Archived posts

All Posts: 2019-2022 Making History: The Blog's Year in Review All of the goals I set for this blog were achieved in 2022, but there is still some history to be made, so stay tuned... In The Beginning...By the time I published my first post to this... read more Doc Ford's Jungle Terrace Restaurant "In the future, everyone will be world-famous for 15 minutes." ‒ Andy Warhol  As the phrase "15 minutes of fame" suggests, celebrity is fleeting. It seems that Steve of the Jungle'... read more Azaleaville's Mid-Century Modern Vibe A thousand homes were built between 1954 and 1957 on the Jungle golf course in west St. Petersburg. The new community was called Azaleaville. Home builders of the mid-fifties were influ... read more Son of the Jungle Is a Georgia PGA Champion Danny Elkins grew up in Jungle Terrace, played Little League in Azalea Park and learned to play golf on the Pasadena course. He is a three time Pasadena Club Champion and a two time St. Pete... read more Who Was Augusta Block? This is the tragic story of St. Petersburg businessman Phineas T. Block and his beloved red-haired daughter, Augusta Block. Brick paved streets play an important role in the history and... read more New Video: Why's It Called Tyrone? Recently, Steve of the Jungle enjoyed a lunch meeting with Jon and Monica Kile at the historic Alesia Restaurant, located on Central Avenue in a building that was originally a sales office f... read more Yankee God Instructs Wife on Jungle Course This 1932 photograph of Babe Ruth giving his wife golf lessons in a sand trap on the Jungle golf course was found on the RMY auctions site. The 6x8 photo sold in March 2020 for $248.17&... read more Google Recognizes Jungle Country Club Creek A label for the creek now appears on Google Maps.  Detailed information and photos are provided when clicking on the label. Here is a screenshot of the Google map: Click here ... read more Publishing Tycoon G.K. Glenn's Jungle Home Like many prosperous men of the Roaring Twenties, Grosvenor K. Glenn's comfortable lifestyle was shattered by business setbacks and the Great Depression. GROSVENOR K. GLENN (1867-1952, 85 ye... read more Jungle Country Club Creek On August 13th, Creek No. 9, often called the Farragut ditch, officially became Jungle Country Club Creek. The new name honors the Jungle Country Club's significance in St. Petersburg's hist... read more The Jungle News-Herald ✫ September 2022 Subscribers receive periodic email updates via The Jungle News-Herald.To subscribe, email steveofthejunglecc@gmail.com with the word "subscribe" in the subject line. ... read more Walter P. Fuller's 1916 Residence The bungalow with cedar siding at 424 Park Street North has been through some major renovations over the years, but it is still standing. Today, a wooden fence and heavy foliage obscure... read more Babe Ruth's Shining Jungle Moment When Babe Ruth was asked to recount the favorite moments of his career, he included the double eagle he scored on the Jungle golf course. Babe Ruth had many iconic moments during his ca... read more Henry L. Taylor, Architect: Vinoy, Jungle Hotels Henry L. Taylor was a modest man who left an impressive legacy on the skyline of St. Petersburg, but very little is known about the architect of the Vinoy Hotel, Jungle Hotel, Jungle Prada a... read more Babe Ruth's 38th Birthday Party (1932 video) Babe Ruth celebrated many of his birthdays right here in the Azalea neighborhood at the Jungle Hotel I recently found this 1932 newsreel footage of the event. That's a very big slice of... read more Pass-a-Grille Land Lured Yankee Owner to St. Pete A GRANDIOSE PLAN In 1924, with the Florida land boom accelerating, Yankee owner Jacob Ruppert decided to move his team’s spring training camp from New Orleans to St. Petersburg. About t... read more Jungle Country Club Creek Day ‒ August 13, 2022 Publisher's note: this event occurred on August 13, 2022. For full coverage click here.The Friends of Jungle Country Club Creek invites you to join us at the official unveiling and dedi... read more The Wading Birds of Jungle Country Club Creek Wading birds use their long legs to wade into the water to catch food. Our neighborhood's creek provides an excellent habitat that attracts these beautiful birds. They spend a lot of time in... read more Babe Ruth's Scorecard from the Jungle Course From the day that I started writing this blog three years ago, I have been in search of a scorecard for the Jungle golf course. In the meantime, I gathered all the information I could find a... read more There's No Place Like Munchkinland Publisher's note: Steve of the Jungle prefers the comfort and security of his Jungle neighborhood, but occasionally travels to the uncharted backwaters in search of history. Last w... read more From the Archives: Walter P. Fuller on the Jungle Country Club Golf Course Here is the young visionary and Jungle developer Walter P. Fuller on the Jungle Golf Course prior to the 1926-27 winter season. Fuller is among the many luminaries who played on the legendar... read more 30,000 Views of The Jungle Country Club History Project! A significant milestone - 30,000 views! This blog celebrates the unheralded history of west St. Petersburg, with special emphasis on the history of the Azalea neighborhood where lu... read more Al Capone's Offshore Casino (Rare 1931 Video) Casino-style gambling was illegal during the Roaring Twenties and Threadbare Thirties. To circumvent the law, offshore casino boats were operated three miles out at sea, safe from local juri... read more Babe Ruth Day 2022  Today, April 27th, is National Babe Ruth Day. There is good reason to take pride in Babe Ruth’s annual golfing trek to