Someone asked where these people are now. I, for one, am still here. I was a member of theAquamaniacs and rode on many Festival floats representing numerous states. Also marched in one parade with the St Paul’s Catholic High School band. Those were calmer, eqsyGoing times.
Born & raised in St. Petersburg. I was born at Bayfront Medical Center in the 70's. I attended Shore Acres Elementary, Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School & Northeast High school. As someone else commented below, it pains me to see how much my hometown & certain neighborhoods have DRASTICALLY changed or are gone altogether. For example, the homes that were razed in order to build the Tropicana Stadium. I remember when there used to be an actual pirate ship at the pier. And speaking of the pier, it was going to be torn down but was saved from deconstruction & was remodeled to its current state now. Let me stop talking about my beloved hometown because all I do is get sad reminiscing about days/places of the past.🤷🏾♀️
If it makes you feel better, the priate ship you spoke of, the Bounty, sunk in a hurricane several years ago, and the housing lost to Tropicana Field will soon be replaced 10 fold after the Trop is demolished in 2027 and 93 acres of downtown land is converted into housing and commercial development.
The previous waterfront pier .. WAS .. demolished (because the 90 year-old concrete had been dangerously eroded by saltwater 💧) , and an entirely new Pier, opened in summer 2020, now attracting thousands of visitors weekly.
I’m a st.pete boy myself. I worked at Bayfront hospital for 15yrs and now I work at the va bay pines hospital. Hey have you seen the new pier?? I have to say they really went all out. It’s pretty cool down there.b
As a native of St. Petersburg myself: The Bounty sank in a storm long after it lost its berth downtown. The beaches, now a wall of condos. The main thing that ruined Florida is over tourism mostly from Disney World and I-75 that brought the hoards of old, bitter, angry, rightwing retires from the midwest. Left St. Pete for college in 1980 and never returned to live. I remember the old pier very well and during the christmas holidays the decorated trees on the approach. Also, the lasers from the then newly built pier in the early 1970's. It was quite the thing then to go there and dine for the first few years and then that wore off rather quickly. Some of the older neighborhoods like Allendale are pretty much unchanged since I lived there as a kid. The trees have grown much more since. The houses amazingly pretty much the same. Would have figured that a lot of the older ones would have been replaced like so many older water front homes on Snell Isle.
I'm 45 years old and I'm born and raised on Cocoa Beach and to watch the complete destruction of what made Florida such an amazing place to be born and raised. It has lost its charming, friendly, and fun loving communities and has turned into just another place to overpopulate and destroy. My goodness I miss my old Florida...... ☹️☹️
I completely understand. The same thing happened to my hometown in Virginia. The huge influx of people from other areas has completely obliterated the charm and laid back lifestyle that drew them here in the first place. I understand nothing stays the same, but I hate that it's not even a shadow what once existed.
My grandmother moved to st.Pete Back in the mid 50’s, and I lived there for about 25 years. I remember seeing old photos from those times and how it looked. Places like the vinnoy and don cesar, Webb city and sunken gardens. It’s cool to see an old travel film.
My family moved to St Petersburg in 1976 when I was 13. It was a great place to grow up. As kids we would ride our bikes from the center of town to the beach. It was a different time back then.
I was born in 1948 at Orlando AFB and, by 1954, my family was living in Japan. My Dad was transferred to Harlingen AFB in Texas by 1956 so we were able to travel to the Plant City, FL area often to visit my mother's side of the family. By 1958, we were transferred to Homestead AFB in Florida where we lived for two years before being transferred to Kincheloe AFB in Michigan close to Sault Ste. Marie. All of that to say that I know what Florida used to be like. My Dad finally retired from the Air Force to live in Orange Springs, FL not far from Gainesville, FL. I was 15 at the time of his retirement. Florida was still old Florida at that time. It is so sad to see what has become of my state. I am 74 years old and still live in Florida (Gainesville, FL) but do not recognize the place. It is a tragedy that old Florida and old values are gone.
I'm surprised they didn't mention Webb's City. Webb's City was a one-stop department store of sorts that was located in St. Petersburg, Florida and was touted as "the World's Most Unusual Drug Store". It was founded in 1926 by James Earl "Doc" Webb. At its peak Webb's City had 77 departments and measured about ten city blocks.[1] The lyrics to its radio ad were "There'll be no more hoppin' around the town a-shoppin', Webb's City is your one-stop shopping store". It was considered a forerunner to the shopping center. As shopping centers became popular, business dwindled at Webb's City. It was eventually closed in 1979.[2] Doc Webb's philosophy regarding to Webb City was "stack it high and sell it cheap."
I'm old enough to remember "Doc" Webb's house Christmas light display since we lived nearby but oh boy, the traffic to look at the lights. Actually, the city apparently ran busses throughout Allendale and Snell Isle to look at the lights on people's houses. I don't know why people don't put up lights so much anymore. Then there was the St. Pete Aquarium, the old Al Lang field. I think the main thrust of that movie was to promote the tourist aspect of the Gulf Beaches. Anyone remember the old Penguin restaurant, not the later concrete incarnation. Or the Sand Dollar restaurant, the revolving cocktail lounge was something for a little kid that I was in those days.
