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-addressed stamped envolope 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.
In 1900, J.H. Krause sold to Dr. J.H. Mills the sulphur springs and adjacent land on the north side of the Hillsborough River and south of Bird Street, which had been used for decades by those seeking the springs' healing powers. Mills added a dance pavilion, swimming pool and Ferris wheel, and the area was connected to downtown by a trolley line. Later additions included a toboggan slide, gazebo, alligator farm and arcade.
The area was described as "Tampa's Coney Island." In the 1920s, Josiah Richardson turned the area into an affordable resort for city residents and Northern visitors. The Tampa city limits were extended in 1923 to include Sulphur Springs.
The Sulphur Springs Hotel and Arcade (also known as the Nebraska Hotel) was built in 1926 with a double-tiered arcade along the front that sheltered the sidewalk. It was considered by many to be a complete town under a single roof, and a predecessor to the modern shopping mall. In the arcade beginning in 1948 was radio station WHBO, the first Florida full-time country music station. The complex was torn down in 1967 to provide room for a parking lot for a greyhound racetrack.
In 1927, engineer Grover Poole constructed the 210-foot tall water tower for Richardson. An elevator took visitors to an observation balcony at the top. Richardson mortgaged the resort to build the tower, but in the early 1930s Richardson went broke. During its use as a water tower, the upper one-fourth of the tower held 125,000 gallons, pumped from artesian springs nearby. The remainder of the structure consists of seven rooms, one on each floor. Richardson intended the seven rooms to be turned into clubrooms, but economic difficulties precluded that. During the 1970s, the land was used as the Tower Drive-In Theater, and in 2002 the area was purchased by the city and turned into the public River Tower Park.(Look east across Nebraska Ave.)(0.0)
In 1938, this 300-seat theater was built with an Art Deco style, and was part of the resort and shopping area serving the Sulphur Springs swimming area. Later, it was converted to the Springs Theatre Recording Studio for audio and video recording, soundtrack scoring, audio mixing, audio editing and production.
This two-story home was built with a Dutch Colonial style in about 1906, as one of the first residences in Seminole Heights. It was the home of nurseryman William E. Curtis. It is also known as the John F. Durack House and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.
This school was constructed in 1925 and served as a junior high, an adult education center and then as a middle school. It underwent a major renovation in 2000 and was rededicated on March 31, 2001.
This school is named for Napoleon Broward, who served as Florida's governor beginning in 1904. The school was designed by Frank Durham and opened in September of 1927.
(Continue west on Osborne Ave., north on River Bend, east on Violet St. and north on Florida Ave. to the intersection with Wilder Ave.)(2.6)
In the early days of talking motion pictures, this theater showed first-run films for ten cents. When it opened in the 1920s, it had an elaborate marquee announcing the current movies. It has since been replaced by a much smaller movie board and is the home of Praise Cathedral.
In 1885, this school was established on Franklin Street with 19 students and one teacher in a room over a livery stable as the first public school in the county. During 1889, it printed the state's first high school newspaper. In 1906, Hillsborough High School moved into a $5,000 two-story wooden school at the corner of Jefferson and Estelle Streets. In 1911, it moved to a $60,000 masonry building at the corner of Highland and Euclid Aves., and that same year it produced the state's first high school yearbook. At the time, it was the most modern and best-equipped school in Florida. The present large red brick school for 2,000 students was built in 1927-28, using the Gothic Revival design of Francis J. Kennard. Walls, spires and buttresses framing stained-glass windows are decorated with cast stone. The stained-glass windows in the auditorium depicting Euclid, Einstein and others were added during the 1950s.
This property was the site of a farmhouse and orange grove until the church purchased it in 1927. This church building was begun in 1930 and completed in 1950. The original brickwork of the previous farmhouse is preserved in back of the sanctuary. The building is known for its colorful stained-glass windows, and in 1988 a major refurbishing project was undertaken.
Also known as the Seminole Community Center, this city-operated facility is a popular venue for weddings, corporate retreats and business meetings.
This church designed by local architect Frank Winn was constructed in 1927 with a modified Gothic Revival style. It has three stories and is made of yellow brick. It features a steeply pitched gable roof, triangular parapet and three tiers of steps that lead to the main entrance. The building also has pilasters resembling two-story buttresses, which are topped by details of cast concrete. The congregation began a major historic restoration project in 2001.
This school, when it opened in 1915, was located at the southeast corner of Central and Hanna Aves., the present site of the Seminole Heights United Methodist Church. It was moved across the street to its present location in 1922.
Tampa, by Karl H. Grismer (The St. Petersburg Printing Company 1950)
Tampa: A Pictorial History, by Hampton Dunn (The Donning Company 1985)
Tampa: A Town on Its Way, (Junior League of Tampa, Inc. 1971)
Tampa: The Treasure City, by Gary R. Mormino and Anthony P. Pizzo (Continental Heritage Press, Inc. 1983)
Yesterday's Tampa, by Hampton Dunn (E.A. Seemann Publishing, Inc. 1972)
Click here for a copy of the trail rules.