Arcadia Publishing Around Palm Harbor History Book

Around Palm Harbor reveals the early history of the unincorporated area of North Pinellas County, including the communities of Curlew, Ozona, Crystal Beach, Wall Springs and the large eastern side of Lake Tarpon, in addition to Palm Harbor itself. Families began arriving in the 1850s and one of the early settlers was J.C. Craver, dubbed the “father” of both Ozona and Palm Harbor. Craver built the original Ozona school and received the first post office commission in the name of Bay St. Joseph, which included the area west of the lake and between the later towns of Dunedin and Tarpon Springs. Wildlife was abundant and saltwater bays and freshwater lakes supplied plentiful seafood. Each community still has its own unique characteristics; however, they also remain bound together through family ties as well as the triumphs and disasters that have befallen each.