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TAMPA'S 1904 MAY FESTIVAL and the ROOTS OF THE GASPARILLA
CELEBRATION
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There was
no Gasparilla Parade in 1904 because is wasn't called the "Gasparilla Parade" until
later when it became part of the opening
ceremonies of the Florida State Fair.
The appearance of the "GASPARILLAS" began as a
small section of Tampa's May Festival
floral carriages and automobiles parade in 1904.
Tampa's first May Festival
in 1903 was primarily a
series of musical and vocal concerts. In 1904,
Tribune society page columnist Louise Frances Dodge claimed it wasn't what it could have been due to short planning time.
Read about the
first May Festival here on the first page of this
feature.
The early history of
the appearances of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla in
parades are inextricably tied with the Tampa Bay Hotel,
the South Florida Fair and the Florida State Fairs. |
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TAMPA BAY HOTEL
SHAKEUP 1902 - 1904
Below
italics from "A
Damnable Outrage" The Sale of the Tampa Bay
Hotel.
After Henry B. Plant's death in 1899, a
succession of "body blows" befell the hotel. Opened in
1891, the 511-room Tampa Bay Hotel was considered state of the
art with its luxurious decor and limitless comforts
including an elevator, electricity, hot and cold water,
telephones, and heat for cool winter evenings.
Plant had
expended large sums of money for upkeep of both the buildings and grounds
without concerning himself about profitable returns. After
his death and the settlement of his estate, Plant's heirs* were unwilling to continue this support,
and realizing the property was deteriorating they turned their
"problem" over to a syndicate, the Ocean and Gulf Realty of New York
City under Frank
Q. Brown.
*His
widow, second wife Margaret Plant, and his son Morton Plant, by
his first wife.
In 1902, another New York firm,
T. J. Scott and Sons, obtained an option on the property, but
this was then tied up in a long litigation between Frank Q.
Brown of the Ocean and Gulf Realty Co and Chas. H. Scott of T.J.
Scott & Sons.
In January 1904, Scott's agents,
Thomas Scott and Thomas J. L. Brown, traveled to Tampa to
oversee Messrs. Proskey and Chase, who by this time were
leasing the hotel from Frank Q. Brown of Ocean and Gulf
for the winter season through Mar. 31st. On
Apr. 1st, Thomas J. L. Brown of T.J. Scott was to take over management for the
remainder of the year.
What Thomas Scott and T. J.
L. Brown found was chaos: the
grounds neglected, employees suing for back wages, liquor
disappearing, numerous free meals and rooms given to young
women, outstanding bills, and money missing, among
numerous discrepancies.
On Mar. 4, 1904, Thomas J. L. Brown
reported to his home office, "[Proskey and Chase] spend the
major portion of their days and until early hours of the next
morning in the bar room. Tuesday evening in the dining room Mr.
Proskey made an attempt to hit the cashier with a water bottle,
this caused, as you may imagine, quite some excitement. About
half an hour after that they met in the rotunda, and before all
the guests had a tongue lashing, and had it not been for
intervention, would have had a hand to hand fight. ...This was
followed shortly afterward by a regular stand up fight between
two of the bell boys." |
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The hotel property was in
disrepair; Thomas J. L. Brown estimated that it would take several
hundred dollars to restore just the grounds that had been badly
neglected.
It was at this time in late
March 1904 that planning and organization for the second annual May
Festival began. Within the next few weeks Louise Dodge
and George Hardee would hatch a plan to boost attendance by
bringing Tampa its first visit by Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.
The Tampa Bay Hotel would play a pivotal role in the
celebrations, with the Casino being the venue of the grand
finale royal ball of YMKG.
Finally, on April 4, 1904,
T.J.L. Brown wrote, "I took
charge of the hotel on Tuesday morning last after breakfast and
have about got matters straightened out . . . I am making
strenuous efforts to get the best people of Tampa to make this
their headquarters throughout the dull and monotonous Summer
months." Thomas J. L. Brown was a man with a plan, even going to
the extent of organizing a Tampa Bay Rod and Gun Club with
headquarters at the hotel.
True to his word, the Dollar
Dinners started on April 1 with a wide selection of items. Prime
Rib was on the menu every day.
The Tampa Tribune did
not publish on Mondays.
Continued
below after the May Festival.
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HOW THE 1904 MAY
FESTIVAL AND APPEARANCE OF THE "GASPARILLAS" UNFOLDED PUBLICLY IN THE PRESS
March
22, 1904 - NO MENTION OF GASPARILLA
Womans Ways columnist Louise Frances Dodge
reported on the planning of the May Festival for the
first time. The Floral Parade plans were receiving
favorable comment. "Secret Organizations" planned
to have floats in the parade. This refers to lodge organizations such as the Masons, Knights of Pythias,
Odd Fellows,
etc. Prizes were to be awarded for best decorated
carriages, automobiles, and children's turnouts
(costumes.) Concerts were being arranged with
local and foreign (not from Tampa) talent.
Outdoor events were being planned. A ball in
the great dining room of the Tampa Bay Hotel was being
planned by a committee; a member of which was George
Hardee. Profit was to be divided equally
between furnishings for the Children's Home and a
fund for next year's festival. Main streets of
Tampa were expected to be decorated, residents were
urged to fly flags from their houses. |
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YOU ARE URGED TO CLICK THE LINKS
TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLES.
THERE IS MUCH MORE WRITTEN IN
THEM THAN IN THE SUMMARIES. |
1904, March 24th - THE TAMPA TRIBUNE - Plans for the festival were
to be discussed at a meeting this day.
Directors of the concerts were announced and
"prominent ladies and gentlemen" were in
charge of the floral parade. Prominent
politicians were planning a political rally
before the upcoming "primaries."
