Tarpon Springs

Around 1876, A.W. Ormond and his daughter, Mary, were the first to settle in the area now known as Tarpon Springs. They built a cabin near Spring Bayou. Mary liked the great fish that inhabited the Bayou. They would leap into the air and spray water. In 1879, she started calling their small settlement Tarpon Springs. (the fish were actually mullet, not tarpon) Tarpon Springs was incorporated in 1887, population 52.

One of the first thing you notice about Tarpon Springs around the sponge docks is the Greek heritage of the area. It seems there is a Greek restaurant on every corner. Soon after its incorporation, sponge harvesting began in the reefs near Tarpon Springs. In 1890 the Cheney Sponge company reached one million dollars in sales (equivalent of $27 M in today’s dollars). Over the next few years, experienced divers from Greece were brought to Tarpon Springs. By 1905, over 500 Greek sponge divers were at work using 50 boats.

Side note: The sponge is an aquatic animal. It clings to a hard object such as rock or coral. Through a system of chambers, it ingests the plankton on which it lives. Every two months the growing sponge increases in diameter by half an inch. The sponge is coated with a dark elastic skin. The skin has openings through which the sponge breathes. Divers gently squeeze out the gurry (a gray, gelatinous substance) as they gather their sponges. Then they pound them down and clean them. The sponges are covered with wet burlap sacks on the ship’s deck. The heat releases a gas that rots the sponges’ skins. The natural sponges we use are actually the skeletons of aquatic animals.

In the 1940s, and 50s a blight reduced the growth of sponges and nearly wiped out the sponge industry in Tarpon Springs. However, in the 1980s, new sponge beds were found. Now, Tarpon Springs is back to being a leader in the world’s natural sponge market.

The rich flavors of the Greek cuisine proved to be irresistible. Herb picked me up the first night I arrived, we met several other looper at Costas for dinner. I took a recommendation from Herb. I know it probably caused some confusion in the kitchen, but I asked them for no olives. The Greek salad was a meal in itself, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, pepperoncini, feta cheese, beets and potato salad with homemade olive oil dressing. The entrée was wonderful. I passed on the desserts.

On Saturday before I left, I had all my chores done and rode around with Herb in the afternoon as he went about his Saturday routine. After touring around and making a few stops here and there, he asked: what you like for dinner, seafood or Greek? I said I can get seafood in a lot of places, but not Greek, so I would go for some more Greek. So, we did. I can’t name the dishes I had but they were very tasty (like to use garlic and I like to eat garlic, so maybe that’s it).

Tarpon Springs is also known for the Epiphany celebration ceremonies hosted by the St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church. Often the Greek Orthodox Archbishop of America leads the celebration. The blessing of the fleets and water conclude with the ceremonial throwing of a wooden cross into the city's Spring Bayou (where the first settlers built a cabin). Boys ages 16 to 18 dive in to retrieve the cross. Whoever recovers the cross is said to be blessed for a full year. The celebration eventually moves to the Sponge Docks where food and music are made part of the festivities. Since the first Greek immigrants depended on the sea and their boats for their livelihood, their attachment to a religious service centered on requesting divine protection is a natural fit. The celebration attracts Greek Americans from across the country, and the city's population is known to triple in size for that day. Too bad I won’t be there on January 6.

I will leave Lesson Plan to rest in Tarpon Springs until January 22.

Lesson Learned: Tarpon Springs is definitely a stop worth making.

A video of the smooth water out on the gulf.