PALM HARBOR, Fla. — Palm Harbor has embarked on a week-long celebration to commemorate a decision made by community leaders a century ago.
Originally named Sutherland, real estate developers hoping to draw more people to the area asked to change the city's name to Palm Harbor — which was made official on July 15, 1925.
If the walls of the J.C. Craver building could talk, they could probably tell you the building’s rich history. The building was built in 1888, and it was the original post office in the area, before it became a mercantile store in the 1920s.
“You can really just imagine all the people who walked through here and who stopped here and lived here, and you're just in the same place that they used to be,” said Palm Harbor Museum volunteer curator Allison Holuban.
Since the name change, very few cities in the state have followed suit.
“This is actually one of the last places in the county, and one of the last places in the state, to have changed its name,” said museum research associate Quinton Spiaggi.
As part of its weeklong celebration, a pop-up exhibit was installed at the J.C. Carver building by the Palm Harbor Museum. Spiaggi said one thing is for certain: The community looked very different 100 years ago, because it was mainly focused on the citrus industry.
“Citrus was the main agricultural product and main product of the area, and by the 1990s, it was all but gone in the county,” he said.
Now, Spiaggi said tourism is the community’s largest economic driver — and like its visitors, its residents are busy too.
“We have real estate agents, we have podcasters, we have everyone representing any person in the community," Holuban said. "So, the community is really involved in Palm Harbor, and that's great to see here."
The Palm Harbor Main Street Association celebrated the centennial all week long. The Association's president said about 400 people participated in the festivities leading up to the final celebration with live music and fireworks at Pop Stansell Park.
Parts of the Palm Harbor Museum pop-up exhibit, "A Step Back in Time," will be at the Palm Harbor Public Library in the coming weeks.