black_history

The Dark Side of Paradise

With its miles of beautiful white-sand beaches, tropical climate, incredible wildlife, and vividly colored jungle-like flora, St Petersburg is often referred to as "Paradise" by those who have visited here and by many who live here. But for some who live here this paradise has always been just out of reach. And for the original natives of St Petersburg what had been their paradise for hundreds of years became, with the arrival of the Spanish explorers, the hell that resulted in the extinction of their entire tribe.

The Tocobaga Indians

The Tocobaga Indians lived in small villages throughout the Tampa Bay area from the 900s through the 1500s. They were a peaceful people who hunted and fished for their food and were expert potters. Explorer Pánfilo de Narváez and his men found the Tocogaga when they arrived in Florida. This Spanish expedition brought with them the violence and disease that led to the extinction of the Tocobaga Indian tribe within 100 years of the first Spanish landing in the St Petersburg area.

Within the scope of several hours one can visit four ancient Indian mounds that span several thousand years of history from pre-Columbian to the final chapters of the Tocobagas. By the time of European contact, there were many tribes living in Florida, among which were the Apalachee, the Tocobaga, the Tequesta, the Calusa and the Mayaimi. The constructions that the aboriginal Floridians have left include wooden sculpture of outstanding quality, hundreds of pyramid mounds, dozens of artificial islands, straight line canals cut for miles through the lowlands, standings stones, mysterious circular earthworks, and even an effigy island. Many modern Floridians are living on Indian mounds without realizing it. While major mounds were leveled to surface sidewalks and roads during the early 20^th century development of St. Petersburg, it is still possible to visit these four important sites.

“Around Tampa Bay are five impressive platform or temple mounds attributed to the Tocobaga Indians of the Safety Harbor period (800 - 1500 AD). Originally there were probably 15 or 20 of these steep-sided, truncated pyramids around the bay. All of them lay within a few hundred yards of tidal waters, five by the mouths of major rivers near the sites of villages. All but two were made of gradually built-up layers of sand and compacted varieties of shell up to 20 feet high. Most had ramps and were situated either north or east of a plaza, which may have been used for games. The mounds' varying sizes suggest a variety of functions, but they do not appear to have been funerary, as very few burials have been found in or near them…Six mounds were oriented to the cardinal directions. Four others deviated from cardinal alignment by 20 degrees or less. The ramps of four other temple mounds were aligned either north-south or east-west, which suggests that their associated mounds were oriented to the cardinal directions. The four largest mounds are located at 15-18 mile intervals along the bay.” (From Northern Earth Magazine) Read the following web sites for more information on the Tocobaga Indians and their times.

Tocobaga Indians of Tampa Bay
Safety Harbor Museum
Maximo Beach Archaeological Site

Tocobaga Indian Mounds

Maximo Park


Enter Maximo Park just northwest of the Skyway Bridge, park and walk to the tower along the beach.	Here you will see the view of Boca Ciega Bay just as it was viewed by the tribes who inhabited this area.	In the nearby woods is a nature trail that runs along the top of a historic midden .

If you look closely you will see that the mound runs 1200 feet along the shore from the woods through the picnic area .	The temple mound and horseshoe-shaped midden are gone now.	The Maximo Beach archaeological site is one of the few large shell middens remaining in St. Petersburg.

Jungle Prada Mound

The Jungle Prada mound is located in a city park at 17th Avenue North and Park Blvd. At the south end of the park is a 900-foot long midden that once ran along Park Street. Many believe the flat south end of this midden could have once been the site of a temple for the chief. An archaeological dig made on the privately-owned section next door to the park revealed the site to have been occupied between 1000 AD to 1600. Spanish pottery shards and Spanish beads were found near the top of the test pit.	This small mound with what appears to be a ramp running south may have served as a domiciliary mound

Glen Oaks Midden Mound

The following description of this little-visited site is a powerful testimony to its importance:

http://www.stpete.org/GlenOaks.htm

Glen Oaks Midden Mound

St Jude United Holiness Church

The Glen Oaks Midden Mound is not marked and is located at 2012 Auburn St. S. off of 22^nd Ave. S.

