Blog

Tampa Bay History

Tampa’s historic streetcars

During the last two decades of the 1880s, Tampa was clearly a forerunner for transportation developments in Florida. Through the efforts of the Board of Trade, Tampa had, by 1886, …

Aug 15, 2023

Press Release

A call for volunteers that echoes across Tampa Bay

TAMPA, Fla. – Volunteers outnumber Tampa Bay History Center staff by two to one and are the driving force behind an exceptional gallery experience. Right now is the time to …

Jun 23, 2023

Education

Archives Awareness Week is July 9–15, 2023

About Archives Awareness Week Recognizing the need to document and preserve the development and unique heritage of Tampa and its government, the City of Tampa Archives was founded in 1987. …

Jun 22, 2023

Press Release

What is Blue Star Museums all about?

Blue Star Museums is a partnership between the National Endowment for the Arts and Blue Star Families, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and museums across America, offering free admission to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families.

Tampa Bay History

Dobyville: One of Tampa’s forgotten Black neighborhoods

Some find it surprising that Tampa's White elite were not the only people to find a home in Hyde Park during the early years of the neighborhood. Many of Tampa's Black residents lived in the Dobyville section of the neighborhood.

Jun 06, 2023

Tampa Bay History

Black business district grew from the roots of segregation

Much has been written about the heyday of the Central Avenue business district, the main business and recreation center for Tampa’s African American community through the 1960s. The story of …

May 30, 2023

Press Release

Tampa Bay’s newest Black history exhibit opens on Water Street

This expansive exhibit is a first for the Tampa Bay area and will anchor the History Center’s third-floor galleries on Water Street.

May 30, 2023

Tampa Bay History

Tampa’s overlooked boom-time neighborhood

Nestled among sprawling oaks and curved roads with names like Fairway, Fore, and Bogie lies an interesting neighborhood whose homes, judging by their general sizes and ages, belie the area’s …

May 26, 2023

Tampa Bay History

The rocky romance of D. P. Davis and Elizabeth Nelson

Of the dozens of stories perpetuated about Davis Islands developer David P. Davis, few are as salacious as the ones that surround his marriage, divorce, and remarriage to Elizabeth Nelson.

Apr 05, 2023

Tampa Bay History

Florida’s early American Indians

The two largest native groups were the Timucua and the Calusa. The Timucua lived in northern Florida and the Calusa in southern Florida.

Mar 31, 2023