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December / 2012 ISSUe 28 Pictured above is the Scharrer Homestead on Caladesi Island. The inset photo below is of a young Myrtle Sharrer and her father. The “King” of Caladesi Names on maps are clues to aspects of history. North of Even though the railroad had just come to town, it was Clearwater Beach, on Caladesi Island, a canal and a still a pioneer era on Caladesi. Choosing to live on a bayou bear the name Scharrer. This was once the barrier island added additional elements of difficulty. All beloved home of Hans Heinrich Schaerer (1858-1934). supplies had to be transported by sail or rowboat. But the He traveled from Zurich, Switzerland to the United States location and the lifestyle appealed to Henry. He was in 1883, on a mission to visit a Swiss settlement in capable, healthy and had the skills required to live in a Wisconsin to share the family expertise in cheese making self sufficient manner. and dairy farming. After fulfilling his contract he Mr. Scharrer was a congenial person as evidenced by the journeyed on across the continent, traveling by train, steady stream of visitors that flocked to the island, just stagecoach, often on foot or by horse back, working like the birds, to pay him a visit. The Belleview Hotel, and along the way. By early 1888 he was employed as a hotels in Dunedin and Clearwater, were drawing wealthy carpenter to help build the Tampa Bay Hotel and had northerners during the winter months. These “snow birds” anglicized his name to Henry Scharrer. Having grown up were eager to be entertained and to view the sights and on the shores of Lake Zurich, Henry was proficient with beauty of Florida. They enjoyed coming to see the man handling boats. While taking a shake down sailing cruise living at the island. Henry would drop what he was doing out of Tampa Bay, a squall forced him to take shelter. and take his visitors on a tour, along cleared pathways, This is how he first came to the bayou on the south end to see island landmarks including the Seven Sisters, fresh of Caladesi. Henry was a self taught naturalist and was water pond, Harp Tree, Indian Mounds, the outer beach, especially enamored with birds. When he first discovered Eagles nest and heron rookery. Henry would answer Caladesi, it was the height of the spring migration. The questions regarding the plants, island woods were filled with beautiful warblers, vibrant animals, shells and fish. blue indigo buntings and scarlet tanagers. The geography Hospitality was shared at picnic of the protected bayou and the accessability to the tables set up out of doors beneath communities of Dunedin and Clearwater, helped him the sabal palm grove and decided to pursue citizenship and establish a homestead spreading limbs of the live oak there; thus the bayou became known as Scharrer’s. The trees. Henry fished, smoked canal that bears his name was dug through the mullet, cultivated a garden, raised mangrove by him with shovel and ax to lessen the rowing bees and hogs; pursuing all trip to town. activities required to living at a homestead. Henry called the hammock area near his home, “The Cathedral.” The oaks there were draped with St Petersburg, FL Petersburg, St Permit No. 4008 No. Permit moss and decked out with orchids, P A I D I A P lichens, resurrection plant, ball U S POSTAGE S U moss and tillandsia. This area was STD Continued on page 3 PRESORTED treated as a sacred place. Or Current Resident Current Or Story and photos printed by permission from Terry Fortner. BELLEAIR AREA NEIGHBORHOOD NEWSLETTER creDITS belleair fine arTs soCieTY 934-4304 cITy NUmberS belleair soCial Club. 586-1691 CiTY of belleair bluffs belleair bridge group. 669-5283 www.belleairbluffs.org 2747 Sunset Blvd City Hall: 584-2151 belleair roTarY Club FIre DePt: 587-6714 Meets at Belleair Country Club every thur. for SHerIFF: 582-6200 lunch; Anna Marie Schweitzer . 458-0943 MAYOr - Chris Arbutine, Sr belleair womens republiCan Club COMMISSIONerS — Meets at Belleair Country Club. First Friday at Suzy Sofer - Vice Mayor Noon Sherrie Morton . 581-8313 This newsletter is published by taylour Shimkus • Jack Nazario belleair Young woman’s soCieTY GRIFFIN PRODUCTIONS, Inc. and is Joseph A. Barkley, III President . 459-0842 mailed to occupied residence and CiTY of belleair beaCh belleair beaCh island garden Club www.cityofbelleairbeach.com lois O’Donnell . 595-1349 business in Belleair Beach, Belleair 444 Causeway Blvd City Hall: 595-4646 belleair garden Club Bluffs, Harbor Bluffs, and part of FIre DePt: 595-1117 Barb Chapman . 