(Back
then, the Tribune called any final election a
"primary" instead of an election and
the winners having been "nominated" having been "elected.")
A Grand Festival Ball was planned even
before Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla was
formed. The admission to the ball
was set at $5. In charge of the ball
was Howell Lykes, Clarke Knight, Bratton
Lowry, Hilton Hampton, and George Hardee. Hardee's influence can be seen in the
comparison of the ball to those in New
Orleans. Decoration for the ball was
by a committee which included Mary Lee
Douglass (who would later become the first
Queen of Ye Mystic Krewe,) Lila Carnes and
Charley Davis. Tampa's City Council
was asked to participate and suggestion made
to invite the Jacksonville Board of Trade.
SEE THE ENTIRE ARTICLE "PLANS FOR MAY
FESTIVAL"
1904,
March 27th - THE TAMPA TRIBUNE - More details of planning were announced. The
festival would be held May 2 - 7 with Governor Jennings and
his staff expected to attend. Dates and times of
the various events were announced.
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Monday, May
2 - The floral parade of decorated carriages, business
floats, autos, military, fire dept., police dept.,
tradesmen, societies and officials under the direction
of Major* Conoley; Mrs. S.B. Leonardi chairman of the
committee. A flower and patriotic display at the
parade reviewing stand, with a concert. Military
maneuvers, the first Grand concert.
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Tuesday,
May 3 - A piano hour, children's concert (with 500
children expected), misc. concerts including the Glee
Club.
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Wed., May 4
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A Board of Trade meeting, horse races at Tampa Bay
Track, a lady minstrels concert.
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Thu. May 5
- A political rally at the T.B. Hotel grounds, races, a
grand oratorio sung by 200 musicians of the City.
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Fri. May 6
- A Cantata at the Morning Musicale, gun shoot by the
T.B. Rod and Gun Club with participants from all over
the State, and the Grand Festival Ball with George Hardee of New Orleans listed on the Grand Festival Ball
committee along with J.B. Lowry, Clark Knight, Howell
Lykes and H.S. Hampton.
*Major, like Colonel, in the
most commonly used sense, was NOT used as
military rank. It was used as an
aristocratic title of honor and
respect, with
"Colonel" reserved for the older, more
affluent and highly respected society men
and
successful businessmen, in the place of
"Mr." "Major" was often used for the same reason but for a
younger man. Sometimes "Captain" was
used the same way but for young,
up-and-coming men of high society.
There were no concrete age group limits
which were followed, with newspapers and
other printed media being the main users of
the ranks, followed by public speakers.
Other
events included a bowling match between Tampa and
Jacksonville, with $100** team entry fee and an art show
at the Tampa Bay Hotel, and an art show.
**According
to ,
CPI Inflation Calculator, $100 in 1904 is like
$3,523 in 2024.
SEE THE ENTIRE ARTICLE "EVENTS OF FESTIVAL"
1904, APR. 5 - THE TAMPA TRIBUNE - BIG FEATURES FOR
THE FESTIVAL
The Tribune
gave the Floral Parade priority in this article,
implying designs of the floral carriages have already
been submitted. It then goes into detail of other such
parades held elsewhere, and descriptions of some of the
award-winning carriages.
Mention is made of secret
organizations making plans to display magnificent
floats. These were lodge organizations such as the
Freemasons, Knights of Pythias, etc. Businesses
were also expected to participate in the parade, as well
as the fire department, military, and various bands.
Some
details of the concerts are revealed--scenes from
"Bohemian Girl" and "Faust" with fine solos, the
brilliant "Human Frog" with patriotic tunes, the
exquisite Rose Garden with nodding blossoms, and
charming girls, choruses by the Glee Club, an hour of
piano music, a lady minstrel show, and a great oratorio
concert the "Creation."
A political rally with leading politicians of the
State would be held. Plans for two days of horse racing are
described as running, trotting, and match races , with
some entries from Jacksonville. Owners wanting to
enter were to make early application with Tampa Bay
Hotel manager T. J. L. Brown. The article
reports that the "Tampa Bay Rod and Gun Club" is making
elaborate preparations in the form of a live pigeon
shoot, for which over 40 entries had already been
received, and a prize of $400 to be divided among the
winners.
The Festival Ball was to be an "exceptionally brilliant
affair" with a membership of "society men" being secured
with plans to make it permanent. Decorations in
the Tampa Bay Hotel included a May pole and a dance to
open the program. The first hint of a Mardi Gras theme
is the mention of the members to be wearing masks,
with elegant costumes of
velvet and silk.
SEE THE ENTIRE ARTICLE "BIG FEATURES FOR FESTIVAL"
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1904, APR 20 -
THE
TAMPA TRIBUNE -
FIRST MENTION OF
THE MYSTIC KREWE OF GASPARILLA
Louise Dodge revealed for the first time that
a Carnival Ball Association was formed on
Apr. 19, 1904 and that it was a secret
organization., "...so few facts can be given."
Officers were elected and the name "Mystic
Krew [sic] of Gasparilla" was chosen.
Miss Dodge mentions "Many Tampaites
[sic] do not know that the
pirot [sic] Gasparilla and his
crew were said at one time to have infested
this region, with treasures buried at
Gasparilla Island."
The set up of the pirate theme had begun
with a reference to a past record of pirates
"one time to have infested this region."
It is evident at this point that the
upcoming April
23 letter from the Krewe member "Gossippo"
had been planned. Input by former
New Orleans native George Hardee can be seen with the
statement that "Handsome silk and
velvet costumes and masks will be ordered
from the famous costumer, Mme. Alabeau of
New Orleans." Mention is made
of a queen and her maids to be chosen from
young ladies of the city, and FORTY members
of the "Krew" would be on horseback and masked
in the floral parade. There is no
mention of an invasion of any sort.
