Tarpon Springs

Although, there are no specific details that point to how the city came to be known by the name; historical accounts have attributed the name to the settlers that inhabited the region in the 1860s -70s. Tarpon Springs was incorporated on 12th February, 1887 and had the honor of being the first city to enjoy the status on the Pinellas peninsula.

On the heels of the distinction, the Orange Belt Railway arrived; Samuel Dissto can be credited for donating the right of way for the rail road. The arrival of a major transportation mode forever changed the face of Tarpon Springs leading to rapid economic growth through import and export operations.

This was followed by advancement in maritime transportation which was marked by the construction of the Anclote Key lighthouse. Soon Tarpon Springs evolved in to a thriving tourist hub with the elite and wealthy Americans spending their vacation here at the turn of the century.

The Tarpon Springs economic progress was boosted by the discovery of sponge rather accidentally when the sponges from the Anclote River were caught in the nets of the turtle fisherman from Key West who can also be credited with the discovery of sponge beds in the central and west coasts of Florida.

During the 1800s, the discovery of sponges had changed the economic scenario in the Florida Keys; commercial sponging turned into a prominent industry in the area in 1849. Around this time, sponge was harvested from the bed of the Keys with the use of long poles.

The Anclote River and the Rock Island Sponge company saw its opening in the city under the leadership of John Cheney a local businessman in the year 1890. This led to the wide scale commercialization of sponging activity and sponge presses and packing houses were installed to meet the demand of buyers from all over the country.

In time Tarpon Springs had garnered the distinction of being the largest and most important sponge port in the country; all the sponging business from Cuba, Bahamas and Key West had shifted here.

Greek immigrants to the city further expanded the sponging operations; most notably among them was John Cocoris who made the city his home in 1896, a sponge dealer from New York, John Cocoris was an employee of John Cheyney who financially backed Cocoris’s plans to make the sponging industry efficient.

In keeping with his ideas, Cocoris was the first to introduce a mechanized vessel for sponge fishing to Tarpon Springs and he brought in several Greek divers to run the operation from several Greek islands such as Spetse, Halki, Aegena, Kalymnos, Hydra and Sumi.

More immigrants followed in the wake of modernization and businesses were being built to cater to the needs of the large immigrant populace that was constantly trickling into the city; restaurants, grocery stores, coffee houses and candy shops cropped up at every nook and corner.

The further addition of sponge brokers and merchants to the city helped to create an integrated and well planned industry Money was beings spent, loans were being given and taken to boat owners, tools and equipments were supplied for the sponging boats; the city was a hub of sponging activity; the exponential rise in the industry led to the establishment of the Sponge Exchange Bank in 1906 and later the Sponge Exchange in 1908.

The money raked in from the sponging business was further invested into other industries; the Sponge Exchange Cigar Company was one such company.

The Sponge Exchange was an institution comprising of boat builders, divers, sponge buyers, brokers, boat builders and just about everybody else associated with sponging; the buyer would grade and eventually buy the sponges; however the Exchange was responsible for storing them in bins before auctioning them off from a block in the center of the area where the sponge was stored.

The economy of Tarpon Springs did take a hit in response to the economic adversity in Florida that followed the collapse of the real estate market in 1926; the economic woes were compounded by a destructive hurricane and the ripples of these untowardly scenarios were felt across the Anclote River into the city.

By the late 20’s the city was reeling under the impact of the great depression; however, the sponge industry was spared the wrath of the economic downturn.

But the honeymoon did not last for ever; in 1938 most sponge beds were under a blight attack that led to the death of sponges and misfortune struck the industry. However, the spongers did wade through these tough times and reached an all time high of 180 vessels for sponge diving but as the spate of disasters continued, a 1948, red tide further hammered the industry.

It would be 1959 before the sponges started returning to the waters surrounding the city while by 1970 it was sponging galore again. Fortunately for the spongers of the city, Mother Nature had smiled upon them and the sponging industry had experienced a modest revival; Professional sponge divers are still seen rummaging through the waters in the area as deep at 150 feet looking for sponges.

Even today most of these operations are managed and owned by the descendants of the original Greek immigrants.Sponges from the city have made their way to the world markets and are seen in every country around the worldHowever, more recently, tourism has help up the economy of the city.

Visitors pour in by the thousands each year to enjoy the great outdoors that the city has to offer along with a glimpse of the Sponge docks complete with an opportunity to see professional divers do their jobs and of course the Greek culture that is apparent in the various aspects of life in the area.

Throngs of tourist are usually found in Dodecanese Boulevard, enjoying a shopping spree in the unique Greek shops and relishing a sumptuous Greek fare in the local restaurants that serve some of the most authentic Greek casino and the most delectable pastries that you can sink your teeth into.

Most of these shops are still owned and operated by people of Greek descent whose ancestors had immigrated to the city.Today, the sponge industry contributes a modes $2 million to the economy of the city however, it helps to nurture the tourism industry which brings in a mammoth $20 million and supports the thriving arts and antique community in the area.