what is now the Azalea neighborhood. His arrival every year put o... read more Vintage Postcards: Jungle Manor The Jungle Manor was a boarding house for tourists that was built around 1919, five years before the Jungle Prada building went up across the street. It was located at the end of the Jungle ... read more The Workers Who Built the White Folks' Homes Caption: WORKERS ‒ are these black boys from Georgia. Along came the camera man just as they arrived to join 800 more Southern darkies a-workin' and a-singin' to make Jungle Terrace even nic... read more Walter Hagen and the Banned Concave Sand Wedge Walter Hagen was the greatest professional golfer during the Roaring Twenties and he holds the Jungle course record score of 64. He lived at 320 Park Street South, about one mile from the Ju... read more Kenwood Is Not On the West Side of St. Petersburg Following this blog's criticism of Wikipedia's poorly written and inaccurate description of the west side of St. Petersburg, the information has been updated. It might be coincidence, but it... read more The Rise and Fall of the Jungle Riding Academy For sixteen years, horses occupied an important and esteemed place among those who lived in and visited the Jungle. In the twenties, the role of the cart-pulling service horse was being... read more 1925: Babe Ruth Nearly Dies After First Spring Training in St. Pete 1925 was the first ‒ and nearly the last ‒ year that Babe Ruth was in St. Petersburg for spring training. He was in poor health for most of the spring and collapsed on the train ri... read more The Jungle Line, Historic Photo Matt of Old Pasadena recently forwarded this historic photo of a streetcar on the "Jungle Line." The St. Petersburg and Gulf Railway Company was founded in 1901 by F.A. Davis. He put H.... read more Al Lang's Home in the Jungle Beloved St. Petersburg mayor Al Lang lived in this Park Street home on Boca Ciega Bay across from the Jungle Country Club during his time as mayor, president of the Jungle Country Club, and ... read more Babe Ruth's Two-Day 127th Birthday Celebration Begins February 6 Updated from original post (February 6, 2020):Babe Ruth, the greatest baseball player of all time and the preeminent celebrity of the Roaring Twenties, celebrated many birthdays here at the ... read more Historic 1925 Building Seems to Be a Secret The Pasadena Estates field office at 7204 Central Avenue is a historic building in Old Pasadena, a few blocks south of the Jungle. Though I've driven and walked past the building maybe ... read more New Book Addresses Mysteries of the 1528 Narváez Expedition April 15, 1528 was a cataclysmic day in Jungle neighborhood history ‒ the day when Old World collided with New World at the Jungle Prada Site. Spanish conquistador Pánfilo de Narváez and his... read more Seasons Greetings From Friends of Jungle Country Club Creek Seasons Greetings from Friends of the Creek on Farragut Drive, past and present. The creek is a neighborhood asset with an amazing history as part of the legendary Jungle Country Club G... read more Pop Warner: Jungle Golfer, Head Coach Who Changed the Game of Football Among the pantheon of legendary celebrities who once paraded through the Azalea neighborhood playing golf on the Jungle course during the Roaring Twenties, Pop Warner is held in special este... read more Snowy Egrets Revisited Recently, snowy egrets have been visiting Jungle Country Club Creek on a daily basis. I counted at least eight of them in the creek at one point. I have been taking pictures, but they don't ... read more Snowy Egrets Special visitors were spotted in Jungle Country Club Creek this week. Snowy egrets are infrequent guests here, so I was fortunate to get some pictures. "Among the most elegant of the he... read more Jungle Country Club Creek Petition The petition is for homeowners who live in homes overlooking the creek on Farragut Drive. There is no need to sign if you have already done so. Publisher's note: The petition drive... read more Jungle News in Pictures: February 3, 1924 The February 3, 1924 edition of "Jungle News in Pictures" features Al Lang and his bulldog "Jiggs," the palatial Jungle Country Club House, famous football coach and Jungle golfer "Pop" Warn... read more Wild Black-Hooded Parakeets Have Discovered My Backyard Bird Feeder Just days after spotting the wild black-hooded parakeets (also known as nanday conures) on a power line overlooking my backyard (see previous post), they began feasting on sunflower and saff... read more Wild Black-Hooded Parakeets Now Live in the Jungle Neighborhood These birds were spotted a few days ago on a powerline overlooking my backyard. I had never seen them before. There was just enough time to get a camera and take a few pictures before they f... read more The 1921 Tampa Bay Hurricane Destroyed the First Jungle Pier It's been exactly 100 years since Tampa Bay had a direct hit from a major hurricane. On October 25, 1921, a Category 3 hurricane devastated St. Petersburg and the Jungle. There was exte... read more New Artwork Depicts Babe Ruth in St. Petersburg and the Jungle The preeminent celebrity of the Roaring Twenties vacationed in the Jungle nearly every winter season from 1925-1935 and participated in various extracurricular activities prior to the s... read more Historic Photograph: Babe Ruth and Al Lang Leaving the Train Station in St Petersburg circa 1925 Babe Ruth arrives in St. Petersburg for spring training wearing a golf hat. Then he gets in a car with the president of the Jungle Country Club ‒ Al Lang. The preeminent celebrity of the Roa... read more This Week in the Creek: A Wildlife Convention A work crew from the City of St. Petersburg mowed the