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1904, APR.
23 -
THE
TAMPA TRIBUNE -
FESTIVAL
SEASON TICKETS
In her
column, "Womans Ways and Wishes," Louise Dodge announced the
cost of a "season ticket" and individual tickets. Season tickets were limited to 1,000 of them and would
not be sold during the festival. For one dollar
you could attend "seven fine concerts..." but individual
event tickets were 50 cents.
SEE THE ENTIRE ARTICLE
1904,
APR 23 -
THE
TAMPA TRIBUNE
YE MYSTIC KREWE OF
GASPARILLA ANNOUNCES INTENTIONS OF VISITING TAMPA
In light of
this article, in the form of a proclamation, it appears
that Miss Dodge may have revealed some details of the
Krewe's plans prematurely in her Apr. 23 article.
On Apr. 23,
1904, the Tribune published a proclamation claiming to be from
Gossippo, Lord High Chamberlain of the Pantry Key.
This letter, later to be revealed as written by
George Hardee, was
addressed to the associate editor of the Tribune, Edwin
Lambright as
our beloved cousin, Edwindo Lambrighto,
Duke of Tribunes, Minister of Plentyconfectionery (perhaps Lambright was fond of eating plenty
of sweets, being a large man.) The letter claims to have originated from
The Royal Palace, Gasparilla Island.
In the
letter, Gossippo stated that "after a century of
obscurity and retirement" and many
changes of generations of Tampa, their (the Krewe's) beloved friends
had become ignorant of the details of their Royal
history. The legend refers to PRINCE GASPARILLA,
not Jose Gaspar. In fact, neither "Jose" or
"Gaspar" is mentioned in any of the 1904 festival
publicity. The present beloved Sovereign
was the unnamed King Gasparilla the
'Steenth who planned to visit Tampa with his
Krewe.
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Greeting,
After a century of obscurity and retirement in His Royal
Majesty's dominion, it has been deemed expedient and
desirable by His Royal Majesty that the Royal Court of
Gasparilla shall once again, as of yore, VISIT OUR
BELOVED FRIENDS in the fair and prosperous City of
Tampa.
Tis long ago since our gracious forefathers of honored
memory held court in your beloved city, and may
have in these many changes of generations our beloved
friends have become ignorant of the details of our Royal
history.
His Royal Majesty therefore desires you to inform his
good and beloved friends in the City of Tampa,
to-wit:
Once upon a time there lived a gracious but restless
Prince named GASPARILLA whose fondness for daring and
adventure led him to leave the country of his birth and
roam the seas in search of exploit.
And with him also went a large and daring number of
brave and noble Knights and Dukes of the Realm.
Fortune and the winds blew them on the western coast of
a beautiful and tropical country called Florida, meaning
Land of Flowers, and for many years this daring company
invaded this coast playing such serious pranks on the
merchant marine that they soon incurred for themselves
the name of "Pirates."
Finally, as time elapsed, Prince Gasparilla grew weary
of adventure and decided to retire from the seas and
establish somewhere a Kingdom that might survive him.
This was done, and we are the legitimate descendants of
that noble company which once constituted the famous
crew of Gasparilla. Our monarchy was established
on a beautiful island off the selfsame coast of Florida,
and the island was forthwith named Gasparilla in honor
of our beloved sovereign.
 For many years the Royal Court paid friendly visits
to the beautiful city of your ancestors,, then a
great scourge befell the Kingdom--an epidemic of that
dread disease the Yellow Fever.
It was thought by the world that our population had been
exterminated, but a few escaped and among these a lineal
descendant of King Gasparilla himself. From this
little band of survivors our Kingdom was gradually,
through many years of trial and hardship, reestablished
in obscurity.
Our present beloved Sovereign is King Gasparilla the 'Steenth.
More anon. GOSSIPPO, Lord High Chamberlain;
Guardian of the Pantry Key.
Article
shown below. |
There was
no reference to an invasion or hostile takeover of any sort; it was planned as a friendly
visit, and their leader was King Gasparilla the 'Steenth,
NOT Jose Gaspar or Prince Gasparilla.
In
later years, accounts of this first "Gasparilla" would
erroneously claim that this letter in the Tribune was
written as from Jose Gaspar.
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THE ACTUAL "PROCLAMATION" AS PUBLISHED IN THE TRIBUNE
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SOME
FACTS CONCERNING THE NATURE OF THE KREWE AND THEIR 1904
PLANS
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The event was described as a VISIT, not
an INVASION.
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Three times the "Lord High Chamberlain
Gossippo" refers to the people of Tampa
as their "beloved friends" and once
Tampa is referred to as "beloved city."
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The message says that Gasparilla was a
prince who had a fondness for daring and
adventure and so left his home country.
No mention of Spain or Jose Gaspar.
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A history of "friendly visits" by a
"Royal Court" to the "beautiful city of
your ancestors" had previously continued
through the years but came to an end due
to a Yellow Fever epidemic.
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Though the world forgot about them and
thought they had been exterminated, some
escaped the epidemic, with some
survivors being lineal descendants of
King Gasparilla himself (f.k.a.
Prince Gasparilla before establishing
his "kingdom") and together after many
years of trial and hardship,
reestablished themselves in obscurity.
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Their present king was "King Gasparilla
the 'Steenth" and referred to
as "His Royal Majesty."
The first
appearance of the pirates in Tampa's second
May Festival was not planned as a mock
hostile takeover, invasion, or capturing of
the city by marauding, cutthroat pirates.