@@olewornhat Back in the 1960's my parents would go over to my grandmothers home who live on Snell Isle to put up the Christmas lights on the front of the house and on the dock in back. You must certainly remember Maas Brothers and WM Henry department stores. A lot of people simply don't since they are new comers and I am quite a bit younger than you.
@@kennixox262 Yeah, did your Grandmother get flooded out a lot on Snell Isle? I remember reading about gawkers that used to observe the flooding and create waves that sandbags couldn't stop. You ever wade for snook up around Gandy? I can't remember the name of the park. Several Indian artifacts were found there.
@@olewornhat No, the house was raised a bit from the back yard. I do remember staying over there during hurricane Agnes, but only water came up to the back of the pool area. Shore acres is awful for flooding. This was also on Coffee Pot Bayou on the inside of the Snell Isle bridge. People who live far out on Brightwaters are more open to the bay and may experience flooding. Had several in my extended family who lived way out near the point but don't recall hearing about it. What I can say is that all of those houses have been knocked down and replaced by HUGE houses. Not that the older ones were small. Never went out by Gandy Bridge, as a kid was not allowed to ride my bike too far out beyond the neighborhood, i.e. not beyond 9th St or the other side of Haines Road. As I got older was allowed to go to the Raquet Club but that was about it. That way I grew up in St. Petersburg, beyond regular visits to my grandmothers home, SPYC for dinners and a bit here and there around town, might as well have lived in Kansas "waterwise". My parents got rid of their boat before we were born.
When my parents brought us each summer to the southern tip of St Petersburg, the only thing left from this video was the small motel, shuffleboard and some shells were fun. We loved it. The last two years we went, around 1979, they were building huge concrete hotels a mile or two north of where we were staying. When my kids were old enough, I tried to give them the same experience. But those new hotels were run down and kind of nasty. We had a good time anyway, but it will never be the same pleasant start as when I was a kid.
Amazing video! Born and raised here in the bay area in East Hillsborough County. I have always been a beach boy and get out to Treasure Island about about every 3-4 months to decompress for the weekend. I hate the growth and the loss of "old Florida."
I really can’t say much more than what has been said, I cried, I thank you, I remembered, I related, this was so wonderful and generous of you to share and create thank you thank you!
Me and the wife went to St. Petersburg last year for the Dahlia museum. We love Florida and have been to the Keys, Miami and Pensacola areas. We stayed Panama to. Every ace has hurricane 🌀 horror stories and this is what I believe changed Florida so much over the years.
Ah, if only THAT Florida still existed. I was fortunate enough as a child in the 70’s to see Weeki-Watchee, Marineland, Sea World, The Parrot Jungle, “E-ticket” era Disney World, and other places. And G-d willing, I’ll someday return to live in whatever is left of Florida. Today’s “Sunshine State” is STILL BETTER than any other state in America!!!!!!!!! That’s why everybody is moving there.
Indian Rocks beach was wonderful. My family rented an apartment there in the Summer of 1983. That small one story complex is gone now replaced with 20 floors of condominium crap.
thanks for the old footage. We are extra terrestrials of old Florida .... those kids on the beach are exactly my parents age today.... 80.... moms side of the family had already been in florida before the tamiami trail was built .... dads side were from ft wayne
Thank you for sharing this! I grew up in Florida always hearing about how it was "back then" and it's nice to get a look at how it was. Going to share this with my Grandmama and see if it sparks more stories of the old days :)
Come to Gulfport as it still has a lot of old Florida in bungalow homes and a great restaurant and shopping area. “Gateway to the Gulf!” Very nice memory piece on St. Petersburg, still a pretty city.
Born'62 St.Anthonys hospital. First Madera Beach then Crossroads Shopping Center, my father owned Bona Pizza. This whole area has changed & it feels too busy on roads & relaxation is down really low. 🫂🧚♂️✌️♥️🤟🧚♀️🫂
I’m a Saint Pete native. I was born in 2001 and it sad to see how poorly vacationers treated our land, littering our beaches and ruining outdoor spaces :(
These comments are an absolute riot. The people pining for this were they themselves "outsiders" when *their* parents moved there. And now THEYRE complaining, completely ignoring the fact that they themselves are indigineous to New Jersey.
Woah, as a native of St. Pete it's weird to hear Boca Ciega pronounced "Boca Sea-ga" instead of "Boca Sea-aga". I know so many people who live there and they NEVER pronounced it like they did here. I don't know if it was just a mistake but it's wild nonetheless. Since people are dropping their deets here I went to: Bay Vista Elementary, Thurgood Marshall Middle, Southside Fundamental Middle, Riviera Middle (year before it got torn down), and Northeast High. Love this city, even if it's not cared for they way it deserves.
This was an awesome video. I wonder where all these folks are now. Clearly, many have passed on, but the kids should still be around. This was fun to watch.
Awesome! I do wonder what could have been added, like dolphins, pelicans, peacocks, sand dunes, airports, downtown scenes, certain stores and hotels, green benches, planetarium, burger shacks, at least they did show from the start orange fruit stands. Anyway, definitely interesting times... Such it is was practically every where.. Thanks for sharing and hello from Saint Petersburg Beach!
I love the fact that there were the diving boards that I remember made going to the pool so much fun. Also, notice how there are no obese kids or obese adults?
