By the late nineteenth century, the city of Tampa was a vibrant, cultural center. Through the early twentieth century, two World Wars, and into the modern era, Tampa has continued to grow and prosper by overcoming adversity and maintaining the strong independent culture of its citizens. This volume, Historic Photos of Tampa, captures this journey through still photography from the Burgett Brothers Photographic Archives held at the TampaHillsborough County Public Library. From the late 1800s, the Depression era, and to the building of a modern metropolis, Historic Photos of Tampa follows life, government, education, and events throughout Tampa1s rich history. The book captures unique and rare scenes through the lens of hundreds of historic photographs. Published in striking black and white, the images communicate historic events and everyday life of two centuries of people building a unique and prosperous city. - from the publisher.

In the decades of the 1950s, 60s, and 70s, one could wander through the city of Tampa and experience a rich variety of architectural styles, businesses, languages, and traditions, all mixed in with first-class universities, hospitals, and museums. By the 1950s, the University of South Florida was founded, and Busch Gardens opened to locals and tourists alike. The 1960s ushered in a period of construction and entertainment, with residents visiting for the first time the Lowry Park Zoo, Curtis Hixon Hall, and “The Big Sombrero,” or Tampa Stadium. Like the rest of the country, the 1970s in Tampa was a time of continued modernization and expansion. Though not immune to crime or misfortune in the thirty-year span, Tampa is remembered in Historic Photos of Tampa in the 50s, 60s, and 70s as an attractive destination and place of residence, as seen through the lens of the camera, a modern city that continues to honor its historical roots.

During the 1950s, the Cinchett Neon Sign Company came to be Tampa's best-known sign maker. When the city planned to build a zoo, the mayor asked Cinchett to design the new sign. Fried chicken king Colonel Sanders had the sign company create all the neon work for his first two Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in Central Florida, and soon after, other reputable businesses came calling.

A retrospective of Burgert Brothers photographs recaptured in 2020

Since its early days as a boomtown on the Florida frontier, Tampa has had a lively history rich with commerce, cuisine, and working-class communities. In From Saloons to Steak Houses, Andrew Huse takes readers on a journey into historic bars, theaters, gambling halls, soup kitchens, clubs, and restaurants, telling the story of Tampa's past through these fascinating social spaces--many of which can't be found in official histories. Beginning with the founding of modern Tampa in 1887 and spanning a century, Huse delves into the culture of the city and traces the struggles that have played out in public spaces. He describes temperance advocates who crusaded against saloons and breweries, cigar workers on strike who depended on soup houses for survival, and civil rights activists who staged sit-ins at lunch counters. These stories are set amid themes such as the emergence of Tampa's criminal underworld, the rise of anti-German fear during World War I, and the heady power of prosperity and tourism in the 1950s. Huse draws from local newspaper stories and firsthand accounts to show what authorities and city residents saw and believed about these establishments and the people who frequented them. This unique take on Tampa history reveals a spirited city at work and play, an important cultural hub that continues to both celebrate and come to terms with its many legacies.

Florida Historical Society Harry T. and Harriette V. Moore Award From the founding of Ybor City in 1886 to the dispersal of Tampa's Latin population in the years following World War II, Tampa's Cigar Workers documents the history of the Cuban, Spanish, and Italian immigrants who created the cigar industry in Tampa and the extraordinary multi-ethnic community that flourished around it. More than 200 photos capture this community's personalities and way of life while commentary drawn from newspaper accounts, oral histories, and archival documents identifies and explains each photograph's historical place and significance. In linking the photographs with historical text, the authors allow the cigar workers to tell their own story, in the language of their day.  The rich photographic record around which the book is organized communicates the lives of these workers not only in the workplace but also in their vibrant Ybor City and West Tampa neighborhoods. The book depicts the making of cigars, the work culture, local support for the Cuban War of Independence (1895-1898), unions and strikes, community institutions such as mutual aid clubs, leisure activities, and social practices surrounding courtship, marriage, and death. Highlighting the diversity of the cigar workers' community, the authors present an inspiring and deeply moving story of how these immigrants carved out their space in Tampa while struggling to survive economically and defending their ideals and way of life.

