A historic settlement on the northwest edge of Old Tampa Bay, Safety Harbor is celebrating its Centennial (or 100th Birthday). Although inhabited long before the 20th century, Safety Harbor officially incorporated in 1917 and began its tumultuous history as one of Tampa Bay’s quaint but growing cities.

Originally settled by the Tocobaga tribe, prehistoric Safety Harbor served as one of the largest settlements in their chiefdom. However, the introduction of Spanish explorers in 1528 gave way to folklore surrounding the local area and mineral springs—many of which is still commonly discussed today. One of the most enduring symbols of Safety Harbor remain our mineral springs. According to local folklore, they were named the Espiritu Santo Springs in 1539 by Hernando de Soto during his search for the famed Fountain of Youth. Ever since, the mineral springs have acted as one of the many attractions which lured residents and tourists alike to Safety Harbor.

Homesteaders, including some of our area’s most well-known founding families, followed the Spanish. In fact, one of Pinellas County’s most famous homesteaders, Odet Philippe, settled in the area around 1823 and established his homestead in what is present-day Philippe Park. Folklore quickly built up around Philippe, but he remains most well-known for his contributions to the local citrus industry—a booming industry throughout most of Florida’s modern history. Through his introduction of grapefruit, he joined other pioneer families such as the Booths and McMullens in establishing Safety Harbor and Pinellas County—the land of pines.

Officially incorporating in 1917, Safety Harbor met with a series of troublesome events including a fire that destroyed much of Main Street and the surrounding areas, a hurricane which floated portions of the pier into downtown, and the financial troubles that followed the Land Boom. Surviving both World War I and II, Safety Harbor grew into the town we know today—a quaint community of neighbors where history and heritage come alive.

March

Youth Art Month

April

Purchase of Territory & Creation of State:
Florida Joins the US

May/June

Pioneers of Pinellas County: Our Founding Families

July

Secession & Supply Lines:  The Civil War in Tampa Bay

August/September

Incorporation of Safety Harbor: The Birth of a City

October

The Home Front in Times of War

November/December

100 Years of Life by the Bay

Ongoing

Tocobagan Dugout 
Join the Museum as we dig into our Tocobagan history with the re-creation of a Native American Dugout. Participants will assist in carving, chipping, scoring and shaping the log as the Native Americans did. Interested volunteers contact Lindsay Ogles at (727)724-1562 to receive more information.

Safety Harbor Stories

Each month throughout our Centennial year starting in January, we will be releasing a new episode of Safety Harbor Stories. After the episode's debut at the Safety Harbor Museum and Cultural Center, the video will be featured here.

Safety Harbor Stories is an on-going project that aims to collect the history of our city through stories told by former and current Safety Harbor residents. We hope to have an archive that we will be able to share with future generations to remind them of where our city came from and how it got to where it is today. 

By collecting these stories, we are building bonds with past and current residents through shared memories, family connections and the pride that each person feels by being a part of our community.

We are always looking for more people to tell us their stories of Safety Harbor. If you are a current or former Safety Harbor resident and you would like to be filmed for our Safety Harbor Stories project, please contact Rebekah Mason at rmason@cityofsafetyharbor.com or 727-724-1562 x1515. We would love to hear what you have to share.

Join us for our Safety Harbor Stories Premieres!

Throughout our Centennial year we will be releasing new episodes of Safety Harbor Stories. After the episode's debut at the Safety Harbor Museum and Cultural Center, the video will be featured below.

Wed 5/10 and 6/14 | 6-6:30pm | All Ages | Free

Follow the Museum's Centennial Celebration on their Blog:

Safety Harbor Museum Blog

 Grapefruits were brought to our community by an early pioneer making Safety Harbor the first in Florida to cultivate this citrus beauty. “The Grapefruit Project” celebrates our community heritage through this glorious gift and nutritious fruit.

Our public art project will be unveiled at the Folk N Fruit Brew Fest on Saturday, November 18th. Starting on November 18th, we will be distributing discs around the community for residents and visitors to find and take home. All discs were created by people in our community and throughout the country. Come out and see the completed public art piece and find one around the city to take home! 

The Safety Harbor Historical Collections currently contain hundreds of items relating to Safety Harbor history. The collections are split into the Safety Harbor Herald newspapers, photos, publications, and articles. More items continue to be added as our digitization project moves forward.

Safety Harbor Historical Collection

Bucket Brigade Re-enactment

Join the Historical Society for a Bucket Brigade Re-enactment during the Truck-N-Play Day Event on Saturday, September 16 at 11:30am at Safety Harbor City Park.