Sadly most of the beaches at 2:15 are pretty much private beaches for Rich people that own homes and condos. Cites have closed most public access to beaches and closed a lot of public parking areas. I turned 50 this year and our beaches are pretty much gone for public use. The only ones open to the Public are dirty and parking is hard to come by
That's terrible. Robert Moses was not a great person, but early in his career in NY he wrested the beaches of Long Island near NYC from the barons and created the incredible public beaches we have.
St Pete was seriously changed in the last 50 years maybe more. It’s become a huge city and with big city problems. You are less likely to water ski instead you go parasailing or zorbing on the water. Hotels really took that coastline and same happened to Daytona Beach and it’s just continued north. Not like the old days of just snowbirds and retirees with the occasional family.
@@kennixox262 not really a history lesson. Just stating how the Civil War was still very fresh in the collective mind - with many alive at that time who had great grandparents that lived through the aftermath of the war and it was still a source a pride to have stood against the perceived tyranny of the Union. And since this film was made long before the 1960’s civil rights era …. No “memo” had been sent out yet to cease & desist displaying that flag.
The greedy developers ruined it and the greedy local governments that wanted development and its expanded tax base at all costs. It was always interesting that Toytown landfill was essentially at the entrance to St. Petersburg once off the Howard Franklin bridge.
Even though technically its not part of St. Petersburg at 2:05 when they were showing the map with all the nice Gulf Beaches they completely left off Clearwater Beach which is the best beach of all but nonetheless it was fun to watch scenes of "Old Florida". Everything is so much different now. 🙂
This is great. Where would they have shown this film in 1954 to attract people? Just wondering since there was no means of bulk distribution back in the day. A travel agency maybe? They would have to set up a 16mm projector and screen. A lot of trouble to go to back then but I would have loved it!
Good question. Back in the day, there were many film bureaus which would ship films for free to clubs such as the Rotary, Shriners, Civic Club, etc. to screen. Films like this were also shown by travel agents.
Looks like it was fun, I have been to St. Petersburg and it definitely doesn't look like that anymore. I guess, just another victim of being too popular I guess.
@@freedomforever6718 inflation? You are just now noticing inflation? My old man made 21 dollars a month first job. My first was 21 dollars a day, now the same labor job today pays 21 dollars an hour. 1940s to 2020s.
At the time downtown had..Webb City. World’s largest drug store. The Fountain of Youth, green Park Benches, the Million Dollar Pier, a century old Kapok tree. Al Lang Field. .. training home of the St.Louis Cardinals.
The whole world is still trying to "migrate" to white neighborhoods and white countries, even by jumping borders illegally. The Asians and others don't allow it.
we move down to St Petersburg beach in the early sixties we were the second house on Vina Del Mar my grandfather was a cop Bud's Morton they practically gave the land Away back then because Vina Del Mar was pumped up out of the Gulf of Mexico.Dusty Rhodes live right down the street from KenJames live right across the street. used to get so hot out there my grandma would fry an egg on the sidewalk for us and we also got TAR on feet had to wash that off before we went into the house, yes those were theran wild to the sun came down land was cheap3500 for the14000 to build.house is still.they're West Vina Del Mar
Just was there last week. People saying old Florida has changed. What hasn’t? Raised there from the late 60’s. With some exceptions most tourism places still are there. Overpopulated? Move to Nevada.
Yup, Saint Petersburg has truly evolved. In that time, black people were not allowed to sit on the famous green benches of Williams Park, downtown Saint Pete. Back then, Florida was abbreviated with, "FLA" . 🧐
what I really miss is the thong wearing hot dog cart ladies...those were the days.. I hardly remember them but I have very faint memory of it. I remember the cheeks out
No wonder the rest of the world wanted to come to the USA. Then, in 1967 the Democratic party sponsored a bill written by Teddy Kennedy and was signed into law by LBJ completely re writing immigration laws into the US. 50 years later we have gangs of black cops in Memphis beating people to death during traffic stops. I have several hundred Hispanics running around my local Wal Mart 24 7. I cannot go to a gas station owned by people who speak my language. Thanks LBJ and Teddy , it's not like your wealthy kids will ever suffer like the rest of us. Why didn't we try and protect what our forefathers gave us? Why?
Greedy developers, international and national air travel, the carpetbagger population shift that displaced natives, and state and local governments that are OK with unlimited population growth all contributed to turning Florida from a wonderful beauty of nature into a big paved parking lot with beaches filled from coast to coast with canyons of condo buildings and old orange groves and cattle ranches turned into clone-like subdivisions with names like "Waterford", "Gulfview", etc.... I was fortunate enough to see Florida in the 70's and 80's before it became the sad picture it is today...
Why did all this disappear? Multiculturalism. Most places in this country lost their desirability to live in by about 1980; 1985 at the latest. Atleast we have these films
Here's the issue: Tens of thousands of films similar to this one have been lost forever -- destroyed -- and many others are at risk. Our company preserves these precious bits of history one film at a time. How do we afford to do that? By selling them as stock footage to documentary filmmakers and broadcasters. If we did not have a counter, we could not afford to post films like these online, and no films would be preserved. It's that simple. So we ask you to bear with the watermark and timecodes. In the past we tried many different systems including placing our timer at the bottom corner of our videos. What happened? Unscrupulous TH-cam users downloaded our vids, blew them up so the timer was not visible, and re-posted them as their own content! We had to use content control to have the videos removed and shut down these channels. It's hard enough work preserving these films and posting them, without having to spend precious time dealing with policing thievery -- and not what we devoted ourselves to do. Love our channel and want to support what we do? You can help us save and post more orphaned films! Support us on Patreon: www.patreon.com/PeriscopeFilm Even a really tiny contribution can make a difference.
