HISTORY REWRITTEN - Tampa's Old City Hall Clock: How, When, and Why It Was Named Hortense
 

Chapter I      Chapter III            Chapter IV      Chapter V

 Chapter II:  1911 to 1912, Hortense Oppenheimer and Ye Towne Cryers

You've probably encountered the following stories, or a similar one, about Hortense Oppenheimer,
Ye Towne Cryers, and their 1914 efforts to fund a clock for Tampa's new City Hall.
    Dr. Oppenheimer, the Final Years
 

 The City Council of Tampa and        
Celebration of Old City Hall's Centennial**

"The Oppenheimer children, five daughters and a son, were no less vigorous or gifted than their father. Growing up in a world filled with fine books, music and sober industry they found it easy to share and to emulate their father’s accomplishments. Daughter Hortense became incensed at the city fathers in 1914 because the City Hall had no tower clock to give the proper time. Yielding under the pressure of  Hortense and her irate band of ladies the mayor erected a large clock in the City Hall tower with four faces. Inevitably, it was named "Hortense" and it still keeps accurate time today.


You may have even found it right here on TampaPix, because it's what Dr. James M. Ingram wrote in 1977 in the Journal of the Florida Medical Association about Dr. Louis S. Oppenheimer in "Culture among the Sandspurs" reprinted in the Sunland Tribune, Journal of the Tampa Historical Society, Vol. 3, No. 1, Nov. 1977.

  

At the time, the Tampa Tribune described the new building as “Tampa’s City Hall Layer Cake.”   City Council, however, did not find the funds for the clockworks. Hortense Oppenheimer, the daughter of prominent Tampa physician Louis Sims Oppenheimer, led the campaign by the “Town Cryers” that raised $1,200 to help pay for the clock. W. H. Beckwith Jewelry Company donated the remainder necessary to provide the 2,840 pound, four-faced clock, which was built by the Seth Thomas Company of Vermont.  Prior to the completion of City Hall, the clock was nicknamed “Hortense the Beautiful” in honor of its benefactor, and it retains this name today.

Click the cover to see this publication online.  Then scroll to Page 4..

**The City of Tampa has removed this publication from their website,   BUT you can still read it and download it here from TampaPix's Dropbox folder. 

Over the years, these two stories, or some similar combination of the two, have made their way into every telling  of how Tampa got its City Hall Clock, who it was named for, and why.  It is even part of the Historic American Buildings Survey report of 1981 when City Hall was awarded historic building status in 1974. Some accounts combine both stories into one.  But they just don't fit together sensibly.

 

The image above was created from a Burgert Bros. photo courtesy of the Tampa Hillsborough Co. Public Library System.
 

 

NEITHER STORY CORRECTLY REFLECTS WHY, HOW, OR WHEN IT REALLY HAPPENED.

As Ernest L. Robinson appropriately wrote in his 1928 book, The History of Hillsborough County:

The City Hall, finished in 1915, rises eight stories, the last five forming a tower that is topped by a balcony and another, smaller tower containing a clock.  The clock, known affectionately to city officials and newspapermen as "Hortense," has had many fantastic and romantic tales woven about it..."

 

THROUGHOUT THIS FEATURE, "old City Hall" will refer to the one built in 1890, "new City Hall" will refer to the one built in 1915.

CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PAGE

CAROLINE HORTENSE OPPENHEIMER AND THE TOWN CRYERS

Our history starts in mid-December 1911, when a large number of young society girls organized with the "very creditable view of raising money to buy a handsome large clock to present to the City of Tampa."  Invitations were sent out to many ladies asking them to attend their meeting on Dec. 11 at the Board of Trade to organize and figure out a way to raise funds.

They sought the advice of the secretary of the Board of Trade, Willis B. Powell, who promised to assist them in every way possible.

(Remember his name, he'll be back).

 
Posing in a gown worn to a Gasparilla Ball of an early day, Mrs. Hortense Ford was photographed in this dress when she was Hortense Oppenheimer.  The Skinner satin gown is trimmed with strings of pearls and velvet.  (Tampa Times, Feb. 7, 1966 - SHE REMEMBERS LONG AGO GASPARILLA)
 

NOAH WEBSTER AND CRYERS vs. CRIERS

 

As you will see soon enough, the news articles about Hortense's fund-raising group are inconsistent with its spelling--sometimes "Criers" other times "Cryers."  But a Dec. 25, 1911 article says that even though "Cryers" is not what "Noah Webster says about the spelling" it is the spelling the club chose to use since the very beginning, and they were fully aware of the correct way to spell it.  For this reason, it will be spelled "Cryers" in this feature.