The original pirate leader, Gasparilla, was
a "Prince" and then a "King" from long ago.
A "Royal Court," his descendants, along with
descendants of his crew, were coming to
Tampa as a friendly visit, in the same
manner their ancestors used to visit before
a Yellow Fever epidemic.
There was no claim that their current leader
was Jose Gaspar.
THIS WAS
THE ORIGINAL THEME OF THE GASPARILLA
CARNIVAL
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LAMBRIGHT REWRITES HISTORY
In 1936,
Lambright published "The Life and Exploits of
Gasparilla, Last of the Buccaneers, with the History of
Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla." He described each celebration held
since 1904, named the members of the Court of Gasparilla, and
described various events of the celebrations, with some
photos. The book was only for members
of the society of Ye Mystic Krewe (most likely not for
free.) Thirty or so pages
were devoted to his "proof" that Jose Gaspar was real.
It was a complete embellishment of
the legend created by Lambright
himself, including his claim of an anonymous Spanish
archives source and Gaspar's diary. (A diary
which Lambright himself said contained only brief notes
of various adventures, yet he went on to write
page after page of word-for-word conversations Gaspar had
over his lifetime of piracy that it read like a Hollywood
script.) Lambright created the history and
claimed to have presented facts. His account
of Gaspar's demise can be disproven by Naval archives
records.
He described the events of the first appearance of the Gasparillas
during the 1904 May festival. In this history he
included what he claimed to be the contents of the above
1904 proclamation letter from "Gossippo" published by the
Tribune, but he presented a different version of it
by
removing the "friendly" parts so they didn't conflict with more
vicious version containing threats of violence and
hostility, which he added, and which the celebration had become. Those
added threatening aspects changed the entire
character of the Krewe's first visit to fit with the
present theme. A
less courtly, less jovial, meaner, nastier Krewe had begun to creep into Gasparilla
in the early 1910s and in 1914 turned into a full-blown
invasion of nasty-looking, marauding, cutthroat,
fearsome buccaneers. So shocking was it to some
that the St. Petersburg Times criticized the allusions
to violence the festival had taken on only to have the
Tribune fire ridicule back at them.
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THE NEW 1936 VERSION OF THE 1904
PROCLAMATION
By omitting sections 1 and 2, and adding the green
section shown below, Lambright has changed the first
visit of Ye Mystic Krewe from a courtly, friendly
visit to an invasion with threatened violent action if they met with any
resistance.
Lambright also claimed
there were communications from the Krewe every few days
when in fact there were only two. This, the first
one on Apr. 23, and the next one below, Apr. 24. |
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1904, APR.
24 - YE MYSTIC KREWE WAS PLEASED WITH CITY'S RESPONSE, ANNOUNCED ARRIVAL DATE IN TAMPA
In another
mock correspondence published in the Tampa Tribune on
April 24th, Gossippo states that "His
Majesty" was pleased to hear of the arrangements Tampa
had made to welcome their visit. His
Majesty wanted to let Tampa know of "his
expressions of gratitude at the prompt and excellent
manner" by which Tampa had perfected the arrangements
for his approaching visit. They
would "land in your Fair City" on Wed, May 4 and
"participate in the 'FESTIVE PAGEANT'"
in honor of His Majesty's arrival that day.
The selection of the Queen and her Maids -
The choice
of Queen and her Maids would be made before their visit,
at their "palace" on April 26th (two days after the
article) after a meeting of the members. Their
"king" had already been chosen but identity not
revealed. "His
Majesty" would make the decision, and would keep it a
secret to surprise "the Nobles" as well as the people of
"your beloved City."
Their identity would be
revealed at the Royal Ball on Friday evening, May 6th.
Some members of the Krewe had made their preference for
Queen known (which probably meant that they had
submitted their daughters or wives as entrants) but their
King would allow "no electioneering" (no publicity to
promote or influence his choice.) The positions
would be chosen by "His Majesty" based on the honest
input of "His trusted subjects." (Probably a
majority vote.)
The Costumes -
Reference
is made to the arrangements being made for "les
costumes" by the "Grand Duke de Operetta, Earl-inspector
of the Royal Wardrobe" which is no doubt a reference to
George Hardee, through his connections with his contacts
in New Orleans where he was from. See later his
popularity as an excellent vocalist and composer of an
operetta.
This
was the second and last article in the Tribune to take the form
of a communication from the "Royal Palace."
SEE THE ENTIRE ARTICLE: "GASPARILLA SURE TO COME -
Official Notice Now Served of His Visit" |
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THIRTY-FIVE
CARRIAGES
ENTERED IN THE PARADE AS OF APR. 28.
Apr. 28,
1904 - The Tribune reported that thirty-five carriages had thus far been entered in the
parade. These were horse-drawn buggies. Also mentioned is that "All the
automobiles in this section of the State will be in
line." This turns out to be extremely
optimistic. Businesses and "secret orders" were to have
floats, and displays by military companies, labor
unions, and others were to be part of the celebration.
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MAY FESTIVAL EVE
The
Tribune's final publicity push before the May Festival
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The second
May Festival was to be "the event of the State" with
thousands of visitors. Lack of preparation time is
again cited as the reason the first May festival was "on a
small scale." This year it "assumes a much wider
scope." The article touts a gathering of "the
South's leading thinkers and commercial powers" at the
first convention ever held solely for the purpose of the
upcoming start of the building of the Panama Canal.
Tampa's location put it at the top of U.S. cities to
profit from the new canal. Carnival features promised to become a nationally-known event such as the
Mardi Gras. A political debate was planned featuring
candidates for the highest offices in the State.
The Tribune
urged all Tampans to throw all other plans "to the wind"
and do their duty by working for the success of the
carnival.
