Palm Harbor in Pinellas County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Why is a Roseate Spoonbill on our Outdoor Signage?
Photographed by Quinton Spiaggi
1. Why is a Roseate Spoonbill on our Outdoor Signage? Marker
Why is a Roseate Spoonbill on our Outdoor Signage?
John Alexander Sutton, an early settler, donated land for a church and cemeteryprovided he could name the church.
In those days, flocks of birds nested in rookeries along the nearby creek. Mr. Sutton admired the beauty of birds then known as Pink Curlew and chose to name the church for them. Curlew also became the name for the creek, the surrounding land, and eventually the road.
The pink-feathered birds Mr. Sutton admired so much are now identified as "Roseate Spoonbill.
We selected the pink curlew to display on our outdoor signs because Curlew is where the Palm Harbor Museum is located.
Native Plant and Historic Living Landscape
Florida Nature and Local History
Palm Harbor Historical Society gratefully welcomes this improvement to our campus accomplished with crucial assistance from many volunteers. Participants from Keep Pinellas Beautiful, GFWC North Pinellas Woman's Club, Pinellas Chapter Florida Native Plant Society, and Pinellas Cooperative Extension, assist PHHS as we plant and tend this outdoor installation.
We invite you to join us in
this page online
www.PalmHarborMuseum.com
Funding was provided by Pinellas County's Municipal Service Taxing Unit (MSTU) "Special Project Award" Fiscal Year 2021. MSTU projects enhance recreation, culture, and community engagement, and preserve natural resources in Pinellas County's unincorporated communities.
Dedicated December 8, 2022
Erected 2022 by Palm Harbor Historical Society.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Animals • Environment • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers.
Location. 28° 2.938′ N, 82° 44.86′ W. Marker is in Palm Harbor, Florida, in Pinellas County. It can be reached from the intersection of Curlew Road (Florida Route 586) and Belcher Road, on the right when traveling west. Marker can be found near the front entrance of the Palm Harbor Museum. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 2043 Curlew Road, Palm Harbor FL 34683, United
Photographed by Quinton Spiaggi
2. Native Plant and Historic Living Landscape Marker
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: The Hartley House / Palm Harbor Museum (here, next to this marker); Heritage Roses (a few steps from this marker); Veterans Memorial (a few steps from this marker); Lois Oxnam (within shouting distance of this marker); In Praise of Dogfennel (within shouting distance of this marker); Ethnobotany (within shouting distance of this marker); Mr. Hartley's Mules/Dunedin Temple Mound (within shouting distance of this marker); Sacred Ground (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Palm Harbor.
Also see . . . Palm Harbor Museum.
Photographed by Brandon D Cross, July 27, 2025
3. Why is a Roseate Spoonbill on our Outdoor Signage? Marker
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 220 times since then and 18 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on July 25, 2024, by Quinton Spiaggi of Palm Harbor, Florida. 3. submitted on July 27, 2025, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.
Editor’s want-list for this marker. Wide shot of marker and its surroundings. • Can you help?
