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Largo, Florida Timeline
1513 - 1841
1513 - March 27 * Ponce de Leon discovers Florida.
1515 - 1519 * Spanish explorers visit Pinellas barrier islands while trading with Tocobaga .
1528 * Panfilo de Narvaez expedition explores the Pinellas Peninsula .
1539 * Hernando de Soto expedition names present Tampa Bay " La Bahia de Espiritu Santo ."
1702 - 1713 * Queen Anne's War . Tocobaga virtually annihilated. English raids reach Tampa Bay . Pinellas largely deserted.
1739 - 1748 * War of Jenkin's Ear . English mapping expeditions visit Pinellas Peninsula.
1757 * Spanish expedition renames Tampa Bay " La Bahia de San Fernando ", after the Spanish king. Names entrance to Tampa Bay " La Punta de Pinal de Jimenez " (Point of Pines).
1763 * Spain cedes Florida to England at end of the French and Indian War.
1783 * Treaty of Paris (1783) ends American Revolutionary War . England cedes Florida to Spain.
1817 - 1818 * First Seminole War.
1821 * Spain cedes Florida to United States.
1824 * U S Army establishes Fort Brooke (later to become Tampa, Florida. )
1834 * Territorial Legislature establishes Hillsborough County, Florida.
1835 - 1842 * Second Seminole War.
1841 * Armed Occupation Act provides for land grants in unsettled parts of Florida.
1841 - 1905
1843 * Three claims filed under the Armed Occupation Act in Largo Area, including that of Charles, George, and Alexander McKay.
1844 * Surveyor notes Late Tolulu (later Lake Largo).
1845 * Florida Statehood.
1848 * Great Gale wreaks havoc on local settlements.
1852 * Daniel McMullen homesteads in Largo area.
1854 * Members of McMullen family establish First Free School.
1861 - 1865 * American Civil War.
1882 * Anona Methodist Church established. Hamilton Disston purchases vast landholdings in Florida, including portions of mid-Pinellas and with it, Lake Tolulu. Lake Tolulu is renamed "Lake Largo" by Disston's agent.
1888 * Orange Blossom Railroad arrives. Largo receives its name. September 4 * M. Joel McMullen becomes Largo's first postmaster . First post office opens in home of Gideon Bitch.
1897 * Mrs A K Meigs donates Meigs cemetery to become Largo Cemetery.
1905 * Town of Largo incorporated.
1907 - 1945
1907 * Pinellas "Declaration of Independence" marks major milestone on the road to creating Pinellas County. Largo hosts rally in favor of independence from Hillsborough County.
1909 * Pinellas Groves, a development company, develops 20,000 acres of farms in and beyond present day Largo.
1910 * Largo's population is 291. Work begins on rock road from Clearwater to Largo.
1912 * Pinellas County created. Largo's first public water system begins operations.
1913 * Largo becomes first town in Pinellas to adopt council-manager form of government. New charter establishes town limits at 9/16th's of a square mile. New charter authorizes city manager to act as police chief.
1914 * Largo Women's Club establishes Largo Public Library.
1916 * Lake Largo - Cross Bayou drainage project drains Lake Largo and land to the east and south of town. Largo votes bond issue to build paved roads, town-owned water system and sewers. Largo Public Library officially opens with 560 books. Largo becomes bird sanctuary.
1920 * Largo's population is 599.
1921 * Citrus City Grower's association organized.
1924 * C E Donegan's certified diary farm. Largo hires police chief and one other officer.
1925 - May 25 * Legislature creates City of Largo. Largo's boundaries extended three miles westward into the Gulf.
1927 * City continues to undertake bond obligations to fund improvements as local economic growth begins to slow. First Largo Fire Station built.
1928 * Cities accountant recommends refinancing of $1,000,000 in bond debt.
1930 * Largo's population is 1,429.
1929 - 1939 * Great Depression . Legislative Act of 1925 nullified. Largo reverts to 1913 boundaries and charter . WPA projects create Taylor Lake and Lake Walsingham as well as Auditorium at 4th Street NW and West Bay Drive. John S Taylor builds citrus packing plant at corner of East Bay Drive and Missouri Avenue.
1940 * Largo's population is 1,031
1941- 1945 * World War II
1946 - Present
1946 * Largo Public Library has more than 3,000 books. Supreme Court orders Largo to pay bond debts resulting in 37 mil ad valorem tax rate.
1948 * Largo Theater on West Bay Drive. Largo gets its first police car. Police department begins to expand.
1950 * Cigarette tax eases financial burden. Population 1,547. Police operate out of one room police station.