SEE THE ENTIRE ARTICLE |
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OFFICIAL PROGRAM,
TAMPA'S MAY FESTIVAL WEEK
No
details were mentioned concerning the parade
participants in this program. The only mention
of YMKG was for
the May 6 Festival Ball at the Tampa Bay Hotel.
Tampa's mayor at this time was James McKay (Jr.)
SEE THE "OFFICIAL PROGRAM" OF SCHEDULED OF EVENTS
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The First Mounted Masked Troupe of the Kingdom of
Gasparilla 1904,
in front of the Tampa Bay Hotel
Notice the abundant foliage in the background behind
the sculpture.
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From
E.D. Lambright's limited edition book
"The
Life and Exploits of Gasparilla, Last of the Buccaneers,
with History of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla."
exclusively for members of Ye Mystic Krewe. Notice
the lan-like masks; these were not Mardi Gras-style
masks.
Courtesy of
Hathitrust.
The
parade would start at "Tampa Bay Park" at 4pm. Today,
Tampa Bay Park is known as Plant Park between
the University of Tampa and the river. The
term "Tampa Bay" did not refer to the city, the
area, or the body of water. It was a reference
to the HOTEL. Horse races
were planned for Tampa Bay Track.
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ABOUT THE SCULPTURE IN THE
BACKGROUND...
The H. B. Plant Memorial Fountain a.k.a.
"Transportation"
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The sculpture,
named "Transportation," faces
west toward the
east veranda of
the University of Tampa.
It was installed in late March
to early April of 1902*
while the
building was the Tampa Bay
Hotel.
*Not 1900 or facing the WEST veranda as some website histories claim today.
THE SCULPTURE
The sculpture
sits above atop a plain cast concrete and stucco
base at the east side of a flat-sided circular cast
concrete and stucco fountain
basin.
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The
sculpture was designed with elements representing
aspects of two
of the industries in which H. B.
Plant made his fortune.
Atop the sculpture is
an eagle with spread wings, perched on a strongbox
held with its
talons.
The box in the
sculpture is a beefed-up
version of the simpler shipping crate that
appeared in the advertising of Plant's
first company, The Southern Express Company.
H.B. PLANT DID NOT START OR NAME THE SOUTHERN
EXPRESS COMPANY.
Contrary to what you've
heard before now. |
This logo was not
used for advertising until after Plant's death.
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Under the wings of the eagle are
a male and a female
sea nymph
holding
above their head
a clamshell-like
shield with
spikes
on the top
surface. Under the
shields are
symbols of
Plant's transportation
networks
that were
responsible for the
growth and
development of
Florida during
the last quarter
of the 19th
Century.
From an
observer's view, on the right,
the male has his shoulders and back turn
mostly toward the viewer,
facing the eagle.
Under the shield held over
his right shoulder is a
rudimentary locomotive
representing the
Plant railway systems.
On the left,
the female faces
left away from the eagle,
with her naked body facing the
viewer. Under the shield
held over her right shoulder is a
rudimentary representation
of a steamship
with two billowing smokestacks,
representing the
Plant Steamship System. Between
the nymphs, the strongbox
sits on the deck of an
ornate bow* of a
ship, with an anchor rope extending
out of each hawse pipe on
each side of the bow.
Also extending out of each
hawse pipe is the shank of
an anchor. Two large
fish, facing outward, tail to tail, are
below each sea nymph,
with tails entwined between each rope
and anchor shaft. The
mouths of the fish eject water
into the fountain basin.
*Not a stern,
which is the rear of a
ship,
like some websites claim.
Various
modern-day sources found online basically tell a
consistent story between themselves. They all
attribute the sculpture to George Grey
Barnard and that he was chosen/commissioned by the
widowed Mrs. Margaret Plant (H.B.'s second wife)
in 1900 to create the sculpture. Some go so
far as to say
the sculpture was put in place in 1900.
See proof that Barnard did not carve this
sculpture nor was it installed in 1900.
See proof that H. B. Plant did not start or name
the Southern Express Company.
BOTH HERE.
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Tampa Bay Track was opened by H.B. Plant in Dec. 1898 at the
site we now call "Plant Field." This is
before Cass St. split the hotel from the track &
field facility.
It is where the South Florida Fair in 1904 and the
ensuing Florida State Fairs (1905 to 1975)
were held before moving to east Tampa in 1977. (In
1976 the fair was held on the parking areas of Tampa
Stadium.)
The track and grandstands were used for many years
for the Gasparilla Parade route and the State Fair
sprint car races as well as other State Fair thrill shows.
The names
of both venues were a reference to the hotel, not the
body of water or the city.
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The big attraction of the 1904
festival was to be the floral parade, with Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparillas appearing
fifth in the parade order followed by decorated
carriages and decorated automobiles..
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"Carriages" refers to horse-drawn buggies.
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THE IMAGINARY SHIP "OCTOPUS"
Reports of the
ship "Octopus" were fictitious, there was
no ship in 1904. A ship was used for the first time in
1911. This article is the only reference to violence
threatened by the Krewe. It does not appear to be
something put forth by the Krewe, but instead was the
Tribune's own publicity in order to influence readers
not to go looking for the Octopus.
There was "much speculation" as to who
was chosen queen. Apparently, several rounds of
voting by the club members took place, each time with no majority outcome.
The voting was called off and the King of YMKG made the
choice himself.