Humans suck! We snuffed animal exploitation by stopping circuses. Llike my parents, I was born and raised in St. Petesburg & Bradenton Florida to have seen the worst. My bus stop in elementary was across from some big cat owner/trainer gunther douche-crew member. It was cool BEFORE I WAS AWARE....as was the yearly train load of barely alive, disenspirited wildlife that rolled by on the tracks near my home in St Petersburg. Become aware; Humans now know SYSTEMS needs EVERY LIVING THING as it was BEFORE HUMANS AFFECTIED IT. It only needs us to tip the scale back INATUTE DOES NOT.NEED US
You do realize you are a human. Virtue signaling doesn't make you better than the rest of us. How do you justify your existence? You are welcome to remove yourself and save the planet. You guys are so tiresome.
Pinellas Park was always trashy then and white trash now. We did frequently dine at a once popular seafood restaurant, whose name I forget, U.S. 19 and Park Ave.
Someone asked where these people are now. I, for one, am still here. I was a member of theAquamaniacs and rode on many Festival floats representing numerous states. Also marched in one parade with the St Paul’s Catholic High School band. Those were calmer, eqsyGoing times.
thats neat.
Thank you.
were you the one carrying the confederate flag?
Thanks for commenting. The Aquamaniacs looked like a fun show.
1954 I was living in Clearwater. Florida's population was 3.5 million now its 22 million people..Those were "The Good Old Days"
See the transplants home!...oh! where's the cut off cause we moved here in Jan 1960! 🤣
um, what planet is your false claim? 1954 population was less than 16,000 umkay
Born & raised in St. Petersburg. I was born at Bayfront Medical Center in the 70's. I attended Shore Acres Elementary, Morgan Fitzgerald Middle School & Northeast High school. As someone else commented below, it pains me to see how much my hometown & certain neighborhoods have DRASTICALLY changed or are gone altogether. For example, the homes that were razed in order to build the Tropicana Stadium. I remember when there used to be an actual pirate ship at the pier. And speaking of the pier, it was going to be torn down but was saved from deconstruction & was remodeled to its current state now. Let me stop talking about my beloved hometown because all I do is get sad reminiscing about days/places of the past.🤷🏾♀️
If it makes you feel better, the priate ship you spoke of, the Bounty, sunk in a hurricane several years ago, and the housing lost to Tropicana Field will soon be replaced 10 fold after the Trop is demolished in 2027 and 93 acres of downtown land is converted into housing and commercial development.
The previous waterfront pier .. WAS .. demolished (because the 90 year-old concrete had been dangerously eroded by saltwater 💧) , and an entirely new Pier, opened in summer 2020, now attracting thousands of visitors weekly.
@@First_and_skol yes, it was a replica not an actual pirate ship. It was used in Hollywood movies.
I’m a st.pete boy myself. I worked at Bayfront hospital for 15yrs and now I work at the va bay pines hospital. Hey have you seen the new pier?? I have to say they really went all out. It’s pretty cool down there.b
As a native of St. Petersburg myself: The Bounty sank in a storm long after it lost its berth downtown. The beaches, now a wall of condos. The main thing that ruined Florida is over tourism mostly from Disney World and I-75 that brought the hoards of old, bitter, angry, rightwing retires from the midwest. Left St. Pete for college in 1980 and never returned to live. I remember the old pier very well and during the christmas holidays the decorated trees on the approach. Also, the lasers from the then newly built pier in the early 1970's. It was quite the thing then to go there and dine for the first few years and then that wore off rather quickly. Some of the older neighborhoods like Allendale are pretty much unchanged since I lived there as a kid. The trees have grown much more since. The houses amazingly pretty much the same. Would have figured that a lot of the older ones would have been replaced like so many older water front homes on Snell Isle.
I'm 45 years old and I'm born and raised on Cocoa Beach and to watch the complete destruction of what made Florida such an amazing place to be born and raised. It has lost its charming, friendly, and fun loving communities and has turned into just another place to overpopulate and destroy. My goodness I miss my old Florida...... ☹️☹️
Same everywhere pal. When this video was filmed, the World population was only about 5 billion - it over 8 now...
@@huwzebediahthomas9193 unfortunately very true, Hope you and your love ones have a safe and Happy New Year 😊
you could be in Australia
And how has that effected you? Why do you care how many people live in Florida? You Billy Bob Republicans always crying about others people.
I completely understand. The same thing happened to my hometown in Virginia. The huge influx of people from other areas has completely obliterated the charm and laid back lifestyle that drew them here in the first place. I understand nothing stays the same, but I hate that it's not even a shadow what once existed.
My grandmother moved to st.Pete Back in the mid 50’s, and I lived there for about 25 years. I remember seeing old photos from those times and how it looked. Places like the vinnoy and don cesar, Webb city and sunken gardens. It’s cool to see an old travel film.
