Instructions:
1....Print this file.
2....At its end, click on "rules" to see a copy of the trail rules, print it, and then click where indicated at the end of the 3-page rules and patch order form to get back to the list of Florida trails.
3....If you want a hand-drawn map showing the locations of all of the sites, send a self-adressed stamped envelope to Steve Rajtar, 1614 Bimini Dr., Orlando, FL 32806.
4....Hike the trail and order whatever patches you like (optional).
WARNING - This trail may pass through one or more neighborhoods which, although full of history, may now be unsafe for individuals on foot, or which may make you feel unsafe there. Hikers have been approached by individuals who have asked for handouts or who have inquired (not always in a friendly manner) why the hikers are in their neighborhood. Drugs and other inappropriate items have been found by hikers in some neighborhoods. It is suggested that you drive the hike routes first to see if you will feel comfortable walking them and, if you don't think it's a good place for you walk, you might want to consider (1) traveling with a large group, (2) doing the route on bicycles, or (3) choosing another hike route. The degree of comfort will vary with the individual and with the time and season of the hike, so you need to make the determination using your best judgment. If you hike the trail, you accept all risks involved.
The bank was chartered on October 21, 1907, and had its home in a brick building located here. Marion Wheeler Ulmer served as its president. The building, facing south, was deeded to Peoples Bank of Clearwater on June 27, 1911.
On October 1, 1918, Pinellas County Bank was chartered and opened in the same building. It closed in bankruptcy on June 25, 1927, and its remaining assets were sold to Walter P. Fuller on April 30, 1932.
The building was used by the Surplus Commodities federal work program during the early 1930s to provide employment and community assistance. During World War II, it was used as a lookout tower and has a holding station for military personnel absent without leave.
Largo Depositors, Inc. sold the building to the Star Lodge No. 78 F.& A.M. on December 27, 1946, for use as a meeting place for Masons and members of the Eastern Star. Portions were rented to a beauty shop and other businesses until November 9, 1967, when it was purchased by the town.
In the same building, the Pinellas Central Bank opened on February 14, 1952. This bank used the same logo, "PCB", which had been placed in the grill work when Pinellas County Bank was here in 1918.
The Largo Area Historical Society considered in 1972 using the 8,000 square foot two-story building as a museum/meeting place/art center, but determined that the structure was not sound. The city demolished it in July of 1975.
Heisler-Johnson Post 119 was chartered on March 27, 1940, and named after two World War I soldiers. Both Ralph Edward Heisler and Worth Edward Johnson died in France. This building was donated by John S. Taylor, Jr. It has also served as the headquarters of the USO during World War II, a post office, bakery, medical offices, and the Western Union office.
This building, attached to the west side of the Largo Hotel, was the home of the Rufus McMullen family. It is probably the oldest surviving Largo home. It was built with two stories, two bedrooms upstairs and three downstairs.
It was originally located on the southeast corner of Bay Dr. and 2nd St., then moved to 1st Ave. near the present American Legion Hall, and then to this site.
This is Largo's first hotel, developed by F.M. Campbell.
In the early 1900s, general merchandise was sold here on the first floor of the three-story Taylor Store. On the second floor was the telephone system, operated by Edna Allen and moved here from the Allen house.
This triangular piece of land was given by Rufus and Georgia McMullen for construction of the town's first railroad depot. The first railroad station was built in 1888, as a midpoint between Clearwater and St. Petersburg, where grove owners and farmers could bring their produce for transportation to market.
When the wooden frame depot was demolished and replaced with one built of brick, some of the lumber was used in building Mrs. Geiselman's house at 115 SW 2nd Ave.
The first two-story wooden Farmer's Alliance store was built here in 1888. After it burned, it was replaced by another that had a loading platform at the rear.
From 1912 to 1915, the post office was located on the first floor of a building located here.
Upstairs lived the Lovering family, who operated Largo's first drug downstairs. In the same building, Sam Barron and Sam Dear operated an ice cream parlor.
The John S. Taylor Co. opened a 31,000 square foot citrus packing house here in 1931 at a cost of $85,000. A small building nearby served as the post office. The Taylor family, pioneers of local citrus, operated the packing house for 62 years.
In the late 1870s, this was the site of the home of John Gideon Blitch and his wife, Cimodocia Hammock Blitch. He had come from Ocala in 1875, and they married in 1877. Their house was located in a grove and faced the railroad. The first post office in Largo was started in that house on September 4, 1888, with M. Joel McMullen as the first postmaster.
