Indian Rocks Beach

According to legend, Indian Rocks got its name when Tocobaga Indians brought their ailing chief from inland Florida to drink from the area's sulfur springs, prized for their medicinal qualities. Their leader miraculously recovered, as the story goes, and the tribe returned each year to the place where large rocks surrounded the healing spring. The natural beauty of the barrier island that became Indian Rocks Beach was what attracted Harvey Hendrick to establish his homestead here in the mid-1890s. Years later, he recalled, "I liked the place, I thought it was the most beautiful place on God's green footstool, and I think so yet." The charm and character of this little seaside community is evident in these historic photographs, from the days when the old swing bridge was the center of activity, to the booming post-World War II era when tourists and residents proclaimed Indian Rocks Beach as their special place.

Authors Wayne and Nancy Ayers and Jan Ockunzzi, board members of the Indian Rocks Historical Society, have selected images provided by longtime residents and local archives to create this visual journey through the community’s rich and storied past.