New Port Richey
()
About this ebook
Adam J. Carozza
Adam J. Carozza is a retired U.S. Postal Service employee, a member of the West Pasco Historical Society, and a member of the Florida Historical Society. He is a local historian and graduate student at the University of South Florida, St. Petersburg, with a commitment to sharing the past in Images of America: New Port Richey. His passion for New Port Richey's history complements over 200 vintage photographs to chart the rise of this unique west-central Florida city.
Related to New Port Richey
Related ebooks
Panama City Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Broad Channel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPocomoke City Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChatsworth:: Capital of the Pine Barrens Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJefferson County Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEast Rockaway Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLegendary Locals of Lake Worth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWestfield Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChesapeake's Western Shore: Vintage Vacationland Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPoway Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSea Isle City Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Newaygo County: 1920-2000 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLegendary Locals of Yarmouth Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPalm Beach Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHope Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRio Vista Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPomfret Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLatinos in Waukesha Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCape Coral Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistoric Photos of El Paso Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIndian Rocks Beach Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBordentown Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsOcean City:: Volume II Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Vista Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5St. Charles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsNeedles Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPulaski County Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsGroveport and Madison Township, Ohio Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsProspect Park Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHistoric Photos of Corpus Christi Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Travel For You
Fodor's Essential Japan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Mexico Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Fodor's Best Road Trips in the USA: 50 Epic Trips Across All 50 States Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fodor's Bucket List USA: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCockpit Confidential: Everything You Need to Know About Air Travel: Questions, Answers, and Reflections Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5RV Hacks: 400+ Ways to Make Life on the Road Easier, Safer, and More Fun! Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's Bucket List Europe: From the Epic to the Eccentric, 500+ Ultimate Experiences Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpanish Verbs - Conjugations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLet's Build A Camper Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Drives of a Lifetime: 500 of the World's Most Spectacular Trips Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Cool Japan Guide: Fun in the Land of Manga, Lucky Cats and Ramen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Travel Agent Secrets - How to Plan Your Vacation Like a Pro Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Lonely Planet The Travel Book: A Journey Through Every Country in the World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's New Orleans Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Northeast Treasure Hunter's Gem & Mineral Guide (5th Edition): Where and How to Dig, Pan and Mine Your Own Gems and Minerals Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFodor's The Complete Guide to the National Parks of the West: with the Best Scenic Road Trips Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings50 Great American Places: Essential Historic Sites Across the U.S. Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fodor's Best Weekend Road Trips Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLiving the RV Life: Your Ultimate Guide to Life on the Road Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSpotting Danger Before It Spots You: Build Situational Awareness To Stay Safe Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Van Life Cookbook: Delicious Recipes, Simple Techniques and Easy Meal Prep for the Road Trip Lifestyle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Everything Travel Guide to Ireland: From Dublin to Galway and Cork to Donegal - a complete guide to the Emerald Isle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTales from the Haunted South: Dark Tourism and Memories of Slavery from the Civil War Era Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Time Traveler's Guide to Medieval England: A Handbook for Visitors to the Fourteenth Century Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for New Port Richey
0 ratings0 reviews
Book preview
New Port Richey - Adam J. Carozza
area.
INTRODUCTION
When even the memory of this people (the Calusas) is forgotten, the Great Spirit will give this land to another—a strange but noble people made up of every tongue yet speaking the same language from the East and the West, from the North and the South they shall come, and they shall possess the land on the banks of this river of beauty and enchantment, and they shall dwell here in numbers greater than the number of the palm leaves that rustle in the evening breezes, the river a winding length even from the Trident Palm to the broken altar of Toya by the sea. And they shall remain here always in peace and happiness.
–Mucoshee, last Calusa warrior chief
In 1883, Aaron McLaughlin Richey came from St. Joseph, Missouri, to visit an old friend who lived in Brooksville, Florida. That friend, James Washington Clark, was one of the early pioneers of the area. He owned land on the Gulf Coast where he had lived before moving to Brooksville. The two friends decided to travel to the coast, where fishing was excellent and game plentiful. Upon arriving and setting up camp on the Clark holdings, Mr. Richey decided this was the place for him. He thought that the sunshine and warm climate would be just the thing for his ailing wife and an ideal spot to rear his children. Richey negotiated with a man by the name of Felix Sowers, who had an orange grove and some cleared land, to buy the point of land at the mouth of the river. It was here that he established his home, in a small weather-beaten house overlooking the Gulf of Mexico. Richey soon found that the best and fastest method of transportation to ports along the Gulf was by water. With an eye to commerce and transportation, he soon had a schooner built in Cedar Key. When the schooner was delivered, Richey found it necessary to have it registered, giving it the name of its homeport. There being no specific name for the place where it would be moored, he simply called it Port Richey, a name that would remain for one of the most beautiful places on the coast. This was the beginning of not only Port Richey, but the newer and larger city of New Port Richey, which was settled shortly after. Later, New Port Richey would incorporate in 1924, one year before Port Richey.
Before the Civil War, orange groves and cattle ranches were abundant in Pasco County. Most of the cattle of this area were exported to Cuba until the Civil War, when they were needed to supply the Confederate Army. Pasco County also developed into a major citrus-producing center. In addition, a nearby salt works at Salt Springs supplied the substance to the local residents, as well as the Confederate Army. It was a valuable commodity used to preserve meats before the advent of refrigeration.
At the turn of the 20th century, New Port Richey was a planned community designed for people of means. The city planners attempted to attract tourists with the hope of turning them into residents. Hotels were built and advertisements were posted as far north as New York. Fishing was one of the main attractions in the area. In time, golf courses and theaters would also be built. Banks, drug stores, and various shops opened along Main Street and the Boulevard.
The Chasco Fiesta remains one of the largest attractions to lure people to downtown New Port Richey. Started as a small event in 1922, it has now become a huge fund-raiser for many philanthropic causes. The annual festivities were derived from a myth about a Spanish boy and girl captured by the Calusa Indians. After acceptance into the tribe, they were later wed as Queen Chasco and King Pithla. Legend has