Picnic shelter built atop Native American burial ground in Safety Harbor could soon be removed

SAFETY HARBOR, Fla. - A public picnic shelter built atop a Native American burial ground in Safety Harbor may soon be scheduled for removal, Pinellas County officials confirmed Wednesday.

As of December, shelter house No. 9 in Philippe Park can no longer be reserved, with county leaders now making plans to tear it down.

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"There's a very wide interest in understanding the past, preserving the past, and interpreting it," said Monica Drake, operations manager for Heritage Village, which tracks and maintains Pinellas County history.

The decision regarding the park's shelter comes after a 2019 study conducted by Thomas Pluckhahn, a USF anthropology professor. 

Pluckhahn determined a burial cemetery mound likely holds the remains belonging to members of the Tocobaga tribe, which were some of Florida's original inhabitants.

According to historians, between around 1250 and 1500, Tocobaga Native Americans lived in a village that would become Philippe Park.

"I'd say at least two-thirds of the village is probably intact in some sense," Pluckhahn told FOX 13. "This site in particular is important. Tocobaga, they're kind of the rightful heirs of Tampa Bay, the rightful namesakes of Tampa Bay."

The central point of the village, according to experts, was another mound that Pluckhahn said was likely home to the tribe's chief. That site, which is made up largely of shells and sand, is recognized as a National Historic Landmark.

The burial mound is located a short distance away.

"It was formerly, I think, between 10 and 15 feet tall and about 100 feet in diameter," said Pluckhahn, who published his initial findings in 2021.

The village was eventually burned down by invading Spaniards in the 1500s. Centuries later, the land was purchased by Odet Philippe, who is believed to be one of the county's first non-Native settlers. 

The park was constructed and named after him decades later.

In the 1930s, scientists with the Smithsonian Museum uncovered about 100 remains, Pluckhahn said, but many more are likely still there.

"This site is also just kind of like - it crystallizes a lot of the history of Tampa Bay," he said.

Along with the removal of the shelter, the county plans to close a nearby playground in March. It's being replaced with a new playground closer to shelter No. 5, Drake said.