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Florida in the 1920s

Bootleggers flooded Florida with illegal booze, flappers danced to jazz, and workers erected the first elaborate Art Deco buildings in Florida in the 1920s. At the same time, Mediterranean fruit flies attacked citrus groves and the state’s brutal convict-leasing program ensnared thousands. Visit the Tampa Bay History Center’s upcoming exhibition Florida in the 1920s to learn about these happenings and others that catapulted Florida into the modern era.

See how it all began during Florida in the 1920s, presented in the Wayne Thomas Gallery and the Touchton Map Library's Saunders Foundation Gallery.

Al Burgert and first car on Davis Islands, Tampa, Fla. Courtesy, Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library System.

October 15, 2023–October 13, 2024

EXHIBIT TYPE: Upcoming

Meet the Developers

Bertha Honoré Palmer

Learn how this fascinating land developer impacted Tampa and other cities with her revolutionary agricultural practices, becoming the most prominent cattle owner and land developer in Florida at the time.

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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.

Touchton Map Library Digital Collection

The Touchton Map Library is home to more than 5,000 artifacts, which include 182 maps dated between 1924 and 1926.

Explore Map Collection

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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...

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