Sunken Gardens and the Vinnoy are still there. I got married at the Vinnoy.
We moved to Titusville in 1956 when I was 6, my dad worked at the space center. Florida lost it's innocence by 1970. Paradise was lost forever.
St. Pete, born and raised. This is surreal to watch!
My family moved to St Petersburg in 1976 when I was 13. It was a great place to grow up. As kids we would ride our bikes from the center of town to the beach. It was a different time back then.
Before the internet and cellphone - what a beautiful time
As you write this on the internet. 😂
old florida which is gone forever
It was swept away by a human tsunami.
@@kc4cvh Or all the Yankees escaping the tyranny of the north.
St Petersburg…. Even now !
What a place💯❤️
I was born in 1948 at Orlando AFB and, by 1954, my family was living in Japan. My Dad was transferred to Harlingen AFB in Texas by 1956 so we were able to travel to the Plant City, FL area often to visit my mother's side of the family. By 1958, we were transferred to Homestead AFB in Florida where we lived for two years before being transferred to Kincheloe AFB in Michigan close to Sault Ste. Marie. All of that to say that I know what Florida used to be like. My Dad finally retired from the Air Force to live in Orange Springs, FL not far from Gainesville, FL. I was 15 at the time of his retirement. Florida was still old Florida at that time.
It is so sad to see what has become of my state. I am 74 years old and still live in Florida (Gainesville, FL) but do not recognize the place. It is a tragedy that old Florida and old values are gone.
I'm surprised they didn't mention Webb's City. Webb's City was a one-stop department store of sorts that was located in St. Petersburg, Florida and was touted as "the World's Most Unusual Drug Store". It was founded in 1926 by James Earl "Doc" Webb. At its peak Webb's City had 77 departments and measured about ten city blocks.[1] The lyrics to its radio ad were "There'll be no more hoppin' around the town a-shoppin', Webb's City is your one-stop shopping store". It was considered a forerunner to the shopping center. As shopping centers became popular, business dwindled at Webb's City. It was eventually closed in 1979.[2]
Doc Webb's philosophy regarding to Webb City was "stack it high and sell it cheap."
I'm old enough to remember "Doc" Webb's house Christmas light display since we lived nearby but oh boy, the traffic to look at the lights. Actually, the city apparently ran busses throughout Allendale and Snell Isle to look at the lights on people's houses. I don't know why people don't put up lights so much anymore. Then there was the St. Pete Aquarium, the old Al Lang field. I think the main thrust of that movie was to promote the tourist aspect of the Gulf Beaches. Anyone remember the old Penguin restaurant, not the later concrete incarnation. Or the Sand Dollar restaurant, the revolving cocktail lounge was something for a little kid that I was in those days.
@@kennixox262 You're making me cry. Doc Webb's house was on the Christmas must see list. I remember all those places. I'm 76 years old.
@@olewornhat Back in the 1960's my parents would go over to my grandmothers home who live on Snell Isle to put up the Christmas lights on the front of the house and on the dock in back. You must certainly remember Maas Brothers and WM Henry department stores. A lot of people simply don't since they are new comers and I am quite a bit younger than you.
@@kennixox262 Yeah, did your Grandmother get flooded out a lot on Snell Isle? I remember reading about gawkers that used to observe the flooding and create waves that sandbags couldn't stop. You ever wade for snook up around Gandy? I can't remember the name of the park. Several Indian artifacts were found there.
@@olewornhat No, the house was raised a bit from the back yard. I do remember staying over there during hurricane Agnes, but only water came up to the back of the pool area. Shore acres is awful for flooding. This was also on Coffee Pot Bayou on the inside of the Snell Isle bridge. People who live far out on Brightwaters are more open to the bay and may experience flooding. Had several in my extended family who lived way out near the point but don't recall hearing about it. What I can say is that all of those houses have been knocked down and replaced by HUGE houses. Not that the older ones were small. Never went out by Gandy Bridge, as a kid was not allowed to ride my bike too far out beyond the neighborhood, i.e. not beyond 9th St or the other side of Haines Road. As I got older was allowed to go to the Raquet Club but that was about it. That way I grew up in St. Petersburg, beyond regular visits to my grandmothers home, SPYC for dinners and a bit here and there around town, might as well have lived in Kansas "waterwise". My parents got rid of their boat before we were born.
When my parents brought us each summer to the southern tip of St Petersburg, the only thing left from this video was the small motel, shuffleboard and some shells were fun. We loved it. The last two years we went, around 1979, they were building huge concrete hotels a mile or two north of where we were staying. When my kids were old enough, I tried to give them the same experience. But those new hotels were run down and kind of nasty. We had a good time anyway, but it will never be the same pleasant start as when I was a kid.
Sunken Gardens is still there
Amazing video! Born and raised here in the bay area in East Hillsborough County. I have always been a beach boy and get out to Treasure Island about about every 3-4 months to decompress for the weekend. I hate the growth and the loss of "old Florida."
I really can’t say much more than what has been said, I cried, I thank you, I remembered, I related, this was so wonderful and generous of you to share and create thank you thank you!
Ahhhhhhhhhh....those were the good ole' days !
