Demens Landing Park in St. Petersburg in Pinellas County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Peter Demens
Photographed by Julie Szabo, January 5, 2008
1. Peter Demens Marker
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. It is in Demens Landing Park. It can be reached from 1st Avenue Southeast. Marker is in Demens Landing Park. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 405 2nd Ave SE, Saint Petersburg FL 33701, 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: Demens Landing (approx. Ό mile away); World Record (approx. Ό mile away); World's First Regularly Scheduled Commercial Airline (approx. Ό mile away); The World's First Scheduled Airline (approx. Ό mile away); Pioneer Park (approx. Ό mile away); St. Petersburg Central Yacht Basin (approx. 0.3 miles away); Soreno Hotel (approx. 0.4 miles away); Merchant Seamen World War II Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in St. Petersburg.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Stonewall Jackson Memorial Highway Terminus (was approx. Ό mile away but
this page online
Regarding Peter Demens. 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 4,076 times since then and 73 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.