grass along the creek bank on Farragut Drive this week and that seems to attract wildlife. According to a neighbor, birds like an unobst... read more New Historical Marker Unveiled at Jungle Prada Site  A new historical marker honoring the indigenous Tocobaga people and the Narváez expedition was unveiled on September 25, 2021, at the Jungle Prada Site at Park Street and 17th Avenue N... read more Grass From the Legendary Jungle Golf Course Continues to Grow on Neighborhood Lawns A neighbor told me that she has grass in her backyard from the Jungle golf course. The course closed in 1944, so I wasn't sure if this was possible, but she invited me to take a look. After ... read more Email Subscription Service Will End Soon I'm sorry to report that those of you who are subscribed to this blog by email will no longer be receiving emails from the blog. The subscription service that sends emails will soon be disco... read more Jungle Country Club Creek Update as of 8/9/2022 8/9/2022:The signs have been installed at Farragut Drive and 9th Av and 13th Av!Farragut and 13th Av N8/3/2022:The signs are now in St. Petersburg's sign department with installation expecte... read more The Historic Ruins of the Coquina Rock Entrance in Pasadena Publisher's note:Steve of the Jungle prefers the comfort and security of his Jungle neighborhood, but occasionally travels to the uncharted backwaters in search of history.District 1 City Co... read more Online Flipbook: Jungle History and the Creek on Farragut Drive A 12-page booklet (see flipbook below) about the history of the Jungle Country Club golf course was recently mailed to homeowners who live in homes overlooking the creek on Farragut Drive. T... read more Rare 1931 Newsreel Footage of Babe Ruth and His Family at the Jungle County Club Hotel February 9, 1931: Ruth talks about Florida weather, the upcoming season, new Yankee manager Joe McCarthy and playing golf on the Jungle course. About Babe Ruth's blended family: Ru... read more The One Degree of Separation Between Walter Hagen and Steve of the Jungle Walter Hagen holds the record score of 64 on the Jungle golf course. He was the greatest professional golfer of his era and he was the first president of the Pasadena-on-the-Gulf golf course... read more Handsome Jack Taylor was the Catalyst for the Jungle's Building Boom Handsome Jack Taylor's Positive Impact Pasadena-on-the-Gulf developer "Handsome Jack" Taylor's positive impact on St. Petersburg and the Jungle neighborhood is not fully appreciated by ... read more Dr. Dolittle of the Jungle A few weeks ago, I was walking along the creek on Farragut Drive and saw a great blue heron perched on a rooftop. The homeowner was outside and I introduced myself as someone who writes abou... read more An Inspirational Letter From Babe Ruth Was Written On Jungle Hotel Letterhead In 1930, during a stay at the Jungle Hotel, Babe Ruth wrote a letter to the pupils of Central High School in Philadelphia encouraging them to work hard, live a clean life, save money and hon... read more Ten of the Oldest Homes in the Jungle The list is based on a search of real estate databases. These are the oldest homes found in the Jungle. Most have been thoroughly remodeled, but their listed build date is prior to 1924. Ima... read more Historic Jungle Neighborhood Photographs From 1925 Found at Estate Sale I recently received an email from a Detroit architect who had purchased an old photo album at an estate sale. He sent me some rarely seen and never before published photographs of the Jungle... read more Wildlife in the Creek Last week, I retrieved a Sony Cyber-shot DSC-WX220 10x optical zoom camera from the back of the closet. It hadn't been used in six years. It's smaller than a cell phone and takes good hand-h... read more A Peaceable Kingdom: Great Egret, Roseate Spoonbill, Tricolored Heron, and Wood Storks in the Creek The peaceful gathering of Florida wildlife in the photos below reminded me of the peaceable kingdom paintings from the 1830's by Edward Hicks:The creek on Farragut Drive in the Azalea neighb... read more Savior of Baseball ‒ Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis ‒ Played on the Jungle Country Club Golf Course Babe Ruth and Judge Kenesaw Mountain Landis were two of the most prominent figures of the early twentieth century. Both played on the Jungle Country Club golf course, leaving footprints acro... read more Recent Visitors to Jungle Country Club Creek ‒ Anhinga, Roseate Spoonbill and Stork Photos dated April 22 and May 1, 2021.Anhinga on railing overlooking creek.  I've seen an anhinga in the creek with its body underwater and only its neck above the water. At first ... read more John Levique and Joseph Silva ‒ the First Jungle Landowners Fishermen and Turtle Hunters Around 1840, Frenchman John Levique and Spaniard Joseph Silva were fishermen and turtle hunters who worked together in the Gulf of Mexico, Boca Ciega Bay, a... read more Jungle Country Club Creek Proposal Publisher's note: This proposal was presented to the Azalea Neighborhood Association in April 2021 by The Friends of Jungle Country Club Creek. The petition was signed by 28 homeowners ... read more Spanish Conquistadors Marched Through Azalea Park En Route to Safety Harbor A few days after the Narváez Expedition landed at the Jungle Prada Site in 1528, Pánfilo de Narváez decided to explore inland with a team of forty-five men. An account of the Narváez Expedit... read more Babe Ruth Signs 1932 Contract for $75K The signing took place on March 16th in the flower garden of the Rolyat Hotel in Gulfport, about two miles south of the Jungle Country Club.Babe Ruth, wife Claire, and Colonel Jacob Rup... read more First Mass