Museum explores the history of St. Petersburg in the pioneering age

St. Petersburg, Florida – While some of us started growing plants or dogs during the pandemic, the St. Petersburg Museum of History started re-cataloging its archives.

The 99 year old institution has a fitting exhibition – Building the Sunshine City.

“We wanted to tell the story of St. Pete’s pioneering days and how we exploded into the Golden Age in the 1920s,” said Rui Farias, the museum’s general manager. “But nobody really talks about ‘How did we get there?’ And we dedicate part of this exhibition to the people who actually built the city. And that was mostly African-American workers, ”said Farias.

Large black and white photos show African American workers gathering fruit in groves and clearing the Florida wilderness for roads. The intersection of Gandy Boulevard and 4th Street was still paved. There is also a photo of the former slave John Donaldson – patriarch of the first African-American family in St. Petersburg.

“We wanted to highlight the people who actually helped create this wonderful city,” explained Farias.

In the museum, you can also explore the adjacent Odditorium exhibition.

It displays a collection of items people donated to the museum, such as President Taft’s pajamas.

The museum will be 100 years old next February, the same month in which the groundbreaking ceremony for a new expansion is planned.

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from Daily Florida Press https://dailyfloridapress.com/museum-explores-the-history-of-st-petersburg-in-the-pioneering-age/