Temple Terrace in Hillsborough County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Mrs. Bertha Honoré Palmer

(1849-1918)

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 19, 2017

1. Mrs. Bertha Honoré Palmer Marker

Inscription. Bertha Palmer, born in Louisville, Kentucky, was a world-renowned socialite, art patron, successful businesswoman, early feminist, and philanthropist. She played a pivotal role in the creation of the City of Temple Terrace. In 1902, after the death of her husband, Chicago millionaire Potter Palmer, she became entranced with exotic, mysterious Florida and headed south in search of new adventures and business opportunities. Mrs. Palmer's main residence was in the Sarasota area. She soon became one of the largest land owners in the state. Between 1910 and 1914 she established a 19,000 acre (29 square miles) hunting and game preserve in the Temple Terrace area and called it "Riverhills Ranch." Before her death in 1918, Mrs. Palmer had made improvements to the property making it suitable for a town of 500 inhabitants. This building, known as Woodmont Clubhouse since 1979, was originally an outbuilding for Mrs. Palmer's extensive ranch. Built in 1914, it is Temple Terrace's oldest building and the last surviving structure in the city from the Palmer era. In 1927, it was converted into the city's first school, the one-room "Temple

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Terrace Grammar School." It later was saved from demolition through efforts led by Ruby McSweeney and later by Marjorie Schine. Today it is a cherished community center for three civic groups.

Erected 2012 by Woodmont Clubhouse Association, Inc., Temple Terrace Garden Club, GFWC Temple Terrace Woman's Club, GFWC Temple Terrace Junior Woman's Club, Temple Terrace Preservation Society, Hillsbourgh County Historical Advisory Council, City of Temple Terrace.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Education • Settlements & Settlers • Women.

Location. 28° 2.14′ N, 82° 23.146′ W. Marker is in Temple Terrace, Florida, in Hillsborough County. It is on Woodmont Avenue just west of North Lockmoor Avenue, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 415 Woodmont Avenue, Tampa FL 33617, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Tampa Bay.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, January 19, 2017

2. Mrs. Bertha Honoré Palmer Marker looking northeast

America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Temple Terrace Veterans Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Temple Terrace POW and MIA Memorial (about 300 feet away); War Correspondents Memorial (about 300 feet away); Temple Terraces Country Club Sutton Hall (approx. 0.2 miles away); Reverend Billy Graham (approx. ¼ mile away); Spanish Exploration of Temple Terrace (approx. 1.1 miles away); The Largest Orange Grove in the World (approx. 1.2 miles away); Morrisound Recording (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Temple Terrace.

Another marker is no longer nearby. Reverend Billy Graham (was approx. ¼ mile away but has been reported to have been replaced with another marker now near it).

Credits. This page was last revised on November 10, 2019. It was originally submitted on January 23, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 1,008 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 23, 2017, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bill Pfingsten was the editor who published this page.