in Florida Celebrated at the Jungle Prada Site A marker at the foot of the Jungle Pier commemorates the first Mass in Florida.The inscription: First Mass in Florida April 16, 1528 In April 1528, the Spanish explorer Panfil... read more My Friend Walter Hagen A musical tribute to Walter Hagen. <Music: Billy Mac-My Friend Walter Hagen> Walter Hagen was considered the best golfer in the world when he moved into 320 Park Street ... read more Artifacts From the Jungle Hotel Found in Creek A collection of artifacts from the Jungle Country Club era (1925-1944) are on display in a classroom building at Admiral Farragut Academy. The collection is not open for public viewing, but ... read more Recollections of the Jungle Neighborhood: 1967-1980 Curt of Davista reminisces about growing up in the Jungle. With his permission, I've edited our correspondence and added some images.Steve, I love your blog. Apparently I lived in the n... read more Vintage Postcard: Jungle Prada Restaurant Cocktail Lounge Motel A neighborhood history buff and fan of the blog found this vintage postcard on eBay of the Jungle Prada Motel, circa 1954-1970.The pool was added sometime between 1950 and 1954, but is no lo... read more 1939: Jimmie Foxx Becomes the Face of the Jungle Country Club During Babe Ruth's baseball career there was only one player who could compete for his home run records ‒ Jimmie Foxx (Hall of Fame, class of 1951). Foxx was twelve years younger and many c... read more The Virtual Babe Ruth Birthday Party Tom Derry has been celebrating the Babe Ruth Birthday Party in the Detroit area since 1988. This year's party was virtual with Tom in his basement bar reminiscing about past celebrations and... read more F.A. Davis, the Father of St. Petersburg and the Jungle  Frank Allston Davis  F.A. Davis ushered St. Petersburg into the twentieth century. He introduced electricity and set in motion the projects that brought a trolley line and br... read more PGA Tour Event Was Held on the Jungle Golf Course Of the 15,000 golf courses in America, relatively few can claim to have hosted a Professional Golfers Association event, but the 1930 St. Petersburg Open final round was held at the Jungle C... read more Season's Greetings from Babe Ruth, Jungle Country Club Golf Champion Babe Ruth wishes "Season's Greetings" to all neighbors in the Jungle Country Club subdivision, also known as the Azalea neighborhood. Ruth left footprints all over the neighborhood while pla... read more Legends of the Jungle Country Club: Grantland Rice I've written about several legends who played on the celebrated Jungle Country Club course ‒ Babe Ruth, the most popular athlete and celebrity of his day, Billy DeBeck, the great c... read more First Golf Superstar Walter Hagen Lived at 320 Park Street South Hall of Fame golfer Walter Hagen is one of many athletes and celebrities that played on the Jungle Country Club course. In 1924, he became president of the nearby Bear Creek Golf and Country... read more On Veterans Day We Honor More Than 10,000 WWII Army Veterans Who Began Their Service in the Jungle Veterans Day: November 11, 2020. To those in uniform serving today and to those who have served in the past, we honor you today and every day.In valor there is hope ‒ Publius ... read more New Video: Who Was Pánfilo de Narváez? A significant event occurred in the Jungle neighborhood on April 15, 1528 when Spanish explorer Pánfilo de Narváez landed 300 men near the Jungle Prada Site in St. Petersburg, Florida. Four ... read more The History of St. Petersburg's City Limits and Expansion to the Jungle In 1888, St. Petersburg's original town plat of 500 acres (less than one square mile) was filed at the Hillsborough County Courthouse. Source: The Story of St. Petersburg by Karl H. Gri... read more New Video: Who Were the Tocobaga? Discover Florida Tours has produced a new video about the Tocobaga people who lived in the Jungle for over 600 years.Highlights of the video:The first humans arrived in Florida at least 14,0... read more 1929: Piper-Fuller Field Air Mail Stamp In 1925, the U.S. Postal Service began awarding contracts to commercial airlines to deliver air mail. Philadelphia-based Pitcairn Aviation was awarded contract air mail route number 25 (CAM-... read more Jungle Country Club Golf Course - Front 9 All hole descriptions are under construction and will be updated when additional information is available.Babe Ruth and daughter Julia on the Jungle Country Club golf course (colorized).Sugg... read more 1882 Map of the Jungle The U.S. Land Office published a map of Hillsborough County in 1882. The Jungle and the entire Pinellas Peninsula were in Hillsborough County at the time. The Division Bill of 1911 split Hil... read more 1941 Newsreel Footage of Jungle Golf Tournament The 1941 Baseball Players Golf Tournament was the last major event to be played on the Jungle golf course. Many famous ballplayers participated, leaving their footprints all across the Azale... read more The "Entwined" Sculpture in Walter Fuller Park Earlier this year it was my good fortune to be given a tour of Walter Fuller Park by Dr. Ed Carlson, the president of the Jungle Terrace Civic Association and author of "Advocate for a Healt... read more Jungle Golf Course Architect A.W. Tillinghast Designed Iconic Courses A.W. Tillinghast was the architect of more than 100 golf courses ‒ many of them have hosted major championships including famed Baltusrol, Winged Foot, and Bethpage Black. He is in the World... read more Army's Tent City on the Jungle Golf Course Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. By December 11, the United States was officially at war with both Japan and Germany. Soon millions