The Glen Oaks Midden Mound is part of the Glen Oaks Cemetery on the property of the St. Jude United Holiness Church which has been recently restored.

Pinellas Point Temple Mound

Drive east on 62nd Ave South for several miles until you reach 20th St. Turn south on 20th and you will run into the Pinellas Point Indian Mound.	If you look closely you can still see where the 30-foot-wide ramp once ran down the south side.	The mound where the chief once lived has been measured as being16 feet tall with a flat top that is 103 feet across.	Be sure to read the plaque describing the amazing story of Princess Hirrihigua, who saved the life of Juan Ortiz on three separate occasions. Ortiz later became the guide and official interpreter for Hernando De Soto and the Princess may have been the source of the legend of Princess Hiawatha

Black History & Civil Unrest

The first serious study of the life of the black populace of St Petersburg can be found in Ray Arsenault’s classic history book, “St. Petersburg and the Florida Dream 1888-1950.” In this work he documents the manner in which the city government disguised the size and growth rate of the black population. Marketing St Petersburg as a “safe” tourist destination for northerners was based on a postcard image rather a true portrait of a city that lived under the rule of Jim Crow until well after the end of W.W. II.

In May, 1936 the city council unanimously endorsed a resolution requiring all blacks to live in a specific zone seventeen blocks long which ran west of 17^th St. and south of 6^th Ave. This area still serves as the comfort zone for many of the city’s African-American residents and also serves as a living history of Jim Crow in the area. By the mid 1950’s 22^nd St. (known by locals as “the Deuces”) was the vibrant center for the city’s African-American businesses and cultural life. The St Petersburg Times has a fantastic interactive online report chronicling the history of the Deuces.

The culture wars of the 1960s and 1970s were a time of rebirth for those fighting for the civil liberties and rights of the black residents of St Petersburg. But the legacy of Jim Crow remained, more pervasive and subtle. Public schools were not desegregated until twelve years after the Supreme Court made it the law of the land. And black citizens of St Petersburg are still under-represented on school boards, in governance bodies, on the boards of non-profit and civic organizations, and on the faculties of local colleges and universities. It is extremely difficult for professional African Americans to find a viable social network in St Petersburg. Tampa is the better option for many of them.

One legacy of the civil rights period was the growing division between the ideologies of the NAACP and the UHURU organizations. While the former seeks to resolve conflicts through integration and mediation, the latter represents a rigorous separatist ideology, articulated by its brilliant and out-spoken leader, Omali Yeshitela, formerly Joe Weller.

Recent efforts to merge the Black Chamber of Commerce with the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce have been met with skepticism by the former and lack of enthusiasm by the latter. But one hopeful sign for the future is the recent commitment by the College of Business of the University of South Florida to assist in the redevelopment of the Mid-Town Business District, especially 22^nd St.

In a very real way, St. Petersburg’s African Americans have suffered from the racism of southern segregation culture and the benign indifference of the transplanted and “snowbird” northerners. The scars are deep and enduring for a city that remains in denial of its past. The riots of 1996 & 1997 brought the inequalities and frustrations suffered by the African-American community to the attention of the rest of the world and left the city reeling in shame and disbelief. The Poynter Institute and USF have produced a powerful online report titled Future Tense that offers a comprehensive look at this period of painful revelation and forced change by the city's government.

First check out the following web resources for background information and then climb aboard our Historic Tour streetcar to visit some of the old and the new, the dark and the light, in the history of St. Petersburg.

Bus to Destiny: The Olive B McLin Community History Project
The African People's Socialist Party Online
African Socialist International
The growing rift in St. Petersburg, Florida's black community: should we call it containment or demand reduction?
Managing Violent Civil Disturbances (PDF)
Putting The Pieces of the Puzzle Together: The Pinellas County African American History Project

Start the tour!

Home

The Dark Side of Paradise

The Tocobaga Indians

Tocobaga Indian Mounds

Maximo Park

Jungle Prada Mound

Glen Oaks Midden Mound

Pinellas Point Temple Mound

Black History & Civil Unrest