Me and the wife went to St. Petersburg last year for the Dahlia museum. We love Florida and have been to the Keys, Miami and Pensacola areas. We stayed Panama to. Every ace has hurricane 🌀 horror stories and this is what I believe changed Florida so much over the years.
I love watching these old films.
i miss living there in the 80s 90s st petes was awesome
Not St. Petes. It is not plural..
Bring the parades back! :D
Politicians have destroyed everything good and family oriented
Grew up in winter garden fl what a great place in the 50’s and 60’s 70’s not so much today!
I was born and raised there, I'm 71 :) born 51 graduating in 69 ! Great place to grow up but it got too big :(
This is the most beautiful city in the USA 🇺🇸😍😍😍
Since 2020, Pinellas county has become so crowded you can hardly go the beach, or have dinner in St. Pete without a reservation.
Ah, if only THAT Florida still existed. I was fortunate enough as a child in the 70’s to see Weeki-Watchee, Marineland, Sea World, The Parrot Jungle, “E-ticket” era Disney World, and other places. And G-d willing, I’ll someday return to live in whatever is left of Florida.
Today’s “Sunshine State” is STILL BETTER than any other state in America!!!!!!!!! That’s why everybody is moving there.
Not better politically,
too many Rethuglicans.
Even though I love St.Petersberg and St.Pete beach the way they are today , it would have been fun to be around back then.
It crazy to see how big the beach used to be not it's very small beach sand area and all built up with condos
Indian Rocks beach was wonderful. My family rented an apartment there in the Summer of 1983. That small one story complex is gone now replaced with 20 floors of condominium crap.
thanks for the old footage. We are extra terrestrials of old Florida .... those kids on the beach are exactly my parents age today.... 80.... moms side of the family had already been in florida before the tamiami trail was built .... dads side were from ft wayne
You had me until 'who doesn't love a parade!?"
ME. OH MY GOD. Who likes sitting in the hot sun all day, watching people walking?
Total bore. Right there with you.
Thank you for sharing this! I grew up in Florida always hearing about how it was "back then" and it's nice to get a look at how it was. Going to share this with my Grandmama and see if it sparks more stories of the old days :)
Come to Gulfport as it still has a lot of old Florida in bungalow homes and a great restaurant and shopping area. “Gateway to the Gulf!” Very nice memory piece on St. Petersburg, still a pretty city.
Overabundance in Gulfport of liberal loonies, drag queens and nuts who insist men can get pregnant and have babies. Hippie trash.
Born'62 St.Anthonys hospital. First Madera Beach then Crossroads Shopping Center, my father owned Bona Pizza. This whole area has changed & it feels too busy on roads & relaxation is down really low. 🫂🧚♂️✌️♥️🤟🧚♀️🫂
I’m a Saint Pete native. I was born in 2001 and it sad to see how poorly vacationers treated our land, littering our beaches and ruining outdoor spaces :(
😂 2001
@@jacknasty6940just bc he’s young doesn’t mean he is incorrect. Florida native as well, born in 1990, it’s true.
I'm just happy to have enjoyed it while it lasted,it's still a wonderful place, just a bit crowded. Gibbs H.S pcca 1999.
These comments are an absolute riot.
The people pining for this were they themselves "outsiders" when *their* parents moved there. And now THEYRE complaining, completely ignoring the fact that they themselves are indigineous to New Jersey.
Woah, as a native of St. Pete it's weird to hear Boca Ciega pronounced "Boca Sea-ga" instead of "Boca Sea-aga". I know so many people who live there and they NEVER pronounced it like they did here. I don't know if it was just a mistake but it's wild nonetheless. Since people are dropping their deets here I went to: Bay Vista Elementary, Thurgood Marshall Middle, Southside Fundamental Middle, Riviera Middle (year before it got torn down), and Northeast High. Love this city, even if it's not cared for they way it deserves.
This was an awesome video. I wonder where all these folks are now. Clearly, many have passed on, but the kids should still be around. This was fun to watch.
I was 6 years old in 1954, now I'm 74, and still doing fine!
We are here!
Awesome! I do wonder what could have been added, like dolphins, pelicans, peacocks, sand dunes, airports, downtown scenes, certain stores and hotels, green benches, planetarium, burger shacks, at least they did show from the start orange fruit stands. Anyway, definitely interesting times... Such it is was practically every where..
Thanks for sharing and hello from Saint Petersburg Beach!
I love the fact that there were the diving boards that I remember made going to the pool so much fun. Also, notice how there are no obese kids or obese adults?
No complaints...just fun in the sun....
Sadly most of the beaches at 2:15 are pretty much private beaches for Rich people that own homes and condos. Cites have closed most public access to beaches and closed a lot of public parking areas. I turned 50 this year and our beaches are pretty much gone for public use. The only ones open to the Public are dirty and parking is hard to come by
That's terrible. Robert Moses was not a great person, but early in his career in NY he wrested the beaches of Long Island near NYC from the barons and created the incredible public beaches we have.
Cool breezes year-round with hardly any rain! I'm moving to FLORIDA!
I live here in St Pete. Don't count on "cool breezes year round" LOL
In the summer months, there are no cool breezes.
Summer is like living in a pressure cooker. 90 degrees qualifies as cool here.
