Florida Historical Markers Programs - Marker Detail

Description: Side One: In 2014, Tarpon Springs’ Greektown was listed as a Historic District and Traditional Cultural Property on the National Register of Historic Places for its unique ethnic heritage and maritime character. Greektown is bounded by the Anclote River on the north, Tarpon Avenue and Spring Bayou on the south, Hibiscus Street and Pinellas Avenue on the east, and Roosevelt and Grand Boulevards on the west. In the early 20th century, Greek immigrants greatly expanded and changed Florida’s sponge industry. In the late 19th century, black and white Americans, Bahamians, and Conchs worked in Tarpon Springs’ new sponge industry. In 1905, Greeks introduced sponge diving technology to Tarpon Springs. Crews from the Dodecanese islands of Kalymnos, Halki, and Symi, and the Saronic Gulf islands of Aegina and Hydra learned about opportunities and by the end of the year, 500 men arrived. Within a few years, 100 sponge boats and up to 1,000 Greeks worked in Florida waters or related maritime businesses. Using both deep-sea diving and hooking techniques on boats with sails and engines, they revolutionized the business. Sponges were Florida’s most lucrative sea product, and the town became the largest sponge port in the country. Side Two: The influx of Greek immigrants changed Tarpon Springs forever. From 1905 to 1940, Greeks constituted the numerically dominant cultural group in Tarpon Springs. They established Greektown, with residences, stores, churches, restaurants, coffee houses, and recreational facilities eventually stretching from the sponge docks to the city center. Since Greeks came to Tarpon Springs in relatively large numbers, they maintained an unusually large portion of their culture. After World War II, the sponge industry declined due to a massive sponge blight and many residents sought other employment. Today, Greektown residents remain predominantly Greek American. Their cultural identity is reflected in their occupations, language, foodways, buildings, religious practices, music, and dance. The district includes a wide variety of vernacular buildings, such as St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, St. Michael’s Shrine, the Sponge Exchange and Sponge Docks, businesses and residences, as well as commercial industrial sponge packing warehouses that proliferated in the early 20th century. Although Greek boat builders in Tarpon Springs built more than 200 sponge boats in the style common in the Dodecanese Islands, only three survive today.