 

 

SHIFT THE MYTH BACKWARDS THREE YEARS

Immediately it can be seen that both versions of the currently accepted story of how and when the City Hall clock came to be named Hortense begins to unravel.  The Town Cryers were formed in 1911, three years before our myth of "Hortense the Beautiful" was said to take place.  Changing the "when" changes the "why" and the "how."

Would anyone try to raise funds for a town clock without first going to City officials to see if they would provide a clock at at the City's (taxpayer) cost?   It depends on that "anyone" and their intent.  If Hortense wanted to provide a clock as a gift for the people of Tampa, then no.  One doesn't give a gift and not pay for it themselves or not even work to earn it.  Nor does one give a gift that the recipient bears the cost themselves.

But assuming Hortense did approach the Mayor or City Council first, it would have been by November of 1911 and we will assume the response would have been that they just couldn't appropriate the funds at that time. 

Take a look for yourself on the previous page with what was going on with the City and needed improvements in late 1911, if you haven't already done so.

In 1911, the the City "had bigger fish to fry" than a clock.  In fact, they had been frying the same fish for about five years by then.  In 1911 their "fish" consisted of the problems of disgraceful old City Hall, Tampa's inadequate and outdated water and sewer systems, the embarrassing  condition of Tampa's sandy  streets, and the outdated, inadequate Lafayette St. bridge. 

"Sorry, we're broke" doesn't sound like the response any responsible city official would have given, but it still the same basic message.  It seems like a logical possibility, but it is speculation.  Would Hortense and her club have hassled the Mayor or City Council at a time like this?  Does "her irate band of ladies" truthfully describe the members of her club?

Proving something didn't happen may be impossible, but one can make reasonable conclusions from the lack of evidence when you look at the context of the events.  Maybe she did ask and it went unnoticed by the press?  Not at all likely.   As you will see on the next page,  from the age of around 10 or 11, "everywhere that Hortense went the press was sure to show."  She was always in the news, her every move.

The time to make public the purpose and circumstances of the Town Cryers formation in the newspapers would have been right at the beginning of the Town Cryers formation, such as in the above article, or the one below.  Something like, "Hortense Oppenheimer and friends formed the Town Cryers today after her request of the City to fund a town clock was turned down due to lack of funds." But nothing like that hit the press. It would have made a great story if it happened.  But it's just not mentioned.

More on next page.
 
 

 
 

 

    

Several young society girls met at a room at Tampa's Board of Trade on Dec. 11, 1911 to organize and figure out a way to raise funds for a TOWN CLOCK.  They decided to form a group called the TOWN CRYERS** with twenty-two year old Miss Hortense Oppenheimer as the club president, Miss Stella Crowell as secretary, and Miss Frances Chambers as treasurer. 

They met with Willis Powell who gave them some helpful suggestions.  They decided to hold a sale of homemade candy on Dec. 22 and 23 at Hortense's uncle's drugstore (William S. Oppenheimer, bro of Dr. Opp.)

No more meetings were scheduled for that year.

**The spelling of their name would constantly vary from article to article, regardless of which newspaper carried the story.   The article at left, and the one below, were published in the same Tribune issue, but each uses a different spelling.  However, a Dec. 25th, 1911 article by the Trib states they've been "called out" (by readers) for misspelling "Criers" as "Cryers."  The Trib states that though it is a misspelling of the word, "Cryers" was the way the group chose to spell it.

The author of the Tribune society column, Mrs. Pauline Browne-Hazen, was also the author of the book called "The Blue Book and History of Pioneers, Tampa" which is an excellent source of genealogical information on Tampa's Pioneers and Tampa's history, published in 1915.  (See it here at Internet Archive.)  

 

Town Crier  from a 1920 Knight & Wall ad at Internet Archive: Rinaldi's Official Guide of Tampa Pub. 1920 Charles Van Horn

THE TOWN CRYERS DEBUT FUNDRAISER: A FUDGE SALE

Below, the reason the group came together is stated, "to devise ways and means to provide Tampa with a town clock....creating a fund sufficient to give this city a time-piece."  Here there is no mention of first going to "city fathers" or asking the mayor to have the city fund a clock.  If this happened, this would have been the opportunity to reveal it. 

