Days of Wild Expansion The next year, when the United States declared war on Germany, Clearwater citizens formed a fighting unit, Company D, commanded by Taver Bayly. This outfit, part of a larger unit known as the Pinellas County Guards, went off to fight in what President Woodrow Wilson called the crusade “to make the world safe for democracy.”
Following World War I, days of wild expansion commenced in Florida. A real estate boom swept over the area around Clearwater and Tampa Bay. As speculators developed and sold property, many made fortunes almost overnight.
The boom brought important developments to Clearwater, including more paved streets, sidewalks, and other improvements. Tourism was on the rise, as was the permanent population. As the popular beaches drew larger and larger numbers of tourists, Memorial Gardens Causeway replaced the old wooden bridge, connecting Clearwater with sparkling Clearwater Beach. Part Five: The Gala Decade
Recommended Reading: Clearwater: a Pictorial History, by Michael L. Sanders; Yesterday’s Clearwater, by Hampton Dunn; a History of Pinellas County, By W.L. Straub; and Clearwater: a Sparkling City, by Roy Cadwell.
We are working on the next editions of the series to bring it up to the present. If your life, or your family’s or your neighbor’s is an interesting chapter in Clearwater history, please write to Freedom Magazine c/o Church of Scientology, 503 Cleveland Street 33755, or call (727) 467-6860 or e-mail coscw@scientology.org.
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