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THE FESTIVAL OPENED MAY
WITH PRESENTATIONS ON THE VERANDA, COURT, AND GROUNDS OF
THE T.B. HOTEL
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YE MYSTIC KREWE TO MAKE
ITS FIRST
APPEARANCE IN PARADE
The Panama
Convention and the Floral Parade were scheduled for May
4. An "EXTRA" says that the "Gasparillas
mysterious ship, the "Octopus," arrived in the bay at
3:30 a.m., just one minute and thirty seconds before the
Trib went to press. The Krewe would land before daybreak
and proceed to their secret rendezvous in the outskirts
of the city. There was no ship, this was press
publicity.
The Krewe would "land" before daybreak and prepare for
their first APPEARANCE in the parade.
No mention of the Gasparillas in the story title.
DESCRIPTION OF YE MYSTIC KREWE PARADE SECTION
All of Tampa had been anxiously expecting the
festival's visitants, YMKG, especially the
younger ones. Fifty brilliantly costumed pirate
crew mounted on a prancing charger made a
handsome and dashing appearance, which no more
attractive company ever graced a festival pageant.
The costumes fairly shone with medieval splendor.
They were described as the gallant corps of mounted
nobles and the great feature of the May Festival.
Spectators tried to get a glimpse of His Piratical
Highness but could not see behind his mask.
He rode comfortably on the rear seat of the royal
carriage, gracefully waving his scepter. The
article mentions that the people of Tampa would have
an opportunity to gaze upon his classic features and
become better acquainted with the members of the "Krewe"
on Friday night. They were a "jolly and
clever set of fellows" despite the "buccaneering
propensities" that pirates were known for, such as
"scuttled ship or cut a throat." This was NOT a
description of the character YMKG exhibited, it was a
statement of contrast between the behavior of the parade participants to the reputation that pirates were widely
known for.
This is a small section of
a long article
which describes the parade in great detail.
See the whole article which
describes the reviewing stand, parade command, the
crowd, detail of the parade, the secret
societies, the Gasparilla section, the floral carriages, business floats
and automobiles.
EDWIN
LAMBRIGHT'S PARADE DESCRIPTION THIRTY-TWO YEARS LATER
Thirty-two years after the
Gasparillas 1904 debut, in his 1936 book exclusively
for members of Ye Mystic Krewe, Edwin Lambright
described the first appearance of the "Gasparillas" in
the May Festival floral parade. "Gaily-clad men
on horseback began appearing at various points..."
"So suddenly did they come it seemed as though they had
been materialized from the air through some mysterious
magic." "The strange visitors were
masked and wore costumes of silk and satin." "When
the parade reached its point of disbandment, the King
and his sprightly subjects disappeared as mysteriously
and quietly as they had arrived."
They disappeared...as QUIETLY as they had arrived.
This was no raucous, noisy appearance or departure.
According to
Lambright, it wasn't Gasparilla king E. R. Gunby in the
parade carriage. Lambright
revealed the secret for the first time in 1936.
SEE THE ENTIRE ARTICLE
"Colonel" is not a reference to military rank, it is a
social term used throughout the south from the mid 1800s
to the early 1900s to imply high social status, wealth,
or honor. Such was Col. Sanders of fried chicken
fame.
From pp. 47-49 of "...History of Ye Mystic Krewe of
Gasparilla...etc."
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DISMAL TURNOUT OF AUTOMOBILES
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The automobile, a relatively new form of
transportation in Tampa, was previously
expected to have entries from all over this
section of the state. This became an
extremely optimistic prediction as the
whole article
ends with the names of the owners of the FIVE cars that
participated. |
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Though the number of automobiles was small,
the Tribune didn't seem to care to describe
them. Only the names of owners
were given: DeWorde Caldwell, Mr. Sherman,
Dr. J.H. Mills, Ernest Berger, and Dr. G. H.
Altree. Because of this, we may never
know who the four occupants were in the
patriotic Cadillac seen below.
Dr. J. H. Mills was the owner of nearly 100
acres in Sulphur Springs which he had turned
into a resort spa, promoting the "healing
properties" of the spring water. In
1904 he would sell his property to Josiah
Richardson, a former sign-painter and
wallpaperer turned real estate developer.
Richardson borrowed $10,000 to buy Mills'
property and developed it and the spring
into a swimming pool and amusement park in
the 1910s. See
Sulphur Springs history at TampaPix.
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Described as "First
Gasparilla Parade, two couples seated in
decorated 1903 Cadillac" dated May 4, 1904
in
the Burgert Bros. catalog. TampaPix has
enhanced and colorized it using images of restored 1903 Cadillacs found online, most of which were red. |
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FOURTH WARD, YBOR CITY IN THE FLORAL
PARADE
Three
"attractive floats" represented Ybor City in the parade.
Dr. Maximo Diaz entered his "beautiful little black
Italian pony and diminutive phaeton elaborately
decorated with roses, carnations, oleanders, grapevines,
flags, ribbons, and streamers..." American and Cuban
flags, and more. The Tampa Box Company (makers of
cigar boxes) had a two-horse delivery wagon filled with
cigar boxes and flags and streamers. "Four
beautiful young ladies brilliantly costumed occupied the
center of the float..." The Reina Bros. entered
two horse-drawn wagons, a two-horse and a one-horse,
"tastily decorated with bunting, American, German, Cuban
and Spanish flags. They regretted that they were
unable to secure Italian flags to represent their own
nationality." The Sanchez & Haya block where the
offices of the Centro Asturiano were located were also
decorated.
READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE "YBOR FIRMS IN FLORAL PARADE."
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KING
GASPARILLA and his COURTLY RETINUE
DESCRIPTION OF THE GASPARILLA BALL
COURTLY - of a quality befitting the court : ELEGANTLY.
Favoring the policy or party of the court.
POLITELY. Adj. classy elegant, fine, graceful,
handsome, majestic, refined, stately, tasteful.
RETINUE - a group of retainers or attendants.
a cortège, an entourage or following.