It appears that the name they chose was spelled "Cryers" though it is not the correct spelling of the word.  This issue would be clarified later.  They first considered calling themselves the "Tempus Fugettes," a pun on the Latin "Tempus Fugit" meaning "Time flies," a phrase found on the face of many clocks.  But they chose not to, so there would be no confusion with "suffragettes."

Already we see that the group was concerned with creating the impression of being a group of activists, fighting for a cause.  This goes a long way toward dispelling the "irate" and the "pressure" aspects of the Hortense story we've heard in the past decades.

Powell, who was the Secretary of Tampa's Board of Trade, would be their "press agent" throughout the time the Town Cryers were fundraising.  It was Powell who would send the stories to the Tribune and Times regarding their fundraisers.   The "scaled prices" below were probably a joke by Powell..


The sale was scheduled for next Friday and Saturday, Dec. 22 & 23 (as opposed to THIS Friday and Saturday, 15 & 16.) 

TOWN CRYERS "TOCKED" WHEN THEY SHOULD HAVE "TICKED"

Somebody dropped the ball for the Cryers' first event by not checking with Oppenheimer's drugstore as to their availability for their candy sale.  It seems that another candy booth had already set up there several days earlier.  But worse yet, some of the Cryers forgot to make the candy.  They blamed Santa Claus for this, claiming they were distracted by the Christmas season.  The article says, "They were brought back into the proper state of mind yesterday by Chief Crier Hortense Oppenheimer."  If Hortense was ever "incensed" in this whole fundraising campaign, it would have been right here with her club mates.   She may have given them a proper and polite, private tongue-lashing (and if she didn't, she should have!)  The article assured readers that the candy would be on sale that day, Saturday, but at the Court Square Pharmacy instead.
 

TOWN CRYERS LACK ORGANIZATION AND SUPPORT FROM ITS MEMBERS

Here you see that the Tribune makes puns with reference to time and clocks.  The reference to "Thirty wheels" means $30--that's how much they raised selling candy. 

The article says they could have earned more, but the "hands" (members of the club) failed to show up.  Hortense worked a 12-hour day selling candy, from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. and the only other member who spent any considerable time assisting her was Miss Clara Belle Knott.  It says of the seventy-five members of the club, some contributed candy for the sale, but many failed to make any, so the candy was sold out.  One girl threw up her hands when it was suggested she make candy, declaring that she didn't even know how long to boil water to make boiled eggs.  "It is rumored that this young lady is to take a husband to support in the next few months--woe be."  A "swain" is a suitor or lover. 

ABOUT THE SPELLING

Also, the Tribune specifically states that the club intentionally named themselves the CRYERS even though it is an incorrect spelling.  Later, at a Jan. 30, 1912 meeting, they would change their name from TOWN CRYERS to YE TOWNE CRYERS.

The article claims that the town clock is to have a "striking apparatus" so anyone within earshot could know what time it was without looking at the clock.  (Many of the oldest tower clocks had no dial, only a striking mechanism to call out the time.)

"Failing to get the full support of the organization in the candy sale, the ways and means committee of the Town Cryers has decided on a Leap Year Ball."    Their next meeting would be the first Monday after the New Year "and every member better be on hand..."

 

 

MOTORCYCLE RALLY ON ROBERT E. LEE'S BIRTHDAY

The next planned fundraiser would be ticket sales for a motorcycle meet held by the Tampa Motordrome Racing Assn. The event would be held on Robt. E. Lee's birthday, Jan. 19th.

Motorcycle racing was quite popular in these days in Tampa.  The races were usually held at the Tampa Bay Hotel Track, what we call Plant Field today.  The site was also used for the state fair for many years.  Combined with Robert E. Lee's birthday, this was a time of great celebration in Tampa, and the Town Cryers planned to take advantage.

Half of the ticket sales sold by the Town Cryers would go toward the town clock fund.   Their goal for the clock fund was $500.  (Five hundred dollars in 1911 had the purchasing power of what $13,600 has today.  That seems like a  lot, but wait until you see what a good tower clock cost back then.)

            

 

The Town Cryers began selling tickets for the rally on Tuesday, Jan. 16th. 
This is the start of the article.  Click it to read the entire article.  The rest is about the racers, the motorcycles, and the cars that were racing.

     

Below:
According to this article in the Times the next day, there was a good crowd at the event and the 2nd race alone was worth the price of admission.

