Pass-a-Grille - Overflowing with History

The Hotel Castle was one of the earliest hotels, and is one of the only remaining original hotels on Pass-a-Grille. It has been serving guests for 100 years and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

 

The original building (lobby area and Room 5) showcase Spanish style architecure. While the "new" addition added in 1918, shows a more traditional shotgun style costal building with high ceilings, transoms, and cross ventilation hatches. 

 

Hotel Castle's rooms have changed very little over time. Most rooms still feature original wood floors, layout, closets, and bathrooms.

Island History

Imagine that 10,000 years ago, Indians hunted the praires and fished the waters of what later became Pass-A-Grille. The last group of Native Americans to settle in the
area were the Tocobagas around 1,000 - 1,700 AD.

 

Long Key (island Pass-a-Grille resides on) area was first visited by Europeans in 1528 when the Spanish Explorer, Panfilo de Narvaez anchored off Pass-A-Grille pass. Afterwards, the island was used as a camp for fisherman to obtain fresh water and to grill their catch.

 

According to legend, it is thought that Pass-A-Grille derives it's name from the French Passe aux Grilleurs.

 

In 1857, John Gomez self styled 'last of the pirates', began bringing excursionists here from Tampa by ferry which gave this area the distinction of being the oldest resort on Central Florida's West Coast.



 

Zephaniah Phillips, the first homesteader settled here in 1886 and by the turn of the Century Pass-A-Grille had it's first hotel and a ferry boat service from what is now Gulfport. The town of Pass-A-Grille Beach was incorporated into the city of St. Petersburg Beach in 1957 and in 1989 a section of Pass-A-Grille was declared a National Historic District.





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