The First Hundred Years: Clearwater Yacht Club, 1911-2011

was established in Clearwater (then called Clear Water) in 1859—making it the first established community on the peninsula. Citrus groves and sawmills provided employment for residents. Everything not grown or made in the area (including ice) had to be brought in by boat (Dunn, 1974; Gleason, 1976; Pinellas County Planning Department, 2008). By the turn of the century, both the size and lifestyle of the area had been transformed beyond recognition. M. C. Dwight built the first hotel in Clearwater (the Orange Bluff Hotel) in the early 1880s. Theodore Kamensky, Sr. (a well known Russian sculptor and the father of CYC’s Commodore Kamensky) built the town’s second hotel (the Sea View) after the Orange Bluff burned to the ground. The Orange Belt, a small narrow gauge railroad, was completed in 1888—connecting Clearwater and St. Petersburg to the outside world. This little railroad became a part of the Henry B. Plant Railroad System in 1895 and part of the Atlantic Coast Line Railway System in 1902 (Cadwell, 1977; Dunn, 1974; Gleason, 1976; Sanders, 1983). Clear Water was incorporated as part of Hillsborough County in 1891 with James Crane as mayor. Looking for a place in which to build a resort hotel that would serve as an attractive destination for wealthy patrons of his railroad system, Henry B. Plant selected a beautiful spot on the bluff overlooking Clearwater Bay. In January of 1897, Plant’s Belleview Biltmore Hotel opened its doors and began providing luxury accommodations for wealthy winter visitors from the northern states. After Henry Plant’s death in 1899, his son, Morton, assumed oversight of the resort. In 1915, Morton Plant Hospital was built with contributions from the railroad/hotel magnet. Matching funds were raised by Taver Bayly and other area business and civic leaders. In 1900, telephone service came to Clearwater and three years later, a switchboard service was set up (Dunn, 1974). J. N. McClung contributed to the development of the area

Photograph of the Belleview Biltmore Hotel. Photo by Burgert Bros. Tampa (#41349); courtesy of the Florida Studies Center and Special Collections Department of the University of South Florida Library.

16 The First Hundred Years: Clearwater Yacht Club, 1911-2011