 

A LEAP YEAR BALL

At right:  Next up on the fundraising itinerary was a "Leap Year Ball" to be held on the evening of Feb. 5 at the Tampa Bay Hotel.  At their next meeting, someone suggested to have it on Leap Day Feb. 29 but that was rejected; it was decided to have it on Feb. 6th.   The ball was to be an "invitation affair." 

Tradition goes that on leap years, a girl can ask a guy to the dance.  A "subscription" ball or dance is one that's not open to the general public, one must be invited to attend.

BELOW: The young girls get cold feet and don't want to find and ask boys to be their escort.  Apparently some were extremely young.  

Again, this goes toward the general attitudes and accepted behavior for young ladies of the era.  Even though it was traditional for a leap year, they were still hesitant about asking the boys.

 

 

The dance was on a Tuesday night, which was probably a mistake that would diminish the turnout.

Also, boys were beginning to avoid having to buy tickets, so they were going to meet again to see how else they could improve their fundraising.

 

From 1920-1930.com, - Subscription Dances

A subscription dance is conducted very much on the order of the formal dance, except that it is semi-public and is usually held in a public hall.  Each subscriber to the dance has the privilege of inviting a certain number of friends to the function. Or, if the membership decide to give several periodic dances, they are entitled to invite a certain number of friends to each one of them.  Sometimes elaborate suppers are served at the subscription dance, the money for the expenses having been appropriated from the subscription fees for the entertainment.

 

TOWN CRYERS NAME CHANGED

AT LEFT:  The Town Cryers met on Wednesday afternoon and decided to change their name from "The Town Cryers" to "YE TOWNE CRYERS." 

It was decided to have the leap year ball at the Tampa Bay Hotel on Feb. 6, a TUESDAY. As for exactly who does the asking, it was to go both ways.

One more meeting was scheduled to complete all the arrangements.


PLANS FOR THE LEAP YEAR BALL

The programs for the ball would be handed out at the ball, as they probably listed the dancing arrangements which depended on who was coming.  Jack Mahoney would be the Master of Ceremonies and would lead the Tampa Bay Orchestra in a grand march.  The invitations were sent out on Feb. 2 with the girls choosing the men, who were expected to call for the young ladies but not expected to bring flowers or furnish their transportation.  Married persons were asked to contribute ONE DOLLAR to the fund and single men were not charged.  (That's twenty-six dollars in 2020 money.)

Membership in Ye Town Cryers was now up to 78 "young society girls."  Invitations were sent out to several women friends who in the leap year traditional way would escort their husbands to the ball.  Girls could could also do the asking in dancing.

RAVE REVIEWS FOR THE LEAP YEAR BALL

The Times reported on the ball the next day, saying "last evening was one of the most enjoyable of the society events of this winter..."  It started with a reception from 8:30 until 9 p.m. with the mayor's wife and Towne Cryers Hortense Oppenheimer, Stella Crowell and Frances Chambers receiving the guests.  Red, white, and blue programs with an illustration of a young girl pointing to a big clock on it were distributed.

 "Time" was the theme for the ball.  Music was provided by the hotel orchestra who led off with a grand march at 9 p.m. headed by Hortense.   The dance numbers were announced in the manner of a town crier and consisted of over a dozen songs--waltzes, ragtime, even a Latin number was played.  The ball room was decorated with red, white and blue lights strung on overhead wires with dozens of alarm clocks placed around the wall.  As a surprise, all the alarms rang at midnight  and all the lights turned off.  It was described as one of the most delightful events given in quite some time and did well to have guests expectantly await the Towne Cryers' next event.

ATTENDANCE WAS DISMAL

Even though the Leap Year Ball was put on in grand style, it was not very well attended.  This article about the Towne Cryers' next event, reveals at the end that the funds generated were such a disappointment that they wouldn't even say how much it brought in. 

NEXT EVENT:  A ROMANTIC MOONLIGHT CRUISE ON THE BAY


 A couple of the Favorite Line's steamers at the Hillsborough River dock, 1923
Burgert Bros. photo courtesy of the Tampa-Hillsborough Co. Public Library System

 

A ROMANTIC MOONLIGHT CRUISE ON THE "FAVORITE" LINE

The next Towne Cryers fund raiser would be a moonlight cruise on a ship of the "Favorite" line on the evening of March 4th.   This well-established company of steamships provided river and bay excursions, along with scheduled runs between Tampa St. Pete, and the Manatee area. 