of volunteers and draftees entered the milit... read more The One Constant Through All the Years Has Been Baseball...In the Jungle "People will come, Ray. The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It has been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and ... read more July 18th is Gertrude and Heathcliff Day On July 18th we pay tribute to the first peahen and peacock of the Jungle neighborhood, brought here in 1953 by the Rothman family (of Kane's Furniture fame). Since that time, the Jungle pea... read more Jungle Neighborhood Annual Holiday Observances Jan 1... Jungle Golf Course Day ‒ Opened 1916  Jan 3... Stephen Stills Birthday (1945)  Jan 17  Prohibition Day ‒ Enforced 1920  Jan 30  Cas... read more Horses Occupy a Special Place in Jungle Neighborhood History Today is National "I Love Horses" Day. Horses played an important role in Jungle history. The first horses arrived in the Jungle in 1528 when the Narváez Expedition landed at the Jungle Prad... read more Fuller House: 450 Park Street Walter P. Fuller lived with his wife Eve Alsford Fuller in this waterfront estate on Park Street near his Jungle Country Club Hotel. Related post: Walter P. Fuller's 1916 Resi... read more Jungle Golf Course Superimposed on Current Street Map The course layout was recreated using the 1915 Map of Golf Course and Jungle Subdivision and aerial photographs from 1926 and 1942.The Jungle Country Club was a hist... read more 𝆕 Hey Hey We're the Ring-tailed Monkeys More information about Jungle neighborhood monkeys has come to my attention...𝆕 Here we come...Walkin' down Park Street...We get the funniest looks...From everyone we meet...𝆕Here are link... read more History of the Jungle Prado Building (now called Jungle Prada) The Jungle Prado building (now called Jungle Prada) at 1700 Park Street North has an intriguing history. Of the significant Jungle neighborhood buildings constructed during th... read more Escape from Monkey Island: The True Story of the Jungle Neighborhood's Wild Monkeys In a previous post I wrote about the wild monkeys of the Jungle neighborhood.There has been an update to this post:Hey Hey We're the Ring-tailed Monkeys.Jungle historian David Anderson has s... read more Stephen Stills Learned to Play Guitar Here Stephen Stills is considered one of the greatest rock and roll artists of all time. His name is recognized throughout the world. He's in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice) and has sold o... read more Jungle Country Club Golf Course Scorecard The course layout is recreated using aerial photographs from 1926 and 1942. Yardage, par and bogey information is found in newspaper articles and on the 1915 Map of Golf Course and Jungle Su... read more World's Greatest Trial Attorney Clarence Darrow Played Golf on the Jungle Course In a 1963 interview, Walter P. Fuller told St. Petersburg Times columnist Dick Bothwell that Clarence Darrow ‒ considered to be the world's greatest trial attorney ‒ played golf on... read more The Mystery of Stonehenge Park - The Jungle's Celestial Observatory In the distant future, alien visitors will discover Stonehenge Park in the Jungle and they will marvel at how a primitive society could erect the impressive columns and spans.What was its pu... read more Al Lang, Congenial President of the Jungle Country Club Al Lang was the most famous and beloved St. Petersburg citizen. He is best known for bringing spring training baseball to Florida and for his efforts to beautify the city.He also owned a hom... read more 1918 Virus Advice: Avoid Crowds, Sneezers and Spitters A deadly virus was approaching St. Petersburg in 1918. Mayor Al Lang* (see below) made plans to close down movie theaters, schools and all other indoor public gatherings. The newspaper repor... read more Monkeys Used to Swing in the Trees in the Jungle Neighborhood Publisher's note: there have been two updates to this story:Escape from Monkey Island: The True Story of the Jungle Neighborhood's Wild Monkeys.Hey Hey We're the Ring-tailed Monkeys.A recent... read more When Did Jungle Prado Become Jungle Prada? When Walter P. Fuller built the Jungle Prado building in 1924, he named it after the famous Prado Promenade in Havana. Experts were brought in from Cuba to lay the terrazzo floors. The Jungl... read more Mobsters From Al Capone's Chicago Outfit Were Guests at the Jungle Hotel In a letter to the St. Petersburg Evening Independent, Walter P. Fuller recalled meeting Public Enemy #1 Johnny Torrio, the first of the gang lords. Torrio built the criminal organization kn... read more Attention Jungle Homeowners: There's Buried Treasure in Your Yard What Lies Beneath? The next time your dog starts digging a hole in the yard, you might want to get a shovel and help out ‒ there are many interesting artifacts buried in the Jungle... read more The Jungle Country Club Era, In Color Some readers have asked how black and white photos are colorized for use on this blog. First I want to say that I like old black and white photos and I am a fan of pre-Technicolor movie... read more Rare 1926 Color Image of Jungle Country Club Hotel The black and white photograph was taken sometime after 1926 when the hotel opened. According to the description, the little girl is "probably Betty." I have not been able to connect th... read more National Babe Ruth Day is April 27 - A Tribute to the Man Who Won So Singular a Place in American Life The world's first mega-celebrity Babe Ruth left his footprints in the Jungle, having played over 100 rounds of golf on the Jungle Country Club golf course during the years he trained in St. ... read more Jungle Club is Fashion Innovator The Jungle Club was recognized as a