The many responses to Freedom magazine (published by the Church of Scientology) from local Clearwater residents show that our readers are interested in Clearwater and want to know more about it. Many residents expressed an interest in the colorful history of our city. Thus, Freedom magazine printed a multi-part series on the history of Clearwater, covering the discovery of what became known as Clear Water Harbor by early settlers through World War II. Because of the overwhelmingly popularity of that series, we are reprinting it in full on this web site.

With hotels filled to capacity, the Army Air Corps sometimes housed recruits in temporary "tent barracks" in St. Petersburg (top). Troops drilled in the streets of Clearwater and raised the Stars and Stripes daily in front of the Pinellas County Courthouse.