History of Treasure Island, Florida

An island off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida, the barrier island community of Treasure Island proudly boasts some of the most beautiful, white sandy beaches in Florida. Originally inhabited by the Timucua Indians around 300 CE, the island and its people were nearly destroyed in 1528 by Pánfilo de Narváez. The area would not see another human for quite some time.

In the 1800s, Frenchman John Levique, a pirate, was said to have buried treasure on the uninhibited land. He would escape to the island several times to hide out from his enemies, including one night 1848, when Hurricane Gale swept through the island.

Levique awoke to see that the spot of his buried treasure had succumbed to storm surge, with the island's north end now separated from it, creating a pass. In honor of the man who discovered it, the pass became known as "John's Pass." The hurricane also split off two separate, small islands - Isle of Palms and Isle of Capri.

Levique's existence and that of the actual treasure is widely disputed, with some saying the 'treasure' was actually an attempt by property owners to attract visitors to the quiet fishing village, which at the time, was only accessible by boat. Either way, the name "Treasure Island" stuck.

The first hotel; on the island, called the "Coney Island" was built in 1915 by Whiteford Harrell. Soon vacationers traveled to the area, but were frustrated about the limited access to the island. The John's Pass Bridge was built in 1927 to connect Madeira Beach to the island, but vacationers still experienced difficulty coming from St. Petersburg.

In 1938 the Treasure Island Causeway was built to accommodate people traveling from St. Petersburg. The causeway provided automobile access from the city to the island, which attracted celebrities and other dignitaries including Babe Ruth, who purchased a waterfront vacation home after his retirement from baseball in 1935.

Following the end of World War II in 1947, two more hotels sprouted up along the beach, and nearby St. Pete Beach, where the Don Cesar Hotel, formerly known as "The Pink Lady," famously entertained Al Capone, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Lou Gehrig, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In the 1950s, the area saw a residential housing boom, and in 1955 the city of Treasure Island was incorporated. Homes and waterfront neighborhoods were built on top of dredged material, which connected Isle of Capri and Isle of Palms to the main island.

Because of Treasure Island's strong residential ties and quiet beaches, the area today is a premiere year-round vacation destination for families. Families can rent either Treasure Island Rental Condos or like the Great Bambino did, a beachfront home.

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