Tarpon Springs

With its origins at a small fishing settlement near the mouth of the Anclote River, Tarpon Springs began upriver at a bayou with a freshwater spring where the tarpon jumped at the doorstep of a father and daughter. A traveler from Nassau decided to stay and marry A.W. Ormand's daughter Mary, who legend tells named the town Tarpon Springs. It was from this humble beginning that a city was carved out by pioneering spirits who loved the natural beauty, abundant fishing and hunting, rich timberlands, and the best of Florida's sunshine and tranquility. In 1887, the town became the oldest city of the Pinellas Peninsula, the Orange Belt railroad arrived, and the Anclote Key lighthouse was built. City founders employed immigrating Greeks to enrich the sponging industry with their deep sea diving suits. African Americans were employed by the fisheries and lumber mills. A true diversity of cultures, races, color, and creeds was intertwined.