Browse Items (112 total)

On the site of the old Sponge Exchange, a complex of boutique shops in a faux Cyclades Island architectural style opened on March 16, 1983. Several klouves on the north side of the Sponge Exchange were retained, originally intended for use by sponge…

A man hauls large sponges from a loaded lateen sail sponge boat on the Anclote River in 1921. The name on the boat is barely legible, but it is probably Taxiarchis Mihail, or St. Michael the Archangel, the patron saint of Symi. The boat in the…

Mass tourism bloomed after World War I as the middle class expanded. As a result, tourism based on the sponge industry and Greek culture developed early in Tarpon Springs. This image shows a store selling sponges at 629 Dodecanese Boulevard in 1921.

In this view looking north from the Sponge Exchange to the boats lining the Sponge Docks, men examine enormous piles of strung sponges harvested on recent trips. When the photograph was taken in 1921, the old wooden buildings had been replaced with…

In 1921, dozens of Greek boats in the sponge fleet line the wooden docks where men work and an anchor lies. Along with the lone horse-drawn buggy are the Sponge Exchange jitney and cars that are probably owned by the more affluent sponge merchants.

This panoramic view of the convention of AHEPA (American Hellenic Educational and Progressive Association) includes both members as well as local residents in front of the Tarpon Springs City Hall in 1928. Many AHEPA members wear a fez with AHEPA and…

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…

This remarkable panoramic view shows a line of sponge boats at the Sponge Docks across from the shops along Dodecanese Boulevard, as well as some boats moored east of the Docks along the banks of the Anclote River in 1932. The new bridge that…

By 1937, the Sponge Docks are bustling with visitors. Note the many cars parked in front of the sponge fleet, the tourist boat ride at the end of the Sponge Docks, and the large sign announcing the function of the Sponge Exchange to visitors.

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…