EUROPEAN CONTACT 1500s-1800s
Panfilo de Narvaez was appointed Governor of Florida by King Charles V of Spain. Landing near St. Petersburg in 1528 with 300 men, Narvaez did not find the gold that he was seeking. He fled Florida by raft, never to be seen again. Only four of his men survived the expedition, the rest being lost at sea or killed by disease or vengeful natives. Photo courtesy of State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory.
The first recorded European contact with Florida was in 1513 when Ponce De Leon discovered the Pinellas peninsula. Soon, other Spanish explorers were visiting barrier islands off the coast of Pinellas County and trading with the local Tocobagas.
The peace did not last long, as Panfilo de Narvaez and Hernando de Soto came to pillage Florida of its resources. Natives fell prey to disease and violence.
Bouncing between the governance of Spain and Great Britain, Florida was finally sold to the United States by Spain for $5 million in 1819.
Seeking everything from the Fountain of Youth to gold and other riches, the Spanish brought disease and violence to Florida. This drawing is from 1859, showing Hernando de Soto from Spain landing in Tampa Bay. Photo courtesy of State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory.
European explorers were in contact with the natives of Florida for over two centuries. By the 1700s, most of the natives retreated to the interiors of Florida. Exactly how many flourished relatively free of external influence is unknown. Photo courtesy of State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory.
The Seminole Indian tribe emerged in the mid-1700s, when the Creek and other tribes moved to Florida to avoid western settlers and joined with the native tribes of Florida. The Seminoles were the only tribe to never surrender to European or United States forces. Photo courtesy of State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory.
Pineallas County Key Dates
| 1817-1818 | First Seminole War. |
| 1821 | Spain cedes Florida to United States. |
| 1834 | Hillsborough County is formed, including Pinellas peninsula as West Hillsborough. |
| 1835 | Odet Phillipi homesteads at or near former site of Tocobaga village in present day Safety Harbor. |
| 1841 | Fort Harrison opens on Clear Water Harbor as rest and recreation post for soldiers from Fort Brooke. |
| 1835-1842 | Second Seminole War. |
| 1842 | Armed Occupation Act provides for land grants in unsettled parts of Florida. |
| 1855-1858 | Third Seminole War. |
Dr. Odet Phillipi, born in France in 1785, introduced grapefruit to Florida in 1846. Above is a photo of the first grapefruit tree that he planted. Photo courtesy of State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory.
Dr. Phillipi was the first white settler in Pinellas County. He was a schoolmate of Napoleon Bonaparte and became the head surgeon of the Emperor’s forces. After a career in service to Bonaparte, including a stint in a Prisoner of War camp, Dr. Phillipi heard about the Gulf Coast of Florida from one of his patients and moved here. He built his home in Safety Harbor. Photo courtesy of State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory.
