Gulf Beaches Today

This site is the creation of students from the University of South Florida Honors College, who are enrolled in the course IDH 4950 How to Make History. In 1963, Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote that “We are made by history,” emphasizing the importance of historical events and narratives in constructing our understanding of the world and ourselves. Many of us might think of History – the academic discipline – as little more than a sequence of objective facts, a chronological list of important names, dates, and battles. In reality, history – as a lived experience – is much more personal and intimate. It is experienced every day, by every individual. Events, from the mundane to momentous, are experienced and remembered by people, recorded by some, and passed along to future generations, hopefully for their edification.

This website is our attempt to create a history of our own by reflecting on contemporary issues, individuals, and events, that are shaping the current identity of Pinellas County’s Gulf Beaches. We are committed to critically exploring social, political, and environmental themes from diverse perspectives, and representing the voices and faces of the full community. In partnership with community organizations including the St. Pete Beach Public Library and the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum, we have also contributed additional work to the Pinellas Memory online archive of historical artifacts.