History of Campbell Park and Campbell Park Residential Area

Before there was Campbell Park

The first owners of the land that now encompasses the park and residential area of Campbell Park were Mary Brown (purchased 1870), John Williams (purchased 1876 and 1878) and James Hackney (purchased 1868). John Williams was a founder of St. Petersburg.

At the turn of the century the residential area of Campbell Park was orange and grapefruit groves. Photo A shows the groves as they appeared in 1900 in this very young city that was just beginning to be platted. Note the street sign in the midst of all of the trees. The groves eventually influenced the names of the yet to be developed subdivisions and streets hence names such as Grove Heights, Citrus Heights, Grove Park, Orangewood Ave. (now James Ave.), etc. eventually appeared. Later as building lots were being sold, ads would proudly proclaim the number of citrus trees on the property. See photos B and C. The community has recently adopted a new logo that incorporates an orange to honor this early history.

Thomas C. Campbell - Namesake of Campbell Park

In 1918 Thomas C. Campbell, a retired railroad employee, and wife Frances (Frank) moved to St. Petersburg. In 1919, they bought a home at 219 3rd. Ave. N. This home was considered their winter home as they still summered in Rochester, NY for a few years. They were locally active in bridge, the Shuffleboard Club, the Westminster Presbyterian Church, other social

groups and walked daily to the bay for a swim. They had two adult daughters Mary born in 1879 and Ruth born in 1896 who both eventually followed their parents to St. Petersburg. The southwest corner of the growing city was yet undeveloped but within city limits. Campbell soon bought this land. It was bounded by 7th Ave. S., 16th St. S, 12th St. S and Campbell Ave. S (later Dunmore Ave. S.). Campbell set about to develop the northern part of his land and opened a small office at 1401 5th Ave. S. for his real estate transactions. The southern part remained undeveloped and utilized by the Black residents as an informal gathering place. Around the same time the Campbell’s bought land at 219 2nd Ave. N. and built the Campbell Hotel, a busy seasonal hotel. See photo D. Campbell divided his time between his real estate business and the flourishing hotel. Eventually daughter Ruth and her husband took it over. The hotel survived a long time and was demolished after 2000. The Cottonwood Apartments now stand on this site.

In 1923, T.C. and Frank bought a home at 405 18th Ave. N. It was there that they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary on April 12, 1926 and lived out their lives. Campbell was owner and partner in other real estate around St. Petersburg including 80 acres he bought Nov. 1, 1925 with Claud E. Neal and O.W. Clayton on 54th St. N. facing both sides of 16th St. N. He bought a few lots in the Columbia Heights section of now Campbell Park.

Tragically Campbell was out making the rounds collecting rent on his properties and had heart failure. He died in Feb.1933 at the age of 76.

Campbell Subdivision

The north side of Campbell’s land was developed as residential property and became known as Campbell Subdivision. It was bounded by 12th St. on the east and 16th St. S. on the west. The avenues were Campbell (Dunmore), Dixie and Fifth Ave. S. The land was sold lot by lot andinhabited by Black residents even though most buyers were white. A prominent Black man Mr. Elder Jordan, Sr. himself a developer bought a few of the lots. For a while, Jordan’s home was on the west side right next to Campbell’s office. It would be interesting to know the relationship of these two men and the conversations they held given they were both in real estate and

neighbors.

This Campbell Subdivision eventually was folded into the growing Gas Plant development and the name Campbell Subdivision melted away. The housing was destroyed with the building of I-175 in 1978-1980, the Gas Plant redevelopment in the 1980’s and Campbell Park expanding

its boundaries in 1978. In 2022 I met a resident who said he lived in the “original” Campbell Park and he was referring to the Campbell Subdivision. It’s still remembered by some who are

amongst us today.

Campbell Park

The southern part of Campbell’s land contained 16 acres that was left undeveloped. The Black population of the city by default would roam and hang out here as the city’s lovely waterfront parks were for white people only. Dreamland Dance Hall and a post office existed on what became known as the Negro Park or Campbell’s Park or Campbell’s Negro Park. The dance hall was foreclosed on in 1928 and removed. As time went on a library was placed on the land for use by the Black residents. Segregation was the standard for this growing city.

On March 3, 1928, Campbell began renting the informal park land to the city for the cost of the taxes and did so for 15 years. The land boom ended for the city in the mid/late 1920’s and land was difficult to sell. Renting the land to pay the taxes may have been a helpful solution for Campbell in the trying economic times. It was the city’s sole Negro park for many years until 5th Ave. N. Park was opened in Methodist Town.