If this fund raiser didn't bring in a substantial amount, the club's prospects of raising enough for a town clock would be greatly in doubt.

"Their candy sale brought in about $30, but none will tell what their leap year ball brought them, for it was a disappointment."

 

 

ADS FOR FAVORITE LINE OF STEAMERS, 1911, 1912
There being no bridge across the bay to St. Pete, the ferry was the only practical method to get there.  A drive around the bay to the north in those days was an adventure.  The poor condition of roads caused many breakdowns, often taking over 4 hours to get there.

 

ROMANCE GETS THE COLD SHOULDER

A frosty cold snap forced the group to cancel the event the day before it was to take place.

 

THE "CARNIVAL": A FINAL CURTAIN CALL FOR THE CRYERS

Ye Towne Cryers' next fundraiser would be their last one, something they probably didn't figure on at the time.  It was billed as "a veritable carnival of fun and frolic and good times" and it was a community effort, not just the ladies of Ye Towne Cryers.  Willis Powell fed the Times and the Tribune as much hype as he could write, so it seems.  The event consisted of three consecutive evening benefit performances, with a matinee on the day of the third evening performance.  It was staged by the Regan-Lewis Players, a local actors group, performing a comedic play entitled "When The Clock Strikes Twelve."  The Regan-Lewis Players had just moved their performances to the Greeson from the Iris two months earlier.

"This play is just one long, happy laugh from the curtain on the first act until the drop on the last...a light, gay, merry farce comedy with no other aim in view than to make the audience laugh and be happy."  Local favorites were worked into the play to show off the best and brightest of their stunts. 

Various specialties by the Towne Cryers' ladies were worked in between the acts.  Hortense Oppenheimer, blessed with a beautiful singing voice and talent for piano, probably performed at one of the intermissions.   The ladies' presence was being used to draw in the young men of Tampa, "The society girls will all be there with their big blue eyes and flaxen hair; the brunettes will have their chance with their sunny smile and melting glance."  The show was referred to as a "Carnival" and was playing on Monday and Tuesday evening, and Wednesday in the afternoon as well as the evening show.  Snacks and refreshments were being sold to raise funds.
 

 

 

(THE "CARNIVAL" Continues after the GREESON THEATER)

 

 

 

 
THE GREESON THEATER

The Greeson Theater was located on the 200 block of Jackson St.  At the time of Ye Towne Cryers "Carnival," it was less than two years old.  The theater can be seen below to the left of the Bay View Hotel, with Jackson St. running along the right and Tampa St. to the left, but by this time it was no longer being used as a theater.  By 1920 it was bought by W. W. Jones and used by Ben H. Hill who had converted it into three floors of his automobile business, selling his "Cole 8" and "Velie 6" cars.  The first floor was elegantly fitted and furnished for sales rooms and offices, with the parts room behind the office out of view. The 2nd floor contained repair rooms measuring 100 x 70 feet, and the 3rd floor paint shops, as well as storage for cars.  Cars could drive directly to the third floor through the entrance seen on the right against the Bay View Hotel.

 

Feb. 25, 1926 - By this time the Greeson was no longer being used as a theater.
Burgert Bros. photo courtesy of the Tampa Hillsborough Co. Public Library System.
 

MOUSE OVER THE PHOTO TO ZOOM IN ON THE THEATER.


The building under construction is the First National Bank building on Franklin St.
 

Plans to build the Greeson were announced in the summer of 1909 by Emmett M. Greeson, a prominent Tampa businessman and former Tampa City Council member.  It was Tampa's first large, elaborate theater with an expenditure of about $50,000.  No expense was spared in its construction and furnishings, with seating well over 1,000 patrons comfortably, it was located on the corner of Jackson St. and Tampa St.   Chelso Peruchi, owner of a local acting company, planned to lease the theater for 10 years. 

The Peruch-Gypzene company had been previously performing in a relatively new theater named the "Iris" which was located at Tampa and Zack St.

By 1915 the Iris became an auto repair shop.

 

 

 

 

BELOW: The Greeson's auditorium was on the 2nd floor, with the first floor consisting of four large storefronts for rent, with heavy plate glass fronts.  There would be balconies and awnings in front to give shade along the Tampa St. side of the walk.   The new Greeson theater would be ventilated on all sides with large folding windows so that the audience could step out on balconies surrounding the theater. An orchestra consisting of "bright, attentive young men" would be hired to perform.

Peruchi would make the theater a great success with his careful management, something that Tampa badly needed at the time.

