One hundred years ago this month, North Carolina developer William McAdoo made life for the St Petersburg Chamber of Commerce much easier. On February 9, 1919 McAdoo opened the first automobile bridge connecting St. Petersburg with Long Key – now St. Pete Beach. A front page story of the St. Petersburg Daily Times on the morning of the opening claimed the building of the toll bridge marked a mile stone in the development of Pinellas County. Although Pass-a-Grille was the first resort area on our Gulf Beaches, Long Key was the largest of the barrier islands, stretching for over six miles. According to Museum of History Curator and Historian Nevin Sitler, McAdoo owned 500 acres on the northern end of Long Key and was planning his next development – St. Petersburg Beach. Beginning on the west shore of St. Petersburg at Villa Grande Avenue, motorists would exit McAdoo’s bridge at today’s 87th Avenue on St. Pete Beach.
This historical image of St. Petersburg, and many more, are available in the Museum’s archives. For more information, visit HistoryStPete.org.
[…] you a little extra community love this issue. We hope these stories inspire you to learn more about St. Pete history, honor those who preserve it, build inclusivity, find the road to home; or to a weekend […]