news A Land Worth More Than Remembering:
A two-part special on a unique tract of land in Pinellas
PINELLAS PIONEER ARCHIVE
Precious Lands and Florida Dreams Our region’s natural beauty attracted many of us or our ancestors to Pinellas County. This week, we learn about Gladys Douglas, a woman who moved here more than 70 years ago, married into a pioneer family, and enjoyed her version of the “Florida dream” on acreage near Dunedin. Next week, we discover how a community has mobilized to preserve these lands for future generations to enjoy. Patrick D. Smith published “A Land Remembered” in 1984. One of the most popular Florida fiction titles ever released, this novel describes changes his characters witnessed across generations as barely inhabited areas along peninsular Florida became ranches, homesteads and farmsteads, with some of these lands later transforming into sizeable settlements. Smith waxed nostalgic as he focused on what we have lost after we tamed the frontier. As the Florida land boom kicked into high gear after World War I, developers touted the climate and environment of “Peerless Pinellas,”
then an agricultural powerhouse replete with groves and farmlands. They sought to attract newcomers and investors at a time when the 1920 federal census counted only 28,265 residents in the entire county. A century later, urbanization has transformed the landscape. More than 12,300 people call Gulfport home today. With the county’s population now approaching 975,000, pavement, parking lots and subdivisions have replaced many of the green spaces and dream places we once cherished. A Pioneer Tradition Members of the Douglas family left Scotland during the 1880s. They arrived at a tiny settlement then known as Jonesboro. Natives of Edinburgh, they led efforts to rename this outpost north of Clearwater with the Gaelic name for their Scottish hometown, Dunedin. They acquired land, farmed and established businesses in the area. A tract along Keene Road near Dunedin has remained in the family’s hands for generations. Currently known as the Douglas property,
PINELLAS PIONEER ARCHIVE
By James A. Schnur
this largely undeveloped land in unincorporated Pinellas maintains a natural essence rarely found in this area today. This property occupies 43.44 acres located north of Virginia Avenue, south of Dunedin Cemetery, and adjacent to public lands managed by the Southwest Florida Water Management District that include Jerry Lake. Settlers first congregated near the Douglas property in the 1870s. A man named Bart Brown donated a 10-acre tract just north of this land in 1871 for a Presbyterian church and cemetery. Worshipers later moved their sanctuary to Andrews Memorial Chapel when that structure opened at a different location in 1878. Citrus groves and agricultural fields covered parts of the Douglas property during the 20th century. Gladys Douglas Continues the Tradition Gladys Elaine Nelson was born in Minneapolis on July 24, 1924. She moved to Washington, D.C. shortly after finishing high school. There, she Land continued on page 6
theGabber.com | January 21, 2021 - January 27, 2021
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