St Pete was seriously changed in the last 50 years maybe more. It’s become a huge city and with big city problems. You are less likely to water ski instead you go parasailing or zorbing on the water. Hotels really took that coastline and same happened to Daytona Beach and it’s just continued north. Not like the old days of just snowbirds and retirees with the occasional family.
See kids, people actually talked to one another and socialized before the internet.
We always called the church at 12:40 the Donald Duck church. If you look at the top of the tower it looks like a duck.
The Chicken Church
Burg Native here!
Wonderful.
WOW how very white
? I'm confused?? Was this back in the racist days?
It happens.
Love this! I'm in St Pete, just left Pass A Grille. I've been here my whole life, and hope to never leave.
Just moved here from the Midwest and hope to never leave
12:06 OOOPS ! there's that Rebel Flag that's a Naughty Word these days .
I noticed that. You would have a riot on your hands if you did that today.
The Confederacy did lose the Civil War after all, but there especially in Florida a lot of people did not get the memo.
The Civil War was only 90 years or so before this was made and about 10 years before the Civil Rights movements.
@@MomCat6000 Well, THANK YOU for the history lesson!
@@kennixox262 not really a history lesson. Just stating how the Civil War was still very fresh in the collective mind - with many alive at that time who had great grandparents that lived through the aftermath of the war and it was still a source a pride to have stood against the perceived tyranny of the Union. And since this film was made long before the 1960’s civil rights era …. No “memo” had been sent out yet to cease & desist displaying that flag.
I was born in 54 & live in St Pete. Wish it wasn't so built up.
The greedy developers ruined it and the greedy local governments that wanted development and its expanded tax base at all costs. It was always interesting that Toytown landfill was essentially at the entrance to St. Petersburg once off the Howard Franklin bridge.
03:04 That door is still on the Gulf Winds, lol
Aquamaniacs with the stars and bars at 12:09
Three of the beaches mentioned in the opening credits now have more dead bodies from drug( fentynal overdoses) that any in the nation.
So sad to see Florida just slipped off into the darkness.
Even though technically its not part of St. Petersburg at 2:05 when they were showing the map with all the nice Gulf Beaches they completely left off Clearwater Beach which is the best beach of all but nonetheless it was fun to watch scenes of "Old Florida". Everything is so much different now. 🙂
This is great. Where would they have shown this film in 1954 to attract people? Just wondering since there was no means of bulk distribution back in the day. A travel agency maybe? They would have to set up a 16mm projector and screen. A lot of trouble to go to back then but I would have loved it!
Good question. Back in the day, there were many film bureaus which would ship films for free to clubs such as the Rotary, Shriners, Civic Club, etc. to screen. Films like this were also shown by travel agents.
@@PeriscopeFilm Probably as a Short Subject at the movies.
Fabulous. 😎👍🇺🇸
Anyone else notice the female water skier carrying the Confederate flag beginning at 12:06???
Florida is a southern state, after all.
Well the ad seemingly worked considering the apparent heavy tourism and overpopulation now according to the comments.
Looks like it was fun, I have been to St. Petersburg and it definitely doesn't look like that anymore. I guess, just another victim of being too popular I guess.
Before the crowds and hyperinflation.
@@braininavatnow9197 ,
There's never been a dumber reply posted on TH-cam than yours.
@@freedomforever6718 inflation? You are just now noticing inflation? My old man made 21 dollars a month first job. My first was 21 dollars a day, now the same labor job today pays 21 dollars an hour. 1940s to 2020s.
@@smokingjoe9864 ,
Somebody is putting dummy powder in whatever you are smoking Joe.
@@freedomforever6718 lay off the FOX news.
@@smokingjoe9864 ,
Thanks for providing the proof that you need to stop smoking bud laced with dummy powder, Joe.
If the barrage of hurricanes don't get you... the hyperinflation will.
The Tampa Bay area has not had a direct hit since 1921.
At the time downtown had..Webb City. World’s largest drug store. The Fountain of Youth, green Park Benches, the Million Dollar Pier, a century old Kapok tree. Al Lang Field. .. training home of the St.Louis Cardinals.
We used to eat at the Kapok Tree in Clearwater alot thru the 70s. Sadly now it's just a music store..
@GC I remember eating there as a kid in the mid to late 80s. Friend got married there so it gets used for weddings also.
@@gc4644 It was a wildly large TACKY tourist restaurant in its heyday. Anyone remember the Fisherman's Inn on 4th Street?
Seems very white
Great, ain't it! !
Segregation was the norm in the 1950s and even into the 1960s.
The whole world is still trying to "migrate" to white neighborhoods and white countries, even by jumping borders illegally. The Asians and others don't allow it.
No one ever mentions Pueblo Village Just south if Clearwater Beach
How sad. Wish it were still like this and safe for families. Now, "diversity" and the Demographic War has destroyed it.
Ohohohhh, gators!!! 😳
we move down to St Petersburg beach in the early sixties we were the second house on Vina Del Mar my grandfather was a cop Bud's Morton they practically gave the land Away back then because Vina Del Mar was pumped up out of the Gulf of Mexico.Dusty Rhodes live right down the street from KenJames live right across the street. used to get so hot out there my grandma would fry an egg on the sidewalk for us and we also got TAR on feet had to wash that off before we went into the house, yes those were theran wild to the sun came down land was cheap3500 for the14000 to build.house is still.they're West Vina Del Mar
Too bad this is in blurry, pixellated 480p resolution. 16mm film is capable of fantastic 1080p resolution, or higher.