Where can you join in a pirate parade, see live mermaids, and catch a flamenco dance performance at the oldest and largest Spanish restaurant in America? Where does the spirit of an ancient Tocobaga shaman allegedly continue to protect the area from the forces of nature? Where can you wander through secret gardens, listen to bagpipe music, take a class in fire spinning, and sample a seemingly endless variety of local craft beers, all on the same day? The answer, of course, is Tampa Bay. Secret Tampa Bay: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure provides a deeper dive into the local culture, history, art, and one-of-a-kind attractions as alternatives to the usual beaches and theme parks. Whether it’s an abandoned island fort from the Spanish-American War, a dolphin famous for its prosthetic tail, a love story captured on a tombstone, or a town of circus sideshow performers, whatever natural or unnatural wonder you’re seeking, you are sure to find it here. Join author Joshua Ginsberg as he explores Tampa, St. Petersburg, Clearwater, and the surrounding areas in search of hidden history, strange monuments, museums, oddities, antiques, and the very best Cuban sandwich. From gangsters to gators to ghost stories, it’s sure to be a memorable experience.

The Chinese were a visible current in the tidal wave of humanity that rushed through San Francisco's Golden Gate in the mid-nineteenth century. Known to their countrymen as Gam Saan Haak (guests of Gold Mountain), Chinese immigrants sought great fortune. Most found only hostility and hard work, often braving the most dangerous and loathsome jobs. They endured violence and injustice, yet clung to this land with tenacity and patience and made it their own. With nearly 200 historic photographs gathered from notable collections, this book explores a century of Chinese progress in California. Retracing the immigrants' steps--from the gold fields to the high Sierra railroad camps, to lettuce fields and olive groves, and to the Monterey coast--we visit Chinese enclaves throughout the state. We linger in San Francisco's old Chinatown, home to cherished children and notorious tong gangs, where new arrivals first found refuge and familiar goods, and tourists later found exotic merchandise spilling from aging storefronts. These historic images recall a time when the Chinese community in California was still a world apart.

When fearless and resourceful frontier women settled in Tampa Bay, they paved the way for dauntless suffragettes and the evolution of the modern woman. Bay area suffragettes Eleanor Collier McWilliams Chamberlain, Elizabeth Robins, Julia Harrison Norris, and Elizabeth Askew fought tirelessly for the 19th Amendment and contributed to the evolving institutions of the 20th century that began to give women a voice--the woman's club, garden club, and welfare league. Covering the gamut from the Rosie Riveter types in the embodiment of prize-winning welder Margaret Clark Miller to the courageous female athletes such as Olympians Babe Didrikson Zaharias and Brooke Bennett and the first women council members and mayors of Tampa Bay area towns, perspectives were evolving. From the plight of women farm workers, Depression-era factory labor, and the changing world of women's work, Trailblazing Women of Tampa Bay offers a glimpse into the lives of female war heroes, entrepreneurs, and risk takers. Madonna Jervis Wise is a lifelong educator, having served as an administrator in three large Florida school districts. Wise's first college degree was in history, and her most endeared area of research continues to be local history and genealogy. Wise volunteers with Tampa Bay area libraries and museums and does several presentations annually. Publications have included curriculum, 11 previous books, and regular columns for local newspapers.

Historic Photos of Tampa follows the evolving culture of the "Cigar Capital of the World" through one of the finest archives in the city, Burgert Brothers archive from the Tampa Hillsborough County Public Library. Beginning in the mid-1860's, this book illustrates the development of Tampa from the Civil War period through the turn of the century, two World Wars and into a modern era. With around two hundred archival photographs reproduced on heavy art paper, this book is a perfect addition to any historian's collection.