It's All Greek to Me

Nestled along the shore of Florida’s Gulf Coast just 30 miles north of St. Petersburg is a “little piece of Greece”. In 1876 A.W. Ormand and his daughter Mary settled in the area. One day, while watching the tarpon fish jump out of the water, Mary exclaimed, “Look at the tarpon spring!” And that is how Tarpon Springs, Florida was named.

In 1880, Hamilton Disston, a Philadelphia millionaire, bought four million acres of Central Florida land for 25 cents an acre. His company, Florida Land Improvement Company, deeded nine and a half acres, which included Tarpon Springs, to Lake Butler Villa Company, whose president was Anson P.K. Safford, governor of the Arizona Territory. The Governor made Tarpon Springs his residence, and when the railroad was first introduced to the area, Tarpon Springs became a popular winter resort. But the discovery of rich sponge beds transformed this community into the “sponge capital of the world”.

In 1890, John K. Cheyney sent out the first “hooker” boat to harvest the sponges in the Gulf waters and soon discovered money could be made in these rich beds. In 1905, one of Cheyney’s associates suggested using a Mediterranean method for harvesting the

sponges. John Cocoris was the first of many Greek divers that were brought to the area to work as sponge divers. Today, their descendants continue to harvest sponges and honor the customs and traditions of their ancestral homeland. This community’s rich heritage is in the spotlight during the celebration of the Epiphany. During this celebration visitors will enjoy greek music, food, costumes, and of course, sponges!