Plant-Sumner House

Plant-Sumner House. Built: Circa 1896 - Moved: 1976. , An Unknown Beginning , This building has a mysterious history. It is very similar in style to houses built by the railroad magnate Henry Plant. He built the luxury hotel, The Belleview, and some believe Plant's supervisors, either from the railroad or the hotel, lived in the house. The budding dates to the mid 1890s and few homes on the Pinellas Peninsula could then boast the modern conveniences of this otherwise modest middle class home. This seven room home hod electricity, running water and an elaborate bathroom. It received running water from the hotel's waterworks, which predated Clearwater's city water system. , A More Likely Story , In 1912 Robert and Julia Sumner purchased and then moved their family into this home. Robert was a busy and versatile family man, was a Methodist minister, a farmer, occasional veterinarian and postmaster for the town of Belleair. The Sumner children came of age in boom-era Pinellas, choosing college and careers over chasing cows. In the mid 1950s, Calvert and Pauline Whitehurst lived in the house. Calvert walked across the railroad tracks to his job at the West Coast Fruit Company owned by the Kilgore family. , Middle Class Farmhouse , This homestead-style house is a middle class-suburban variation of the farmhouse. Check out the four brick fireplaces and the 7 foot tub-they are in the original condition. , Tidbits from Time , Fertilizer for Free and Milk for Sale , The Sumner family kept their cows in a pen during the summer. The 'cow pies' fertilized the area for crops they planted each fall. To help support the growing family theu sold milk to neighbors.