fashion innovator in a January 16, 1936 article by M.A. Weiss in the Pittsburgh Sun-Telegraph titled "Tropics Beckon To Disciples of Dame Fashion."Vintage... read more Casa de Muchas Flores in the Jungle Was Designed by Henry Dupont, Architect of the Don CeSar Hotel Casa de Muchas Flores at 1446 Park Street North in the Jungle is listed on the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places. The architect was Henry H. Dupont, best known for his work on the D... read more On This Date - April 15: The Narváez Expedition Lands at the Jungle Prada Site in 1528 On April 15, 1528, Spanish explorer Pánfilo de Narváez and his expeditionary force made landfall at the Jungle Prada site, disrupting the stable Tocobaga culture with cruelty, violence and w... read more Inside the Jungle Country Club Hotel, St. Petersburg, Florida Last summer I made a phone call to Admiral Farragut Academy and explained that I write articles about the Jungle neighborhood and I wanted to take a picture of the moon rock. I was expecting... read more Casa Coe da Sol Was Designed by World Famous Architect Addison Mizner Casa Coe da Sol, in the Jungle neighborhood at 510 Park Street North, is a home designed by world famous architect Addison Mizner. It was built in 1931 as the winter residence of the William... read more Sunset Hotel - Neighborhood Wonder The Sunset Hotel was on Park Street, a few blocks south of the Jungle Club Hotel. The success of the 60-room Sunset Hotel influenced the decision to build the 100-room Jungle Club Hotel whic... read more The Tocobaga People Lived Responsibly and Cared for the Jungle Neighborhood for Over 600 Years “The Tocobaga people left this land as they found it. They took from the earth only what they needed. They lived responsibly and cared for the land for over 600 years.” [1]Tocobaga Trib... read more Babe Ruth: A Swashbuckling Palooka Who Strides With a Spirit of Possibility Across the American Stage This blog is about the historic Jungle Country Club Hotel and Golf Course in St. Petersburg, Florida, a place where Babe Ruth played hundreds of hours of golf, where he celebrated birthdays,... read more 1918 Spanish Influenza Infected Babe Ruth Twice and Nearly Killed Him Had he not survived the 1918 pandemic, Babe Ruth would not be one of the greatest sports heroes of all time and he would not have had the opportunity to play over a hundred rounds of golf on... read more Fountain of Youth Discovered in the Jungle - Dixie Well at Jungle Springs The west coast Fountain of Youth has been found near the trolley line on Park Street, between Par Avenue and Bogie Avenue. To promote trolley ridership in 1917, the St. Petersburg & Gulf... read more The Confusing History of The Jungle "Prada" Hotel The rich history of St. Petersburg's Jungle is shared by three neighborhoods – Azalea, Jungle Terrace, and Jungle Prada.(Click here for maps of the Jungle)Recently there have been ... read more Walter P. Fuller - Jungle Visionary There were two Walter Fullers, both were visionaries and the Jungle neighborhood is their lasting legacy. H. Walter Fuller (1865-1942), the Jungle’s founding father, was the first person to ... read more H. Walter Fuller – the Jungle’s Founding Father There were two Walter Fullers, both were visionaries and the Jungle neighborhood is their lasting legacy. H. Walter Fuller (1865-1942), the Jungle’s founding father, was the first person to ... read more Live from the Jungle Hotel, It's St. Petersburg's First Radio Station "For a time, the hotel even had its own radio station, WSUN, which delighted patrons with lobby-side broadcasts." – Raymond Arsenault, St. Petersburg and the Florida Dream 1888-195... read more Help! - Earl Gresh and His Gangplank Orchestra And now ...  internationally famous jazz recording stars ... the  house band of the Gangplank speakeasy on the Prado at Jungle Pier, 1700 Park St N, St. Petersburg ... here they ar... read more On This Day - February 26, 1935 - Babe Ruth is Released by the Yankees and Signs With the Boston Braves There were 16 major league teams at the time, but luckily for St. Petersburg's baseball fans, Babe Ruth signed with the other major league team that held spring training in St. Petersburg.19... read more Postcards from the Jungle: Natural Swing at Jungle This doesn't look like much fun and I can't imagine that they sold many of these postcards.State Archives of Florida My horticultural expert informs me that this vine was common in the ... read more St. Petersburg's First Airport Was in the Jungle - Fuller Flying Field Charles Lindbergh had not yet crossed the Atlantic when Fuller Flying Field was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day 1926. It was St. Petersburg's first airport and the third in Florida. Built to p... read more Spring Training in the Jungle with Baseball Legend Don Zimmer "[Baseball] follows the seasons, beginning each year with the fond expectancy of springtime and ending with the hard facts of autumn." Ken Burns' Baseball Today is the first day of... read more Babe Ruth Limps Off Jungle Golf Course After Playing 63 Holes in One Day Babe Ruth walked 17 miles through our neighborhood while playing 63 holes of golf in one day on the Jungle Golf Course. He was seen with a slight limp as he finished. A round of golf takes a... read more Babe Ruth's Two-Day Birthday Event Begins Today Babe Ruth celebrated many birthdays here at the Jungle Country Club Hotel, always punctuated by what he really loved to do - playing a few rounds of golf on the Jungle course.According to Th... read more Where is the Jungle? The Jungle extends across two square miles of land on the west side of St. Petersburg, Florida bounded by Boca Ciega Bay, 5th Avenue North, and the Pinellas Trail.Map of Jungle area: Ju... read more The Orange Blossom Special Passed Through the Jungle on Its Regularly Scheduled West Coast Run The Pinellas Trail, a 38.2 mile urban pathway, makes its way across the east side of the Jungle on land that was formerly Seaboard Air Line railroad tracks. 