The theater opened on June 9, 1910 to much fanfare, with its premier performance of "In the Palace of the King."

   

The Greeson's grand opening on June 9, 1910 was attended by a full house.  Chairs for the theater had been delayed in transit so temporary seats were used.  The patrons were late in arriving, interrupting the first act considerably, having started at 8:15 instead of the customary 8:30 p.m.  There was nothing but praise for the "tasteful interior" with no details missing.  The stage settings were the most elaborate ever seen in Tampa, with the production requiring "much scenery and handsome effects."  Peruchi, "as usual, was up to the requirements and gave a production that merits the highest praise."


The theater seating was segregated, with a separate stairway and second balcony reserved for "the colored patrons."
 CLICK HERE TO READ THE REST OF THIS ARTICLE

A DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE GREESON:
 "GREESON THEATER A FINE STRUCTURE - Inside scheme worked out along lines of beauty" THE TAMPA TRIBUNE - Jun 16, 1910

This ad was probably placed by Dr. Oppenheimer, Hortense's father, or by her uncle.

VISIT THIS BREAKOUT FEATURE AT TAMPAPIX:  WHO WAS E. M. GREESON AND WHAT HAPPENED TO HIS THEATER?

 

THE "CARNIVAL" - IT'S CURTAINS FOR YE TOWNE CRYERS (Continued from above)

Ye Towne Cryers were given free use of the Greeson Theater. The show ran four times, and each day the papers enthusiastically promoted the event.  There were showings on Monday evening of March 18, Tuesday evening of March 19, and a Wednesday matinee and evening show on the 20th.

The play appeared to be a raving success; the Tribune wrote:  "The play is a very very funny one...decidedly one of the cleverest comedies ever seen in Tampa and keeps the audience shrieking with laughter for start to finish.  All sorts of ridiculously funny and embarrassing situations crop up, and the lines that tell the story are unusually bright and clever.

The Regan-Lewis company of actors had just moved their home performances to the Greeson from the Iris two months earlier.
 

Ye Towne Cryers guaranteed "all comers a good time and especially desire the attendance of the nice young men of the city. 

"No leap year foolishness will be allowed."

 
 

This review of the first show says "The play itself was delightful and laughable throughout, and was very cleverly produced."

In order for ticket sales to be applied to the town clock fund, they had to be purchased from the courthouse square pharmacy, or from the Towne Cryers.

 

Between the acts the Towne Cryers sold snacks and drinks, with one of the actors being the "star salesman."

"Quite a neat sum was realized from this source at each of the performances." 

As for ticket prices, they may seem cheap, but 50 cents back then would be like $13 and some change today.

 

 

Nothing else is written about Ye Towne Cryers for about two months. 

 

CATASTROPHE AT SEA
 Many newspapers across the nation published this erroneous news on April 15, 1912

 Click the image to see the whole story larger.

   

TAMPA'S OLD PEOPLE'S HOME IN DEBT

Abe Maas, who along with his brother Isaac, were the Maas brothers of Maas Brothers (of course), made a plea to the women of Tampa to donate a dollar toward alleviating the debt of the old people's home, of which he Abe was on the board of directors.  The home charged its residents a small amount which was not near enough to keep up on the running expenses and "charitable people have to go down in their pockets for the balance needed."  Others on the board of directors are named here, as well as the women administrators of the home.  Maas said,  "There are enough ladies in this city who could well give a dollar apiece to pay off this indebtedness."

At Right:  The Abe Maas family circa 1891, Tampa
Abraham Maas with wife, Philabena "Bena" Wolf Maas, their son Sol Maas and their daughter Jessie Maas.  By 1922, Jessie would marry Jules Winston of New York,  the Winston in the 5th Ave. NY jewelers Andrews & Winston.  Bena Wolf was a sister of the Tampa men's clothiers and accessories Wolf Brothers, started by Fred & Morris Wolf in Tampa in 1898. 

See and learn more about these families and their businesses, here at TampaPix,

Photo at right is courtesy of
Ben & Anna Maas, great-grandson and great-granddaughter-in-law of Sol Maas.

          

 

      

 

 

ANOTHER PLEA FOR THE OLD PEOPLE'S HOME
The sum of $2,000 was needed within the next few weeks.  Abe Maas, "the well known owner of one of the city's largest stores" is still relying on the women of the city to come up with the funds.  Hampton Street was in the south part of downtown formerly occupied as Fort Brooke, but was still a separate municipality from Tampa at this time.  The names of the board of directors and the women administrators of the home are listed again.

