St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Peter Demens

Photographed By Julie Szabo, January 5, 2008

1. Peter Demens Marker

Inscription. Click to hear the inscription.

In honor of
Peter Demens
(Dementieff)
the founder of
St. Petersburg in 1888

Erected 1979 by the Congress of Russian Americans.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1888.

Location. 27° 46.173′ N, 82° 37.715′ W. Marker is in St. Petersburg, Florida, in Pinellas County. Marker can be reached from 1st Avenue SE. Marker is in Demens Landing Park. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Saint Petersburg FL 33701, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Demens Landing (approx. ¼ mile away); World Record (approx. ¼ mile away); World's First Regularly Scheduled Commercial Airline (approx. ¼ mile away); The World's First Scheduled Airline (approx. ¼ mile away); Pioneer Park (approx. ¼ mile away); St. Petersburg Central Yacht Basin (approx. 0.3 miles away); Soreno Hotel (approx. 0.4 miles away); Brigadier General Thaddeus Kosciuszko (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Petersburg.

Regarding Peter Demens.

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Peter Demens was born to a wealthy family in the Tver Oblast of Russia. Demens was a well educated aristocrat who was also liberal-minded. He became a member of the Imperial Guard and later became outspoken about the Czarist regime. He left Russia following the assassination of Czar Alexander II in 1881.

After settling in the United States he changed his name to Peter Demens. He lived in New York briefly before moving to Florida and entering the lumber business. In 1885 Demens was supplying railroad ties to the Orange Belt Railway when he took over their charter because they couldn't pay him. After securing three financial partners, Demens completed the link between the lower St. Johns River and Lake Apopka. Demens then extended the Orange Belt Railway 120 miles to the Pinellas Peninsula with the help of Hamilton Disston. On June 8, 1888 the first train pulled into the terminus in southern Pinellas county with 1 passenger. The area had no official name and no real streets or sidewalks. Demens named the location of his terminus St. Petersburg, Florida after Saint Petersburg, Russia where he had spent half his youth.
Source: Wikipedia

Photographed By Julie Szabo, January 5, 2008

2. Peter Demens Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on May 5, 2020. It was originally submitted on January 12, 2008, by Julie Szabo of Oldsmar, Florida. This page has been viewed 3,278 times since then and 117 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on January 12, 2008, by Julie Szabo of Oldsmar, Florida. • Kevin W. was the editor who published this page.