Palm Harbor

 

By Ethan Kusiak

Palm Harbor history dates back as far as the 1877 when the first Northerner,  James C. Carver, moved into the area. Since then, Palm Harbor has become a very popular town with a growing population of 57,439. In fact between the years of 1980-1990 the population skyrocketed from 5,215 to 50,256 gaining nearly ten times as many people. Palm Harbor received its current name in 1925 after being known as Bay St. Joseph, Yellow Bluff, and SoutherLand since being founded in 1878. Today’s Palm Harbor consists of three regions which are Eastlake, Crystal Beach, and Ozona.

James C. Carver is referred to as the “father” of Palm Harbor because he was the first Northerner to permanently live in the area. James moved to Palm Harbor after being diagnosed with tuberculosis in 1877. His physician gave him the advice to move because the warm weather could allow him to live longer. He arrived in “Yellow Bluff” (between current day Ozona and Lake Tarpon) where he built his cottage and called it “Limetta Farms”. The next year James was able to get a Post Office Commission for Bay St. Joseph Post Office which was the post office that he ran from his cottage. James continued to teach grade school, start the College Library at Southern College, was the founding Worshipful Master of the Sutherland Masonic Hall, and donated the land that  Ozona Elementary was built on.

Palm Harbor has undergone multiple name changes. It began as a town named Bay St. Joseph. Bay St. Joseph was changed to Yellow Bluff fairly quickly and then Yellow Bluff was changed to SoutherLand after a short time do to its association with the yellow fever which was a deadly disease. The name SoutherLand was given to represent Southern Land and Development Company. The name lasted until 1925 when it was renamed Palm Harbor which stands to this day.

Eastlake, Crystal Beach, and Ozona are the three areas that make up Palm Harbor. Eastlake was established by the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners and is made of 31.6 sq. miles of land, much of which is wilderness. Eastlake is also partially owned by Palm Harbor’s neighboring town Tarpon Springs. Crystal Beach was established in 1912 by Dr. J.D. Handby and Mr. A.D. Powers and is located along the Gulf of Mexico. Ozona was founded as a fishing village by doctors from Chicago and St. Louis. It is believed that the doctors created the name due to the area’s gulf breezes.

Palm Harbor has a very intriguing back story with some rather odd events. The town was founded through the misfortunes of James C. Carver and has since grown very much. It has been renamed four times from Bay St. Joseph to Palm Harbor since being settled by Carver in 1778. The town now encompasses Ozona, Crystal Beach, and a portion of Eastlake making its area 26.6 sq. miles. Palm Harbor is a truly historical place and has provided some interesting knowledge that I hope to have made easily accessible.