Palm Harbor in Pinellas County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Whitehurst Well Relic of Pioneer Times

Photographed by Quinton Spiaggi

1. The Whitehurst Well Relic of Pioneer Times Marker

Inscription. Cold, tasty water from this well provided water for drinking and household use for generations of people living on and visiting this land.

This well was dug when John Sherrod Whitehurst (1856-1944), eldest son of Louisa Jane and Walton Whitehurst, married Rhoda Rebecca Crum. In 1878, the newlyweds homesteaded this property, moving into a log cabin to raise livestock and tend a newly planted citrus grove.

"Proving up on a Homestead" required residence on the land for 5 years. Generally a head of household, with family members, lived and labored together. Collaboration, hard work, good health, and ability were essential to survival.

In 1880, the Whitehurst's sold 80-acres of their property to James and Frances Hartley. After the elder Hartleys passed away, their son Thomas, married to Ida Stanton in 1899, lived here. Ida and Thomas raised four children who in time grew to adulthood and married. Their children lived at and visited this homestead.

This well continued to be the primary source for water until it was capped off in the 1960s.

Erected 2022 by Palm Harbor Historical Society.

Topics. This historical

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marker is listed in these topic lists: Agriculture • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1878.

Location. 28° 2.971′ N, 82° 44.874′ W. Marker is in Palm Harbor, Florida, in Pinellas County. It can be reached from the intersection of Curlew Road and Belcher Road, on the right when traveling west. Marker can be found at the well at the Palm Harbor Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2043 Curlew Road, Palm Harbor FL 34683, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf Coast

and on Tampa Bay.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North 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 walking distance of this marker: Thos. W. Hartley's Cypress Ladder Factory (a few steps from

Photographed by Brandon D Cross, July 27, 2025

2. The Whitehurst Well Relic of Pioneer Times Marker

this marker); Sacred Ground (within shouting distance of this marker); Wind Phone (within shouting distance of this marker); Mr. Hartley's Mules/Dunedin Temple Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); Grove House (within shouting distance of this marker); Ethnobotany (within shouting distance of this marker); In Praise of Dogfennel (within shouting distance of this marker); Lois Oxnam (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Palm Harbor.

Also see . . . Palm Harbor Museum. (Submitted on July 25, 2024.)

Credits. This page was last revised on July 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on July 25, 2024, by Quinton Spiaggi of Palm Harbor, Florida. This page has been viewed 286 times since then and 33 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on July 25, 2024, by Quinton Spiaggi of Palm Harbor, Florida. 2. submitted on July 27, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.