Tampa turns 137: City holding events all week to celebrate birthday

Archive Awareness Week kicks off as Tampa turns 137

Lloyd Sowers reports

TAMPA, Fla. - Let's party like it's 1887!

The City of Tampa turned 137 on Monday, celebrating when it was first incorporated as a city on July 15, 1887.

On that historic day, the Florida Legislature passed a special act, organizing the towns of Tampa and New Tampa into the City of Tampa under its current charter.

READ: 100 years of Florida's tobacco growing history rolled into each J.C. Newman premium cigar

To mark the special occasion, the city is promoting several programs this week to commemorate Tampa's heritage and history. It marks Archive Awareness Week in Tampa.

Museums and other historical spots around Tampa are opening their doors with special programs and exhibits. A Bay Area resident, Chrissy Toth, attended a program at the J.C, Newman Cigar Factory in Ybor City where they still hand roll cigars and offer tours by reservation Monday-Friday.

"We're so fortunate to still have this kind of history that hasn't been mowed down," said Toth. "We should enjoy it."

Folks can even learn about Tampa before the city was officially formed in 1887.

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"Ft. Brooke was actually established 200 years ago, this year in 1824, pretty much where the Tampa Convention Center is," said Fred Hearns, the curator of Black history at the Tampa Bay History Center.

Workers from Cuba, Spain and Italy began to fill the Tampa cigar factories around 1900. Lots of Tampa folks trace their roots to cigar workers.

Many of them crossed the new Fortune Taylor Bridge that linked West Tampa and downtown in the 1920's. It was named for an African American woman who owned a 30-acre farm nearby.

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"Her name was Fortune Taylor. She and her husband owned 33 acres, which is now the Tampa Riverwalk," said Gloria Jean Royster, who wrote a book on Fortune.

"This is the week when the public can see all these treasures, these hidden gems that many don't realize exists in our city," said Lindsay Huban of the Henry B. Plant Museum at The University of Tampa.

There are many hidden gems to discover in the 137 years of Tampa. Here's a list of events happening this Archive Awareness Week in the city:

"Everything Musical" at the Philpitt Store Sunday, July 14th • 1:00 p.m. Henry B. Plant Museum 401 West Kennedy Boulevard • Plant Hall, Grand Salon
Sunday, July 14th • 1:00 p.m.
Henry B. Plant Museum
401 West Kennedy Boulevard • Plant Hall, Grand Salon
Aging Gracefully: The Cigar Industry in Tampa from 1953 to 2010 Monday, July 15th • 11:00 a.m. J.C. Newman Company 2701 North 16th Street
Monday, July 15th • 11:00 a.m.
J.C. Newman Company
2701 North 16th Street
Happy Birthday, Tampa! Monday, July 15th • 3:00 p.m. City of Tampa • Old City Hall, Council Chambers 315 East Kennedy Boulevard
Monday, July 15th • 3:00 p.m.
City of Tampa • Old City Hall, Council Chambers 315 East Kennedy Boulevard
Bookbinding for Beginners Monday, July 15th • 6:30 p.m. Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library 3910 S. Manhattan Avenue
Monday, July 15th • 6:30 p.m.
Jan Kaminis Platt Regional Library
3910 S. Manhattan Avenue
Lynn Ash: The Story of Tampa Tuesday, July 16th • 10:00 a.m. City Center at Hanna Avenue 2555 E. Hanna Avenue, Community Room
Tuesday, July 16th • 10:00 a.m.
City Center at Hanna Avenue
2555 E. Hanna Avenue, Community Room
Central Ave Live Tuesday, July 16th • 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Tampa’s Black History Museum • 1213 Central Avenue
Tuesday, July 16th • 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Tampa’s Black History Museum • 1213 Central Avenue
1924: Life in Tampa’s Scrub Community Wednesday, July 17th • 5:30 p.m. Tampa’s Black History Museum • 1213 Central Avenue
Wednesday, July 17th • 5:30 p.m.
Tampa’s Black History Museum • 1213 Central Avenue
Objects from the Archives from 1924 Thursday, July 18th • 11:00 a.m. Tampa Bay History Center • 801 Water Street
Thursday, July 18th • 11:00 a.m.
Tampa Bay History Center • 801 Water Street
Tony Pizzo’s Tampa: Screening and Discussion Thursday, July 18th • 4:00 p.m. Tampa Theatre 711 N. Franklin Street • John T. Taylor Screening Room
Thursday, July 18th • 4:00 p.m.
Tampa Theatre
711 N. Franklin Street • John T. Taylor Screening Room
Genealogy: Your Photos - Dating, Storing, and Improving Thursday, July 18th • 6:00 p.m. Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library Virtual, with John Beaumont
Thursday, July 18th • 6:00 p.m.
Tampa-Hillsborough County Public Library Virtual, with John Beaumont
Memorial Park Cemetery Historical Marker Dedication Friday, July 19th • 10:30 a.m. C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library 2607 E. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Friday, July 19th • 10:30 a.m.
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library
2607 E. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Remembering the News at the C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library Friday, July 19th • noon - 2:00 p.m. C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library 2607 E. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Friday, July 19th • noon - 2:00 p.m.
C. Blythe Andrews, Jr. Public Library
2607 E. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard
Decade of Change Friday, July 19th • 1:00 p.m. Tampa Bay History Center • 801 Water Street
Friday, July 19th • 1:00 p.m.
Tampa Bay History Center • 801 Water Street
110 Years of Knowledge: A Look Back at the Library History Collection Saturday, July 20th • 10:30 a.m. John F. Germany Library • 900 North Ashley Drive
Saturday, July 20th • 10:30 a.m.
John F. Germany Library • 900 North Ashley Drive