581-8929 Largo. We are not officially POlICe: 595-4646 belleair beaCh ladies lunCheon Club associated with any city government. MAYOr - Kathy Mortensen Susan lordan . 441-4803 COMMISSIONerS — bluffs business assoCiaTion PUbLISHer David Dumville, Jr. - Vice Mayor • Jeril Bonnie trembulak . 686-8797 Bob & Becky Griffin Cohen • rob Baldwin • leslie Notaro friends of The bilTmore. 581-5171 Wanda Schwerer • John Pietrowski Town of belleair CiViC assoC. ArT DIrecTION Town of belleair shore Petey Henning, President. 735-5421 www.belleairshore.com ClearwaTer sailing . 517-7776 Becky Griffin 1200 Gulf Blvd, Belleair Shore 593-9296 ------------------------------------------------- SALeS FIre DePt: 595-1117 CounTY informaTion . 464-3000 727-517-1997 POlICe DePt: 595-4646 Commission offiCes . 464-3377 MAYOr: John A. robertson Norm roche . 464-3360 cONTAcT INFO COMMISSIONerS — John e. Hayes, Jr. Karen Seel . 464-3278 robert e. Schmidt, Jr. • ray Piscitelli sTaTe: P.O. BOX 1314 richard D. Jordan Senator Jack latvala . 727-545-9566 Indian Rocks Beach, FL 33785 Town of belleair republican, District 20 www.townofbelleair.com 517-1997 ~ 517-1998 FAX 901 Ponce de leon Blvd, Belleair 588-3769 2050 tall Pines Drive, Suite A, largo FIre DePt: 588-8392 [email protected] BeachNewsletters.com POlICe DePt: 588-3769 Senator Jeff Brandes . 727-552-2573 MAYOr - Gary H. Katica republican, District 22 l l Published Feb Apr June COMMISSIONerS — Stephen r. Fowler 3637 Fourth St. N., Suite 101 St. Petersburg Aug l Oct l Dec Deputy Mayor• tom Shelly [email protected] Michael Wilkinson• Kevin Piccarreto representative larry Ahern 727-545-6421 Please send comments to CiTY of largo republican, District 66 www.largo.com [email protected] 201 Highland Ave, largo Info: 587-6700 5511 Park Street N. St. Petersburg FIre DePt: 587-6714 [email protected] POlICe: 586-7427 Governor rick Scott Do you need another copy of this MAYOr - Patricia Gerard [email protected] COMMISSIONerS — Mary Gray Black florida uniTed sTaTes senaTors: robert Murray • Curtis Holmes newsletter. You may pick up Marco rubio . 202-224-3041 additional copies of this newsletter Gigi Arntzen • Harriet K. Crozier Woody Brown www.rubio.Senate.gov at all City Halls, Wildfield sheriff non-emergenCies 582-6200 Bill Nelson . 202-224-5274 Marketplace, Panara Bread, most sheriff dispaTCh . 582-6177 www.BillNelson.Senate.gov Banks and the Belleair Food Mart. pinellas CounTY info . 464-3000 area uniTed sTaTes represenTaTiVe: Need a lot more? Call 517-1997. eleCTriCiTY. 443-2641 rep Bill Young . 727-394-6950 phone (residential) . 800-483-4000 9210 113th St, Seminole, Fl 33772 This newsletter is printed every Cable (Bright House) . 329-5020 www.house.gov/young other month and survives on cALeNDAr OF LOcAL eVeNTS local advertising. Please support December Dog Parade / Botanical Gardens 29 the people advertising here. If jANUAry: you are a Belleair resident you Heritage Village Holiday Houses 1-31 Post Office Toys for Tots 1 N e w Years Day 1 receive a discount when you Market on the Mall / Belleair 4 advertise. We offer advertising Largo’s Holiday Stroll Central Park 1 Holiday Home Tour at Heritage Village 1 L i tt l e L e a g u e Sign Up Begins 5 discounts in our other issues, Public School Starts 7 Madeira Beach, Indian Rocks Belleair Holiday Parade 2 Belleair Holiday Party Tree Lighting 2 B l u f f’s Business Assn Mixer 10 Beach, Clearwater Beach and Martin Luther King Day 21 Downtown St. Petersburg. Bluff’s Business Assn Mixer 6 Market on the Mall Belleair 7 H e r i t a g e V illage / Folk Festival 26 Call for the next issue. For more Miracle On Cleveland Street Clearwater 7 F e b r U A r y : information, or to read our other Largo’s First Friday Winter Wonderland 7 M a rket on the Mall 1 issues online, visit Hanukkah Begins 8 S u p e r B o w l S u n d a y 3 BeachNewsletters.com Island Estates Lighted Boat Parade 8 F l o r i d a S t a t e F a i r B e g in s 7 Little League Opening Day 9 Bob & Becky Griffin Belleair Bluffs City Holiday Event 14 www.beachnewsletters.com IRB Lighted Boat Parade 15 B lu f f ’ s B u s in e s s A s s n M i x e r 1 4 Gift and Plant Sale Botanical Gardens 16 W i n te r F e s t I n d i a n R o c k s B e a c h 1 6 see You again Winter Begins 21 B e l l e a i r S u nset Run 5K Run 17 in februarY! Public School Out for Holidays 24-7 P r e s i d e n t ’ s Day 18 Kwanzaa Begins 26 © 2012 Griffin Productions, Inc. BELLEAIR AREA NEIGHBORHOOD NEWSLETTER The “King” of Caladesi, continued Henry sometimes worked as a fishing guide and tended boats for seasonal visitors.