Many interesting stories can be told of events and activities that happened on this land. It was a social hub that offered a safety net for the Black residents of St. Pete. One such event was when the white land owners south of the park went to city council asking that 6th Ave. S. continue west through the park running from 9th Ave. S. To 16th Ave. S. City Council was swayed and approved this proposition. In 1942 a NAACP report was released showing among other details that while more than 20% of the city’s population was Black, they had access to less than 1% of the city’s park land. Extending 6th Ave. S. to the west would have reduced the park by 75% for Black residents (see photo E). The avenue was never extended thanks to the influence of the NAACP report. It was a point of contention for many years for the white southside residents as they angrily went to City Council reminding council members they had once approved this road extension. It never happened.

The city purchased the land on Sept. 9, 1943 from heir, daughter Ruth, for $22,500 cash because they wanted to have control over the future of the land. The white residents on the southside protested the city buying it thinking that it would forever be a Negro park. The city insisted they were buying the land so the city would always have decision making power over its use. Resisters were pacified when the city stated that with city control it could be whatever

was decided which did not necessarily mean it would stay as a Negro park. The park was formally dedicated April 4, 1950 as Campbell Park with no public announcement of this event. After the dedication the city slowly began enhancing the park with tennis courts, playgrounds, swimming pool, etc. In 1952 the finest baseball stadium in the southwest was built for the local Negro Baseball League. See photo F. An event was held in 1962 to give gratitude to T. C. Campbell for holding space for what eventually became Campbell Park by placing a marker at the park along 16th St. S. See photo G. Grandson Thomas P. Zurflieh, a St. Pete resident, spoke representing the family.In 1978, the city decided to expand facilities for the public and through eminent domain acquired the residential land on the north and east sides of the park. These were homes of Black residents and two Black churches. These acquisitions enlarged the park to the 33 acres

that it is today.

Campbell Park Neighborhood

The residential neighborhood of today is bounded by 7th Ave. S. MLK St. S, 11th Ave. S. and 16th St. S. It is unknown how these boundaries were determined and when. It is a neighborhood with many outstanding 100+ year old homes built in the original citrus groves. The development of this neighborhood was heavily influenced by the advent of the streetcar in 1905 along 9th St. S. The two stops in the area were at Brookside (6th Ave. S.) and Ingleside (11th Ave. S.) The streetcar went no further south than Ingleside as the newspaper reported a bridge would need to be built to get to 12th Ave. S. The first area platted for homes was in 1906 by the Ingleside stop. The next was Oak Villa on 7th Ave. west of 10th St. S. The last areas developed were Columbia Heights #2 and #3 along 16th St. S. Between 9 and 11th Ave. S.

Various individuals purchased land in Campbell Park in the early years and developed the land in isolation with each creating unique subdivision name. Many purchases were prior to the existence of city zoning regulations resulting in odd offsets and forgotten spaces still found throughout the community today. Campbell Park today is comprised of 17 subdivisions in this one community because of the variety of owners. As earlier mentioned many subdivision names contain a reference to the citrus groves that once stood on the land and utilize “height” in many names giving nod to it being the highest land of the city at the time. White residents were the first occupants of Campbell Park and by the early1960’s Black residents at last had the opening and means to purchase homes. Common in the day was white flight and over time Campbell Park became primarily Black. Today it is proudly known as a historic Black neighborhood with many long time residents. How do we as a neighborhood keep this important history and Black culture and stay relevant in the face of inevitable growth and change? It’s a challenge the community faces today

Closing

Campbell Park has a very rich history as one of the oldest parks and residential areas of St. Petersburg coupled with its important Black history. There are more little known stories to be shared and understood to realize the importance of this neighborhood to St. Petersburg history. This short history is just a start.

Special Thanks

We at Campbell Park want to express our deepest gratitude to Josette Green, a valued member of our community, for her steadfast commitment to uncovering and sharing the rich history of Campbell Park and for organizing the content for this history page.

Josette has taken it upon herself to address the challenging realities of our past and illuminate the injustices experienced by Black communities. Her tireless research and dedication to documenting the origins of Campbell Park, and the evolution of our neighborhood have been truly commendable.

In a society where the voices and experiences of Black individuals have often been marginalized, Josette's efforts to amplify these narratives are both courageous and essential. By acknowledging and addressing the injustices endured by Black people, Josette's work serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of confronting our shared history. Through her contributions, she challenges us to confront uncomfortable truths, to listen to and learn from marginalized voices, and to actively strive towards a more just and equitable future for all members of our community.

Josette's dedication to preserving and sharing St. Petersburg's African American history is a testament to her integrity and commitment to social justice. We are profoundly grateful for her efforts and inspired by her example.

Thank you, Josette, for your courage, compassion, and unwavering commitment to truth and reconciliation in our community.

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