Great point! This film was scanned in HD and 4k, and is available for licensing in those formats. Visit stock.periscopefilm.com for more information.
That was a GREAT America in an America that was built by Americans, for Americans. Then the Northerners had to ruin it for the locals.
Just moved here last year and I can tell its not the same... Wonder why
9:35-9:45 GATOR DEATH ROLL!
Just was there last week. People saying old Florida has changed. What hasn’t? Raised there from the late 60’s. With some exceptions most tourism places still are there. Overpopulated? Move to Nevada.
Born in 1939 at St. Anthony’s
Too bad they paved the roads! They left out Ft Desoto park, still the best beaches!
Looking at those kids then, it wouldn't surprise me if the young boy here possibly was sent to Vietnam when he was at age...I wonder.
Yup, Saint Petersburg has truly evolved. In that time, black people were not allowed to sit on the famous green benches of Williams Park, downtown Saint Pete. Back then, Florida was abbreviated with, "FLA" . 🧐
"Luxurious superhighway"... "graceful seagull"... also everyone being so skinny is kinda crazy to see.
what I really miss is the thong wearing hot dog cart ladies...those were the days.. I hardly remember them but I have very faint memory of it. I remember the cheeks out
No wonder the rest of the world wanted to come to the USA. Then, in 1967 the Democratic party sponsored a bill written by Teddy Kennedy and was signed into law by LBJ completely re writing immigration laws into the US. 50 years later we have gangs of black cops in Memphis beating people to death during traffic stops. I have several hundred Hispanics running around my local Wal Mart 24 7. I cannot go to a gas station owned by people who speak my language. Thanks LBJ and Teddy , it's not like your wealthy kids will ever suffer like the rest of us. Why didn't we try and protect what our forefathers gave us? Why?
Greedy developers, international and national air travel, the carpetbagger population shift that displaced natives, and state and local governments that are OK with unlimited population growth all contributed to turning Florida from a wonderful beauty of nature into a big paved parking lot with beaches filled from coast to coast with canyons of condo buildings and old orange groves and cattle ranches turned into clone-like subdivisions with names like "Waterford", "Gulfview", etc.... I was fortunate enough to see Florida in the 70's and 80's before it became the sad picture it is today...
What ! No blue hair, neck tattoos or nose rings.
I do say
Why did all this disappear? Multiculturalism. Most places in this country lost their desirability to live in by about 1980; 1985 at the latest. Atleast we have these films
Surf bathers... Ha ha ha
Ahh Florida. The REAL Florida, before the hordes of communists raided it. RIP Florida.
#IndianRocksBeach
Overlays on Periscope make the content unwatchable. What a shame.
Here's the issue: Tens of thousands of films similar to this one have been lost forever -- destroyed -- and many others are at risk. Our company preserves these precious bits of history one film at a time. How do we afford to do that? By selling them as stock footage to documentary filmmakers and broadcasters. If we did not have a counter, we could not afford to post films like these online, and no films would be preserved. It's that simple. So we ask you to bear with the watermark and timecodes.
In the past we tried many different systems including placing our timer at the bottom corner of our videos. What happened? Unscrupulous TH-cam users downloaded our vids, blew them up so the timer was not visible, and re-posted them as their own content! We had to use content control to have the videos removed and shut down these channels. It's hard enough work preserving these films and posting them, without having to spend precious time dealing with policing thievery -- and not what we devoted ourselves to do.
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Animals and thousands of birds and plants destroyed. South Fla a hot mess. Skyscrapers ruining Florida
Сам город не показан, только развлечения для туристов
No more cartoons please some more cartoons
Lived in Tampa my whole life. Grandpa lived in St. Pete. This is whack to watch.
WOW the scammers have invaded the TH-cam comments
What? I see no scammers on here 🤔
You must be new to TH-cam.
Humans suck! We snuffed animal exploitation by stopping circuses. Llike my parents, I was born and raised in St. Petesburg & Bradenton Florida to have seen the worst. My bus stop in elementary was across from some big cat owner/trainer gunther douche-crew member.
It was cool BEFORE I WAS AWARE....as was the yearly train load of barely alive, disenspirited wildlife that rolled by on the tracks near my home in St Petersburg.
Become aware;
Humans now know SYSTEMS needs EVERY LIVING THING as it was BEFORE HUMANS AFFECTIED IT. It only needs us to tip the scale back INATUTE DOES NOT.NEED US
You do realize you are a human. Virtue signaling doesn't make you better than the rest of us. How do you justify your existence? You are welcome to remove yourself and save the planet.
You guys are so tiresome.
а где соляные дюны? какой то неправильный питер
Tell them how pinellas park was a sundown town and the native black people were being isolated and not aloud to leave south st Pete at sun set
Pinellas Park was always trashy then and white trash now. We did frequently dine at a once popular seafood restaurant, whose name I forget, U.S. 19 and Park Ave.
Of course. Look at the rape rate for that area and any black area since the 1960's.