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Read a May 10, 1904
detailed eyewitness account provided to the
Tribune by a participant at the Royal Ball.
Photo above from
"The
Life and Exploits of Gasparilla, Last of the Buccaneers,
with History of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla."
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Below:
Cropped version of group photo from the Burgert Bros.
collection of the Tampa Hillsborough Co. Public Library
System.
The lack of quality of this photo indicates that the
Burgert Bros. didn't take the original photo and that
this is a photo printed from
a negative they made by taking a picture of the photo.
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The 1904 Queen and her
Maids from
"The Life and Exploits of Gasparilla" etc., by Edwin
Lambright, 1936
Their married names were added by Lambright, but in 1904
they were all single.
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Who names their daughter "Klooloo?"
Samuel & Sarah J. (Gamble)
Glenn, a farmer from Missouri, born in Ohio, and his
wife born in Kentucky. Sarah had no apparent connection
to Robert Gamble, a major during the war who built a
sugar plantation on the Little Manatee River, starting
in 1844, and was original owner of the Gamble Mansion in
Bradenton. Klooloo was born in Missouri in
1878-1879.
Klooloo could not have
been born in May 1880 because she was already a year old
in June 1880. She would have been 21 when the
census was taken in June 1900. She married Sanborn
Chase in 1913. Notice a four year old
granddaughter in the home with surname "White."
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LOUISE
DODGE HONORED FOR HER EFFORTS AND GIVEN GOLD
On May
13th, the ladies who helped with the May Festival gave a
reception to honor Miss Dodge at the Tampa Bay Hotel
parlors. The treasurer of the festival gave a
speech praising her, then presented her with "a handsome
gold-mounted purse containing $100 in gold.**" Miss
Dodge left for St. Louis later that night to attend the
convention of the National Federation of Women's Clubs
as a delegate from Tampa's Club of Current Events.
The average price of gold in 1904 was $18.96 per ounce,
so the gold award of $100 would have been about 5.27 ounces of
gold. At the time of the writing of this feature
(July 16, 2024) gold was $2,477 per ounce; Louise's gold
would be worth $13,064 today.
Soon after the May
Festival, Tampa Bay Hotel manager T.J.L. Brown started a
plan to hold a great Fourth of July festival. The
festival was to include horse racing, baseball, aquatic
sport and musical events. All activities that
could be held at the hotel casino and grounds of the
Tampa Bay track and field.
TAMPA'S
SOUTH FLORIDA FAIR IS BORN
In Nov.
1901, much to Tampa's dismay, the first Florida STATE
Fair was held in Jacksonville. The Tampa Tribune
took a critical view of this, claiming it did not
represent South Florida and be an "East Coast fair." From
this point on, a rivalry existed between Tampa &
Jacksonville.
In 1902 the State Fair was held in Lake City, again to
Tampa's dismay. In
1903, among cities that competed for the state fair was
Tampa and Ocala. Apparently, no state fair was
held.
So just a
few weeks after the May Festival, T.J. L. Brown was at
it again, this time to push for Tampa's own fair--one
that would better represent "south Florida" than did the
Jacksonville and Lake City State Fairs. In these
times, there was only north Florida and south Florida.
Across the panhandle to Jacksonville was north Florida,
and the peninsula was south Florida. This was
because what we think of South Florida today was mostly
sparsely populated so there was no concept of a "Central
Florida."
Brown's
goal was to have in early November an exhibition and
fair that would showcase the "varied and valuable
products of South Florida alone..."
PLANNING
FOR THE FAIR
From June
to the end of the year, no mention of Gasparilla could
be found in the news. But while Louise was in St.
Louis, she was chosen as secretary and assistant manager
of a committee whose purpose was to plan the South
Florida Fair in Tampa.
The South
Florida Fair, though a big event for Tampa,
was not a "state fair." It was a local fair
with with most participation from Hillsborough County
and not much from other Florida counties, especially
northern ones. The officers of the South Florida
Fair association were president T.J.L. Brown, William
Reed Fuller was first VP and treasurer, and Abe Maas of
Maas Brothers store was the finance committee chairman
and member of the board of directors. It was
decided to move the event from early November to
mid-October to allow visitors from other states to
return home in time to vote in the presidential
election. The railway systems were to play a key
role in making the fair a success by bringing thousands
who wouldn't otherwise come.
One of the
"interesting sporting features" was to be "the great
Cuban game, Jai Alai."** Salvador Ybor (son of
Vicente Martinez Ybor) was to arrange the securing
of players.
**Jai Alai
is NOT a game of Cuban origin. Jai Alai is a ball game
of Basque origin played with a hard rubber ball (pelota)
that is caught and thrown to bounce off the front wall
of a semi-enclosed court with the use of a cesta, a
long, curved wicker scoop strapped to one arm. Called
Pelota Vasca in Spain, and Zesta-punta ("basket
tip") in the Basque Country, in the Western
Hemisphere it is called Jai Alai (Basque for “merry
festival”) which was given to the game by Spanish
writer Serafin Baroja in 1875.
Suggested read: "The Return of Jai Alai."
.jpg)
NO
PLANS IN 1904 FOR 1905 MAY FESTIVAL
Although no
mention of planning for the 1905 May Festival appeared
in the Tribune, there were some who assumed it would
take place.
This concert was to be the
main event of the 1905 May festival which
was sometimes referred to as the "May Music Festival."
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The Tampa Bay Hotel litigation
between T.J. Scott and Frank Q. Brown was finally settled out of
court in Dec. 1904 when the two parties realized the ongoing
litigation would be expensive. As part of the settlement,
Frank Q. Brown reimbursed the Scotts $25,000 for the funds they
had spent on the property and the hotel would be conveyed to
Brown. He then closed the hotel on Dec. 9, 1904. This
worried many that the hotel would be demolished.
