosevelt.

The wheelbarrow provided by R.M. Thompson will be painted red, white and blue.

Dalton weighs 220 pounds.

Dec. 11, 1923

Commissioners approve list of voters

CLEARWATER -- The city commissioners met last night to approve the list of qualified electors who may vote in the municipal election of Dec. 18. This list as approved appears in local papers of today.

Inspectors and clerk for the city election of Dec. 18 were appointed -- and they are all to be women. This is set forth as evidence that Clearwater is a progressive city.

Nov. 3, 1926

Real estate agents create caravan

CLEARWATER -- Realtors from the city, St. Petersburg, Tarpon Springs and Tampa joined in a trip by automobile to Daytona Beach today, to attend the state real estate board convention.

Local Realtors gathered at J.B. Edgar's service station, corner Myrtle Avenue and Cleveland Street, at 8 o'clock and were shortly joined by the motorcade from Tarpon Springs, which consisted of half a dozen cars filled with Sponge City real estate men and their wives.

The string of cars then were driven out the Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard to road No. 6, leading to the Gandy bridge where it was expected that the St. Petersburg motorcade would be met on the way to Tampa, where the party would be completed.

-- The history column is compiled by Christine Graef. She can be reached at (727) 445-4229 or graef@sptimes.com.

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