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Left to right: Brothers Carroll M. and James B. Nall stand in front of Nall Lumber’s office with James Everett Nall, their father and company founder.
CLEARWATER CENTENNIALS CONTINUE
2015 marked 100 years since the town of Clear Water Harbor was incorporated as a city gov-
ernment and became the City of Clearwater. The town of Clear Water Harbor was established by a charter and elected its first mayor James Crane in 1891.
Now in 2016, centennial celebrations continue for several local institutions, including Clearwater Library and Morton Plant Hospital.
Local business Nall Lumber is also on the 100 year list. Nall Lumber Company was founded in 1916 by James E. Nall when he purchased the company from his employers. Since then, it has been continuously operated by the same family and in the same location. The business has survived various obstacles, including a major fire, and is now operated by Carroll M. Nall, Jr. (3rd generation) and Andy Nall (4th generation).
SOUTH WARD MUSEUM UPDATE
Work continues on the monumental task of converting the former South Ward School into a historical museum and cultural center. The society has secured a 50-year lease on the historic landmark from the Pinellas County School Board.
Project Receives State Funding- Thanks to the great effort by the Pinellas County legislative delegation led by Senator Jack Latvala in the Senate and Representative Chris Latvala in the House, the Clearwater Historical Society has been designated to receive a $500,000 allocation of funds from the state for work on the South Ward School project. Thanks to all who sent letters of support to Governor Scott.
Task Force Gets to Work- In order to better manage the scope of work involved in the South Ward project, a task force was formed at the beginning of 2016 and assigned committees to address specific areas of concern. The CHS Task Force Oversight Committee met on March 26, 2016, to receive update reports from the various committees. Joyce Snyder, the task force coordinator, assembled the following recap of the meeting:
The Fundraising Committee reported nearing completion on a video of the South Ward Campus and the Plumb House Museum, thanks to the efforts of Joel Malizia at Pilot Moon Films. The full-length video and several shorter versions will be available for promotional purposes. The video will be posted to the CHS website very soon.
Bill Wallace announced that the CHS request for state funds was approved by Governor Scott. CHS will be receiving a total of $500,000 from the state this year. While it will not cover total funds needed to rehab the school and bring it up to code for the Americans with Disabilities Act, it will provide a much needed financial boost.
The Volunteer Committee reported that they are working to find outside organizations to help with various projects on the South Ward campus. Cons Helping Cons, a non-profit organization offering labor services, and MULCH, a non-profit landscaping group, have offered their services. A local man has also volunteered to cut the grass at the school with his lawn tractor. The society will eventually offer volunteer hours to students fulfilling Bright Futures Scholarship requirements.
The Collections Committee reported that pictures and postcards are being sorted and organized by subject so they will be ready to be digitized by the society’s new archivist. The archivist reported that she had visited with the Clearwater librarian, and the library had offered the use of their equipment. While we will network with the library, it was decided that having our own equipment was preferred.
The Physical Plant Committee is focused on a new roof for Building 3 at this time. John Maire and Lisa Millsaps of Maire Security Company have offered to donate their security services to South Ward School and are already working to update building locks.
There was some talk about a time frame to open. Realistically, we are probably looking at a couple of years down the road before opening, by the time we jump through the many hoops that are required. However, there are a couple of us who are more optimistic and hope we will be able to see some type of activity on the campus grounds within the next year. Either way, the dream of a Clearwater Historical Society museum and cultural center is finally becoming a reality.
Roof Update- The City of Clearwater has issued a construction permit, and roof repair is in progress on Building 3 of South Ward School. Built in the 1950s, the former cafeteria and kindergarten facility is the newest of the South Ward School buildings, yet is most in need of repair. Clearwater-based architect Steve Fowler, who oversaw the restoration of the Capitol Theatre, is the Clerk of the Works for the project. Repairs on the roof are set to be complete by the end of April. A revised budget of up to $50,000 was approved by the CHS Board of Directors in March. Eventually, Building 3 will play host to events such as lectures and fish fries.
Along with CHS, the Clearwater Bombers Legacy Group, the Clearwater City Players, and the Francis Wilson Playhouse are now using parts of the South Ward facility on a limited basis. The repair of Building 3 is the beginning of a long restoration process before opening the buildings to the public.
New Collaborators- In March, representatives of the Clearwater Historical Society met with Randy Lightfoot, president of the Pinellas County African American Museum in Clearwater, to discuss future collaboration between the two groups, including exchanging exhibits once the museum at South Ward is open.
DAVID PERKINS MEMORIAL AWARD
The Clearwater Historical Society awarded the David Perkins Memorial Award to middle schooler Marianthi Leventelis. The award was a $100 check for her Pinellas County History Fair project “Greeks Exploration to America: The Sponge Exchange and Tarpon Springs.” The award was created several years ago to encourage interest in local history. No Clearwater-area projects have been submitted to date. If you know a student that might be eligible to participate in the history fair, suggest that a Clearwater project would be welcome, and the society will help with materials where possible.
DONATIONS
The Clearwater Historical Society recently received donations of objects from the Turner House at Heritage Village, including family china and items from the Belleview Biltmore.
An antique doll house with furnishings was donated by the Palm Harbor Historical Society.
A donation of a vintage school desk was received from Marvin Moore and is being restored for display by Bob Galatas. Bob has restored other furniture for the society.
A framed picture of the Garden Seat Restaurant in early days was donated by Marvin Siple.
William Moriaty gave several paper items, including a very nice booklet about the former marine life exhibit Sea-Orama, that was located in the Clearwater Marina on the beach.
A copy of the book, The Thirsty Thirteenth, about a military transport group that spent some time in this area, was donated by its author, Seth Washburne.
Sue Dicus Achyemeir donated historical material from her father, Lester Dicus.
If you have a document or object you would like to donate or loan out to the society please email us at clearwaterhistory@gmail.com.
The Fourth of July, 1894- What was probably most of the people in town gather to celebrate at the intersection of Cleveland Street and Fort Harrison Avenue in wagons and on foot.