In the hotel's eleven years since
its 1891 opening, and the casino's nine years of existence, they
had been the venue for thousands of Tampa's big social, cultural
and civic events. One of the events the hotel was a key to
success for was the South Florida Fair which up to this point
had been a local event with some participation by about ten
other counties. Thomas J. L. Brown had played a major role
in making this fair and the May Festivals a success.
Continued on next page, the 1905
appearance of Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla.
**The Casino was not a place of gambling. It was what we
would call a theater/auditorium/convention center today.
It also had a swimming pool under the auditorium floor.
Read more about
the Casino. |
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WHO WAS EDWARD R. GUNBY?
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1879 |
Admitted to
Maryland state bar association |
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1882 |
Maryland State
Representative |
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1883 |
Admitted to
Florida state bar association in Orlando |
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1889 |
Appointed by
Pres. Benjamin Harrison as Collector of
Customs, Port of Tampa |
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1896 |
Candidate (R)
for Florida Governor |
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1901 |
Tampa Bar
Association Vice-President |
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1902 |
Hillsborough
Co. Bar Assn. President |
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1904 |
First King of
Ye Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, |
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1906 |
Tampa City Attorney during
Mayor William H. Frecker
administration (2 yrs.) |
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1909 |
Florida Bar
Association President |
 Edward Roach Gunby
was a well-known attorney, legislator and Republican candidate for
Governor of the State of Florida in 1896 (vs. William D.
Bloxam.)
He was
born in eastern Maryland on Mar. 11, 1858, a son of
Dr. Hiram H. Gunby and Emily F. Wittington Gunby.
Upon completing his education in local public schools,
he was a school teacher for two years.
At
age nineteen he started study in the office of
Thomas Hodson, one of Maryland's leading lawyers,
and was admitted to the Maryland bar in 1879 at age
twenty-one, starting his legal practice with Hodson at Crisfield, Md.
In 1881 he was a state legislator from Somerset Co.
in the Maryland State House of Representatives where he
served one term.
He practiced law for a couple of years and then
through the advice of Captain William Bedsworth of
New Haven, Conn., and a former citizen of Somerset
County, he came to Florida in 1883, first residing in
Orlando where he practiced until 1889.
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 In 1889
he was a delegate for the state -at-large to the
Republican National convention as a supporter of
Benjamin Harrison. In 1889 he was appointed
collector of customs at the port of Tampa by Pres.
Harrison and so moved to Tampa in July of that year.
He held this position until March 1894.
In
the summer of 1889, Gunby was unable to convince the
Treasury Department in Washington D.C. to retain the
position of female Customs House Inspector in Tampa
which was held by Mrs. Carew.
In
1892 he was again delegate-at-large to the national
convention at Minneapolis, MN which renominated
Benjamin
Harrison and in 1894 Gunby resumed his practice of law in
Tampa.
In
1896 he attended as a delegate from Florida the
national convention held in St. Louis. Later that
same year he was nominated on the Republican ticket
for governor of Florida, running against W.D. Bloxam.
In 1898 he was Republican nominee for congress in
the First Florida district.
On
May 26, 1896, he married Miss Catherine Walker of
Richmond, Ky, who died Dec. 15, 1898, leaving two
very young daughters Daphne and Dorothy.
In
early May, 1904, he was elected the first King of Ye
Mystic Krewe of Gasparilla, a new secret society
which formed for the purpose of drawing crowds to
Tampa's second annual May festival and presenting a
Grand Coronation Ball on the final night where the
King's identity was revealed. Mr.
Gunby then became active in city politics, figuring
prominently in several city mayoralty campaigns.
He was city attorney under the administration of
William H. Frecker.
In the
fall of 1907 Mr. Gunby married Miss Eleanor Howell
of Atlanta, sister of Clark Howell, editor of the
Atlanta Constitution.
In
1914 after a very violent and alarming illness he
was advised by his physician that it would be
dangerous for him to continue his practice. He
therefore, at the solicitation of his wife, removed
to Atlanta, where she inherited large real estate
interests which needed attention, and thereafter his
activities were devoted to the preservation and
development of this property and his property in
Tampa.
Having given up the active practice of law and taken
up the quiet life of a retired man of affairs, Mr.
Gunby had reached the stage where he felt it proper
to enjoy life in a leisurely fashion. He was
ever the same, keen, alert mastermind, however,
never settling into routine, but always ready to
follow any subject with interest. His frequent
visits to Tampa were a source of great joy to his
friends who always welcomed him, and who upon his
death in 1919, felt that he was still really a
Tampan and not an Atlantan. The Tampa Morning
Tribune Oct. 23, 1919, said, “Mr. Gunby was for many
years, one of the brainiest and most brilliant members
of the bar in Tampa. He was a man greatly admired and
greatly loved and whose going will leave a sincere
and deep sense of loss to all who have known him."
The above article has been shortened.
Read the entire article in the Tampa Tribune.
The Atlanta Journal of
Oct 22 1919 said, “Ned Gunby was a man of brilliant
legal and scholarly attitude. Not only was he a deep
thinker, and possessed of an usual knowledge but he was
one of the most noted court room advocates in the south.
He was, in truth, a silver tongued orator and his
appearances on public occasions were signals for crowded
and enthusiastic audiences.”
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Who was LOUISE FRANCES DODGE and whatever
happened to her after the 1904 Festival?
Who was
GEORGE HARDEE and whatever happened to him
after the 1904 May Festival?
The first May Festival - 1903
GASPARILLA II (1905) AND GASPARILLA III (1906) |