1952 * Pinellas Central Bank (later, Southeast First Bank of Largo) opens-- Largo's first bank since the Great Depression. Mildred Helms Elementary opens.
1953 - March 29 * Littlefield Nursing Home fire kills 35 people, mostly tenants of the home.
1954 * Pinellas Shopping Center opens.
1955 * Annexation referendum results in tripling of Largo's area and population.
1958 Largo Public Library has 1450 patrons and a circulation of 14,000.
1959 * Largo Police crisis. In a closed session,the Commission votes 3-2 to allow the City Manager to fire the Police Chief. Public uproar results in the recall of those commissioners who voted to fire the Police Chief. The new Commission fires the City Manager and rehires the Police Chief. Citizen's committee builds new police station and donates it to the City.
1960 * Largo's population is 5,302. Largo begins construction on new Library building. Largo Recreation Department formed.
1962 - December - 1963 - January * Worst freeze in over 100 years, combined with urbanization and rising property tax assessments, severely stresses citrus industry. Largo Library building opens
1965 * Largo proclaimed "Clean Air Capital" by Chamber of Commerce.
1966 * Largo Police Department has 22 officers.
1968 * Last year ad valorem taxes levied until 1972 . Largo Recreation department has two facilities-- the Largo Club Center and the Auditorium built during the Depression by the WPA.
1969 * Largo Public Library's circulation is ~125,000.
1970 * Largo's population is 24,230. Largo Fire Department begins phase out of volunteer fire fighters.
1972 * Highland Recreation Complex dedicated .
1974 - May 7 * Largo adopts a new charter creating City of Largo. Ad valorem tax rate is 1.29 mils. John A Jenkins donates land on East Bay Drive and east of Third Street SE for new library building. Largo Public Library circulation is about 180,000
1975 * Largo Recreation Department grows to 211 activities with 267,00 participants.
1976 * Largo Fire Department grows to 60 employees.
1977 * The Library moves to the site at 351 East Bay Drive donated by John A Jenkins with 30,000 books.
1980 * Largo's population is 58,977.
1995 * Largo Central Park opens on site of former John S Taylor packing plant.
2002 * The 1977 library building is deemed inadequate for forecast growth. Construction of 90,000 square foot library becomes campaign issue.
2004 * Florida is struck by four hurricanes that largely miss Largo. Minor damage slightly delays construction of new library.
2005 * The new 90,000 square foot library opens at 120 Central Park Drive with more than 200,000 items. The Largo Fire Department has 140 employees and operates five fire stations.
Civic organizations
- Largo Lions Club
- Largo-Mid Pinellas Chamber of Commerce
- Downtown Largo Main Street Association
Sports teams
- National Football League -- Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa , Florida.
- Major League Baseball -- Tampa Bay Devil Rays at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida
Newspapers
- St. Petersburg Times (daily)
- The Tampa Tribune (daily)
- Largo Leader (weekly)
Schools
Pinellas County has a county-wide school system.
- Largo Central Elementary School
- Mildred Helms Elementary School
- Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School
- PTEC-Clearwater Vocational-Technical School
Historical overview, 1905 to 2005
When the first settlers arrived in the Largo area, there was little there but pine trees and palmettos.
The original inhabitants of the Largo area were the Tocobaga. They are also known as the Safety Harbor culture from their archeological remains near present day Safety Harbor, Florida. The Spanish came to Florida in the 16th century. In the 18th century, the Tocobaga had been virtually destroyed after years of exposure to European diseases, Spanish colonization efforts and warfare between Spain and England. The Largo area, like the rest of Pinellas County, was largely deserted. In 1763 , England won Florida from Spain. In 1783 , Spain won it back. Spain had gained little profit owning Florida and ceded Florida to the United States in 1821 . In 1845 , a surveyor noted Lake Tolulu, apparently located south of West Bay Drive and roughly where the Largo Central Park Nature Preserve is today. Among the first homesteaders in the Largo area were the families of James and Daniel McMullen ca 1852 .
Boardwalk across wetlands in Largo Central Park Nature Preserve
The McMullens and other settlers raised cattle, grew citrus and vegetables and fished. During the American Civil War , many Largo area residents fought for the Confederate States of America . James and Daniel McMullen were members of the “Cow Cavalry” driving Florida cattle to Georgia and the Carolinas to help sustain the war effort. Other area residents served on blockade runners . Still others left the area to serve in the Confederacy's armies. After the War, Largo area residents returned to farming , ranching and raising citrus .
The Orange Blossom Railroad reached the area in 1888 . By this time Lake Tolulu had been renamed Lake Largo, and residents of the community west of the lake adopted the name “Largo“.
This article is from Wikipedia. All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License .
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