Abe Maas circa 1921
From "Men of the South, a Work for the Newspaper Reference Library", Southern Biographical Association, New Orleans, 1922
   

 


THE OLD PEOPLE'S HOME ON HAMPTON ST. IN THE GARRISON

By 1924, the "old people's home" had become the "Tampa Home for Aged" and was still located in the Garrison on Hampton St.  On Aug. 4, they moved from there to a brand new building in Tampa Heights, seen in the photo below.  The article says that the old home would be turned over to the Seamen's Church Institute to convert it into a dormitory, reading room, and general quarters for sailors in port here.

Hampton St. is marked "Hampton Av." on the 1915 Sanborn map as seen below.  Everything south of Whiting St. was still referred to as "The Garrison" from the days of Fort Brooke.  Hampton was a short street extending two blocks between S. Franklin St. and S. Morgan St.  Two dwellings can be seen on this block, a large one at 404 and a smaller one at 402 Hampton.

The Sep. 19, 1924 Tribune article below states that the large house on Hampton St. was vacated by the Home for the Aged.  The Burgert Bros. photo on the right is dated Nov. 10, 1924, the Seamen's Church Inst. at 404 Hampton Ave. 

According to James McKay, Jr. in "Reminiscences - History of Tampa in the Olden Days"  Dec. 18, 1923 and "Oldest Tampa Citizen Recounts Tampa's Deeds," Dec. 20, 1921, Tampa Times, in describing the aftermath of the great hurricane of 1848, he states that this house was formerly the home of W. G. Ferris:

As soon as Mr. Ferris could obtain material he erected a small building on the south side of Whiting street near the intersection of Franklin, which did not extend farther south, on account of the reservation. A few years later Mr. Ferris, having some trouble with the military officials, was ordered off the reservation, so he moved his store to the corner of Florida and Washington streets and built his residence on the same lot. This residence became the old folks home and later on was moved to the site the home is now occupying and somewhat improved, or made larger.

 

 
Nov. 10, 1924 Burgert Bros. photo courtesy of the Tampa-Hillsborough Co. Public Library System.
 This was the "Old People's Home" of Abe Maas' plea for funds in 1912.
 


 

YE  TOWNE  CRYERS  DONATE  CLOCK  FUNDS 

On May 30, 1912, it was announced that Ye Towne Cryers donated the $150  they had in their treasury for a town clock to the old folks' home. 

"They feel confident that those assisting them in raising this fund....will not object to this disposition of the money.  They appreciated the assistance given them, but have decided to spend the money for the benefit of the home in preference to adding it for the clock."

Did their fund raising bring in more than $150?  Maybe, but probably not.  Did they have costs that needed to be paid off?  Maybe.  We just don't know.

What we do know is that even before a new City Hall financing plan or design was in sight, Ye Towne Cryers felt it would be better to help the old people's home with the $150 they had in their treasury.

 

 

 

This was the end for Ye Towne Cryers,
never to meet again, but not forgotten.

 

THE FACTS:

  • Hortense and young society girls formed the "Town Cryers"  in  Dec. 1911 (renamed "Ye Towne Cryers" in Jan. 1912) for the purpose of raising funds for a town clock for Court House Square.

  • Starting in Dec. 1911 they planned to have five fund raisers:

    • Homemade fudge/candy sale, Dec. 23, 1911.

    • Percentage of ticket sales for motorcycle races, Jan. 19, 1912.

    • Leap Year Ball at the Tampa Bay Hotel, Feb. 6, 1912.

    • Moonlight cruise on the bay on an excursion boat, Mar. 4, 1912. (Canceled Mar. 3 due to cold weather.)

    • A "carnival," When the Clock Strikes Twelve, a live comedy play at the new Greeson Theater with various between-the-acts entertainments and concessions sales.  Evening shows Mar. 18, 19 & 20 with an afternoon matinee on the 20th.

  • The group ceased activity after the last show and was not written about in the papers for two months.

  • When the old folks home was in dire need of funds to stay open, Ye Towne Cryers donated all the funds they had in their treasury, $150, to that charity on May 30, 1912.

  
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Chapter III:  1913 to 1915 City Hall
Financing, Site Selection, Design, Construction, Clock Installation & Completion
 

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 Chapter I:  1900 to 1911, Tampa Needs A New City Hall

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