1939 Postcard The new stream... read more Today is the 100th Anniversary of Prohibition. Did Al Capone Play Golf Here? Today is the 100th anniversary of Prohibition. The 18th Amendment was ratified January 16, 1919 and became effective January 17, 1920.A few weeks ago I asked Mark, the owner of JP Tavern at ... read more Jungle Country Club Trophy is Enshrined in Baseball Hall of Fame A Jungle Country Club trophy won by Babe Ruth is enshrined in the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown - and the trophy is sponsored by this blog, The Jungle Country Club History Project!St.... read more 1926 Aerial Photograph of Jungle Neighborhood A 1926 aerial photograph of the Jungle section of St. Petersburg shows the outline of the Jungle Golf Course with fairways in light gray (east/right side of photo), wooded areas and lakes ar... read more Just a Friendly Reminder - The 20's Start in Six Days It would be a turbulent decade for the Jungle Country Club according to the Timeline of Events That Influenced the Growth of the Jungle Country Club Area (plus a few events that didn't)... read more Lighted Trolley Heralds Arrival of Yuletide Here in the Jungle The Santa Land Christmas Trolley ran on all municipal lines including the Jungle line. St. Petersburg Times - December 20, 1938: Lighted Trolley Heralds Arrival of Yuletide Here&nb... read more Elbow Lane When the neighborhood was plotted in 1915, many of the streets were named for golf terms. Course architect A.W. Tillinghast used the term "elbow" to describe a hole that today would be calle... read more 5th Hole ⬩ 210 yds ⬩ Par 3 ⬩ Jungle Country Club Golf Course, St. Petersburg, FL The Jungle Country Club golf course was in operation from 1916-1944. All hole descriptions are under construction and will be updated as additional information becomes available.Suggested pr... read more Historic Meeting of Historians Esteemed Jungle historians met today at the Sacred Lands site to discuss the future of Jungle history - James E. MacDougald, Chairman of The History Council and author of  "The Pánfilo ... read more 1920 Article: Where to Go and What to See in and Around the Sunshine City In an article published 99 years ago, the Jungle is described as a sub-tropical forest - a land of enchantment overlooking Boca Ciega Bay.The 1920 article is titled "Where to Go and What to ... read more How a Jungle Country Club Golfer Inspired the Google Brand Name Billy DeBeck was an amateur golfer from New York who liked to play the St. Petersburg golf courses during the winter seasons. He and his wife lived at the Jungle Club Hotel from November 192... read more A Brief History of the Jungle Country Club Golf Course A palm bordered golf course in sunny Florida. By 1915, St. Petersburg – aka "The Sunshine City" and "The Health City" –  was one of the leading tourist destinations in Florida... read more A Colony of Ibises Have a Picnic on Golf Creek A colony of ibises were seen enjoying a Friday morning picnic on the north end of Farragut Drive - then a few minutes later they had moved to 13th Avenue.Video of the picnic. read more Yankee manager Miller Huggins, You Just Won the 1928 World Series. What Are You Going to Do Next? "Disney World hasn't opened yet - I'm going to the Jungle Country Club!" - Yankee manager Miller Huggins.October 11, 1928. The Yankees had just won the World Series, defeating the St. Louis ... read more Prohibition Era Gangster "Fred the Barber" Gehring I received a note last week with a picture dated March 28, 1931 of "Fred the Barber" Gehring with Babe Ruth in front of the Jungle Hotel.I just wanted to write to tell you I love your blog!&... read more Stimie Avenue The neighborhood surrounding the Jungle Country Club Golf Course was plotted circa 1915 with streets that were named for golf terms.Photo: Steve of the Jungle CC. source: OpenStreetMap.... read more Neighborhood Grad Has Popular Country Song Written About Him The song is "Charlie Duke Took Country Music to the Moon" by the Stryker Brothers and is introduced by Merle Haggard with closing comments by Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner.The local hero i... read more Storks and Egrets on Golf Creek Picture and video taken today of four storks and two egrets on Golf Creek on Farragut Drive in the Jungle neighborhood, St. Petersburg, FL.. read more How Many Times Did Babe Ruth Cross Golf Creek? Golf Creek was a water hazard on four holes (3, 4, 6, and 18) of the Jungle Country Club Golf Course.On 6 and 18, the creek was crossed twice.There is another crossing to get from the second... read more The Jungle Country Club Was an Important Part of Babe Ruth’s Life The Yankees trained in St. Petersburg during Babe Ruth's 1925-34 seasons and, in 1935, Ruth trained in St. Pete as a member of the Boston Braves. Pictured: Babe Ruth in front of the Jun... read more This Just In: Stone Tools Found at Piper-Fuller Airfield, Azaleaville An article in Florida Anthropologist (vol. 26, no. 3, September 1973), reports that stone tools were unearthed in 1964 at Piper-Fuller Airfield and Azaleaville just north of the Sc... read more Babe Ruth's Winter Estate Was Near the Jungle Country Club 211 Sunset Drive N (Photo: Steve of the Jungle) Babe Ruth's winter estate was just a 10 minute walk from the Jungle Country Club (Mapquest). Video of the estate by Moeller and Barb... read more What