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aeriel view of Anclote River
This 1947 aerial view shows the Anclote River winding to the Gulf, with Anclote Key in the background. It also reveals more limited activity on the Sponge Docks—with fewer boats and cars. In the lower left on Athens Street you can see the beginnings…
boat yard at the Sponge Docks
1932. The 1910 census reveals that six Greek ship carpenters resided in Tarpon Springs. The Greeks learned their skills as apprentices to master ship builders. In Tarpon Springs they probably worked full-time in the construction and repair of diving…
elevated view of Sponge Exchange and Docks 1932
The elevated view reveals the sponge fleet at the Sponge Docks and the Sponge Exchange and view of bridge and surrounding area in 1932. Note the boat yard to the right of the Docks, where boats were built, repaired, and their hulls cleaned.
group in Greek clothing
A Greek school group dressed for a Greek cultural celebration poses on the Sponge Docks during the 1940s. The two sponge divers to the left behind them are Emmanuel Mehas and John Maillis. The front row is unidentified Greek school teacher,…
hauling sponges off the Eleni
On October 2, 1970, the crew of the sponge boat Eleni hauls strings of sponges off the boat to store in the Sponge Exchange until they are auctioned later in the day.
Lloyd Bridges with townspeople
Actor Lloyd Bridges poses with townspeople at the Sponge Docks during the filming of 16 Fathoms Deep (1948) in Tarpon Springs. During the late 1940s and early 1950s, both this film and Beneath the 12-Mile Reef (1953) created a romantic aura around…
merchant outside tourist shop
A merchant surveys the street from the doorway of his tourist shop stocked with shells and sponges in 1936. In decades past, tourist shops near the Sponge Docks marketed items such as sponges, shells, curios, and Greek vases.
saleswoman with tourist
A Greek saleswoman explains the properties of a vase sponge inside a tourist store near the Sponge Docks, 1936. Shops very similar to this one remain today, together with specialized and general tourist shops.
Samarkos Bros. sponge boats
Sponge boats Samarkos Bros, Eleni, Posidon, Anna, Democratia, and Anastases are moored at the Sponge Docks in 1949. Despite the many boats seen here, by the late 1940s the sponge beds had been devastated by a red tide that killed sponges, many…