In 1914, the Ladies Improvement Society reorganized into the Largo Woman's Club, with its first project being the formation of a library. They initially used a room on the first floor of the town hall (in old Largo School No. 1).
On May 31, 1960, the city bought the former property of Maggie Carswell Walker, who had served as librarian, as a site for the new library. They considered moving the Largo Manor building to the site, but in 1961 instead decided to build a new one. The $36,000 building opened to the public on May 27, 1962. An addition increased its size in 1968.
In 1975, 4 2/3 acres here were donated by John A. Jenkins as a site for a more modern library. It opened in 1976.
The name of the town came from the 500-acre Lake Largo once located here, since drained. In 1844, it had been named Lake Tolulu.
Capt. Charles Wharton Johnson was shipwrecked north of here in about 1871, when his eight-ton sailing ship Evening Star was caught in a violent storm. He homesteaded the land on which the Belleview Mido Hotel now stands.
Johnson built Largo's first three-story house near the intersection of Bay Dr. and Missouri Ave. It had five fireplaces and water supplied by a cistern. It also had Largo's first bathroom and toilet. The house was moved here in 1931 when the Taylor Packing House was built.
In the late 1890s, this was the location of a livery stable and feed store operated by J.T. Jackson.
A one-room school, taught by Felix Taylor, was established here in 1884. For a while, the Largo Methodist Church held services in the school building.
A building was erected here in about 1910 by John Gainey, who used heavier concrete blocks than are used today. He used eight to ten inch flooring and hard pine for the joists. Through the years, it had many owners, with the character of the business varying from feed and grain, to feed and supply, to feed and hardware, to feed and garden supply.
The post office moved here in 1948, after occupying a variety of previous locations.
In a house at this site was the home of Edna Allen, who was the operator of Largo's first central telephone system. Her grandfather, Zacharias E. Allen, homesteaded in the 1860s on the creek named for him.
During the 1930s, Louis Johnson had a drug store here. In the 1940s, this was the site of the Rexall Drug Store. By the early 1960s, it was the Norris Drug Store.
In about 1913, the Largo Sentinel, founded by A.B. Nadon, had an office on the south side of Bay Dr. a little to the east of here. During the 1930s, it moved to this building, erected by W. Fletcher Belcher.
Before 1892, the congregation of this church met in the homes of various members. Tent meetings were begun in 1892 by Brother Early Arseneau, who came here from Texas. Thereafter, meetings were held in Largo School No. 1 in the Town Park.
The congregation first located here in 1900, and the first sanctuary burned on the night of Easter Sunday, 1932. It caught fire when the next-door vacant Will Hackney house burned and the flames spread. Some of the salvaged lumber was used in rebuilding. When it was remodeled in 1952, its length was extended.
The fire department was formed between 1905 and 1912, and was a volunteer organization until 1962. They used a hand-drawn hose wagon stored under the band stand next to the town hall.
In 1930, this was the location of the Bay Drive Service Station, selling Pan-Am gasoline and oil.
Located here was the home of S.E. Smith, built in 1908. He served as the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad agent, and as Largo's mayor in 1911-12.
This corner was annexed into Largo in 1954 while it was the property of Charlie Stein. He was the first president of the reorganized Largo Chamber of Commerce.
On the land now occupied by the six-story Wachovia Bank, was located the log house of Cyrus Lowery. In June of 1890, he made his final payment for the 40 surrounding acres, at $1.25 per acre, and received his deed the following year. Lowery's homestead extended from NW 4th Ave. to SW 4th Ave., and from 4th St. to 1st St.
This shopping center opened in late 1954. One of its earliest tenants was the Pinellas Central Bank, which moved here from the old Bank of Largo building in October of 1954.
Mr. Whitehurst was the first station agent for Largo of the Orange Belt Railroad. His home stood in a grove at this location.
This facility began on Reynolds St. in Clearwater, and moved here in 1972.
Samuel Henry Kilgore, a son of Rev. James Summers Kilgore who homesteaded in the Anona area in the 1850s, also made his homestead here. He acquired 160 acres and gave 40 to each of his three sons. The remaining 40 acres was the site of his home.
This school was built in 1952 as the Largo Elementary School. On April 22, 1953, it was renamed in honor of a respected teacher and principal.
This house was built of concrete block and red tile by Sen. J.S. Taylor, Sr. in 1912-13. A large citrus grove lay to the south. During the early 1930s, this house had a solar water heater. It later was converted to a senior citizens' boarding home known as Phyliss Manor.
