The Sandpear
Visitors to the Clearwater Beach Hotel loved to gaze at the
historical photographs that were hung in the lobby. Since the
history of the hotel mirrored that of the island we call Clearwater Beach
it was fascinating for guests to marvel at how the beach and the
hotel looked in the early part of the century.
The Sandpearl Resort History Wall was designed with the idea
of giving hotel guests an opportunity to enjoy a photographic
exhibit that is both educational and entertaining. Using
photographs from a variety of collectors and historical societies,
along with post cards and books, this impressive montage of nearly
100 images paints a picture of not only the island's early settlers,
but of Caladesi Island, it's nearest neighbor to the North.
It's a storybook tale of two islands beginning around the turn
of the 20th Century in a part of America that was still an
uninhibited frontier. One island, Caladesi -- now a State Park,
had a population of one. A swiss immigrant had petitioned
the state for the right to homestead and it was granted.
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