| Present-day
Clearwater Florida, was originally the home of the Tocobagan Indian tribe. Around
1835, the U.S. Army began construction of Fort Harrison as an outpost
during the Seminole wars. Fort Harrison was located on a bluff overlooking
Clearwater Harbor in an area known today as Harbor Oaks. University of
South Florida archeologists excavated the site in 1977 after Alfred C.
Wyllie discovered an underground ammunition bunker while digging a
swimming pool on his estate. The area's population grew in 1842, after the Federal Armed
Occupation Act of 1842 offered 160 acres to anyone who would bear arms and
cultivate the land. Early settlers included the Stevens, Stevenson and
McMullen families, who claimed and farmed large tracts of land. Prior to
1906, the area was known as Clear Water Harbor. The name "Clear
Water" is thought to have come from a fresh water spring flowing from
near where the City Hall building is located today. There were many other
freshwater springs that dotted the bayfront, many in the bay itself, which
were the reason for the crystal clear water found there. Originally part of Hillsborough County, the first road joining Clearwater and Tampa was built in 1849, which dramatically reduced the prior day-long commute between the cities. The first US Post Office for Pinellas County was built on the site of the present Turner Steet Dock Park, circa 1859. During the civil war, Union gunboats repeatedly raided the city's supplies as most of the able-bodied men were away fighting for the Confederate States of America army. The city began booming in late 19th century. This was prompted by Henry B. Plant building the first passenger railroad line into the city 1888. Clearwater was incorporated as a town in 1891 and James E. Crane became the town's first mayor [1]. The town's reputation as a tourist destination grew in popularity when Plant built the Belleview Biltmore in 1897. |
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