A fire station was built on the north side of this street in 1963 for $10,000. It was later replaced by a new station across the street. Additional stations were added in 1966-67 at 3601 E. Bay Dr. and 3470 SW Adrian Ave.
A brick school with 14 classrooms in two stories was built here in 1914. During its construction, water was piped in from a well at the Louis Johnson home. Manual training and domestic science were emphasized, and the 20 acre farm had a silo, potato curing house, barn, and dipping vat.
A second building was added for the upper grades in 1924, and the first became the Largo Elementary School. In 1950, a new wing and library were added. It became the Largo Junior High School when grades 1-6 were moved in 1952 to the Mildred Helms School. The school was demolished in 1975.
This was the home of W. Fletcher Belcher, built in about 1911-12. It was designed with maximum air flow in mind. The steep pitched roof is typical of that era. Belcher built it with Will Dear and John Gainey. Water was piped in beginning in 1914.
The building formerly located here began as Largo High School, built in 1924-25. It had two stories designed with a Spanish style, with stucco and a red tile roof. It shared a campus with the 1914 school, and was built to house grades 10-12. In 1957, a new high school was built on N. Missouri Ave., and the building here became a junior high school. It later was used for administrative offices.
During the early 1900s, this was the location of a fenced enclosure where the Heisler family raised pigs. Their home was across the street at 608 SW 1st Ave.
The first Baptist church organized in 1908, and in 1912 built a sanctuary at this site.
The yellow house which sat here was owned by Mr. Massey, who was an agent for the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad. On August 5, 1919, it was purchased as a "teacherage", or co-op boarding house. It was moved to the campus of Largo High School and used for home economics classes. During the 1950s, it was the home of high school principal, Dr. Campbell, and his family.
This home was built by J.T. Sauls in 1906 with a style typical of the period. It was later owned by Charlie and Mabel Clair Sauls.
The first home of the Largo Methodist Church was in a building west of the settlement, near the home of Henry Kilgore. They moved in 1884 to a little schoolhouse called "Content", at the later site of the Gulf depot. The Sunday school moved in 1888 to the two-story building used for public meetings east of the railroad tracks and south of the depot.
The church reorganized in Largo School No. 1 in about 1894 under the leadership of Rev. G.W. Sellers. During the following year, a sanctuary was built in the oaks south of W. Bay Dr. and east of the Town Park (later, Ulmer Park).
Another sanctuary was built in 1913 directly west of the Town Park. The present church and parsonage were built in 1963-64.
This land was donated by James Miller Dieffenwierth in 1890 for the construction of a school. That was Largo School No. 1, moved in 1908 and Largo School No. 2 was built that same year by Duncan Dewar to supplement it. Soon, the four rooms were overcrowded and a smaller building was erected to serve the lower grades. Behind it was the bandshell, built in 1921.
The school building later became the town hall in 1914. Until 1962, it was the seat of Largo's government, with the Largo Library occupying half of the first floor. It was demolished in 1962. The smaller building was converted into a house by W.J. Turner and moved to the north side of Bay Dr. (310 W. Bay Dr.), where it sat until it was torn down in 1963.
This land was later named Ulmer Park after Marion Wheeler Ulmer and Doris Ellis Ulmer, who arrived in the area from South Carolina before 1905.
A two-story red school was built in 1890 a half block from here, in what is now the park. It faced north and Mr. Ault was the first teacher. The first floor was used for the lower grades, and upstairs housed the upper grades and, for a time, the Methodist church. In 1908, building contractor Fletcher Belcher moved the building here. It later became the home of Rev. J. Douglas Lewis, who had it remodeled and converted into apartments.
This was previously the site of the M.W. Ulmer Manse. On July 4, 1962, the town staff moved here from the former location in Ulmer Park. That city hall was later replaced by residences.
This was the location of the Methodist Church in 1897. Later, W.A. McMullen had his home here.
An Uncommon Guide to Florida, by Nina McGuire (Tailored Tours Publications, Inc. 1992)
James Elbert Allen's Memories of Largo, by James Elbert Allen (1989)
Largo: Then 'til ..., by Bicentennial History Book Committee (Largo Area Historical Society 1975)
Our Story of Gulfport, Florida, by Gulfport Historical Society (1985)
Yesterday's Clearwater, by Hampton Dunn (E.A. Seeman Publishing, Inc. 1973)
Click here for a copy of the trail rules.