Was Babe Ruth Doing in My Front Yard? My presentation to the Azalea Homes Community Association on September 9, 2019. Exhibit 1 - Babe Ruth golfing in front of the Jungle Hotel (now Admiral Farragut Academy) I retired ... read more Jungle Country Club today: Roseate Spoonbill on Railing Overlooking Golf Creek Jungle Country Club today: Roseate Spoonbill on railing overlooking Golf Creek read more Babe Ruth Celebrates 40th Birthday at Jungle Hotel (1934 Rare Film) At the Jungle Hotel, 501 Park Street N, St. Petersburg, Fl The YouTube video title says 1935, but Babe Ruth actually celebrated his 40th birthday in 1934 - an article in the St. Petersburg T... read more Bogie Avenue Q. In golf, is a bogey the same as one over par for a hole? A: Not if you were playing golf in 1916. Pictured: 7995 Bogie Avenue N - photo: Steve of the Jungle CC One of the b... read more Gangplank Orchestra Put the Sin in Syncopation In the late '20s, Columbia Recording Artists Earl Gresh and the Gangplank Orchestra were regulars at the Gangplank speakeasy, 1700 Park Street N. Here's a taste of some of the hot jazz that ... read more Alligators, Rattlesnakes and Moccasins Challenged Workers Who Cleared the Jungle for Golf A.W. Tillinghast, renowned golfer and course architect, was hired to design the course that would become the Jungle Country Club Golf Course. He wrote a weekly column for the Philadelphia Re... read more There Used to Be a Country Club According to public records my home is in the Jungle Country Club subdivision, but where is the country club?  When we moved here twenty years ago, we would tell people that we bought a... read more Moon Rock Discovered at 501 Park Street North! Astronaut Charles Duke, Jr, Admiral Farragut Class of  '53 valedictorian, flew to the moon on Apollo 16, traveled 16.6 miles in the lunar roving vehicle, and brought back a lot of rocks... read more That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, Azaleaville! Q: How do I get to Azaleaville?A: You can't get there from here.I've lived on Farragut Drive for over 20 years and I had never heard of Azaleaville until I started looking into the history o... read more Q. Why Did the Peacock Cross the Road? (Update) A: To get to the peahen on the other side. 08.18.2019 - new video just in - three peacocks visiting Golf Creek, 9th Avenue N and Farragut Drive. Peacock Crossing sign on Park Stree... read more Video by the City of St. Petersburg about the historic Jungle Prada neighborhood. From the City of St. Petersburg: The next episode of Living Local is here, our monthly video series where we feature unique aspects of neighborhoods throughout St. Pete. This month features... read more Boat Landing at the Country Club, Davista (Jungle Country Club) Circa 1916 - this is the area of the Plat book map labeled "Yacht Basin." The Jungle Hotel would not be completed until 1925 - that is the clubhouse in the background. Today, Admiral Fa... read more Timeline of Events That Influenced the Growth of the Jungle Country Club Area Best viewed with Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browserTimeline of Events That Influenced the Growth of the Jungle Country Club Area900Tocobaga Indians begin settlements in Tampa Bay area, ... read more Video of Babe Ruth Golfing at the Jungle Country Club Video of Babe Ruth leaving the Princess Martha Hotel with his wife Claire and then golfing at the Jungle Country Club.Babe and Claire in front of the Jungle Country Club Hotel January 1930 (... read more Jungle Country Club Score Card While on one of my neighborhood walks, I introduced myself to some city maintenance workers who had just finished cutting up a fallen tree limb at Sunset Park. I asked them if the city maint... read more Good News, Bad News Good News, Bad News. P.S. The new tea room that is mentioned is actually the Gangplank, the speakeasy that would be part of the Jungle Prado (now Prada) complex. Customers would secretl... read more Golf Creek Park Apparently it’s a secret. The park is not on the list of all St. Petersburg parks and is not identified on Google maps, but a sizable team of ducks has found it anyway. Golf Creek Park is a ... read more Vintage postcards from the Jungle, Part 1 The Dixie Well appears to be a tourist attraction in the Jungle, perhaps the water was thought to be therapeutic (see the man with a white cane in the postcard). I am researching the actual ... read more Opening day January 1, 1916 Opening day January 1, 1916. The course opened with only 9-holes ready for play and without a real name, just a generic label “the Country Club at Davista.” Soon after, the course would... read more Jungle crest/logo Jungle crest/logo. On the crest are golf clubs, a palm tree, and a sailboat. Pictured: marker at entrance to Jungle Prada neighborhood – inspired by the Jungle Hotel logo.The Jungl... read more Dormieone Lane Dormieone Lane (now the street name is Dormieone Road). I was pronouncing this as if it rhymed with Hermione but it’s actually pronounced dormie-one. Dormie is a golf term used in match... read more Golf Course Superimposed on Current Street Map Golf Course Superimposed on Current Street MapPublisher's note: Click here for an updated map. (click here to enlarge and zoom)  read more Map of Golf Course and Jungle Sub-division Map of Golf Course and Jungle Sub-division - 1915 (click here to enlarge and zoom) The 1915 Plat book map shows some streets that no longer exist or have been renamed – Golf Road, ... read more Introduction When our family moved to St. Petersburg and purchased a home in the Jungle Country Club subdivision in 1998, we knew very little about the history of the neighborhood. We came to learn that ... read more