PlaceMattersSP Lecture Series


Upcoming events

    • 21 Aug 2026
    • 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
    • Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, USF St. Petersburg (140 7th Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701)
    Register

    New Historical Marker to Tell the Story of Bayboro Harbor

    Friday August 21, 202610 a.m.

    Nelson Poynter Memorial Library


    Please join Preserve the 'Burg and USF St. Petersburg for the unveiling of a new historical marker on campus commemorating Bayboro Harbor on Friday, August 21 at 10 a.m. at the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library.

    Bayboro is one of the most storied stretches of waterfront in the city. Dredging of the harbor began in 1907, transforming what was once mud flats and salt marsh into the basin that would later host a U.S. Maritime Service training station during World War II and, eventually, the USF St. Petersburg campus itself. The photo above is from 1921.

    The unveiling ceremony will begin with a panel discussion featuring USF professors Dr. Catherine Wilkins and Dr. Tom Hallock, along with recent USF grad Oliver Lasko, whose work inspired the new marker. The panel will discuss Bayboro Harbor's evolution from working waterfront to campus centerpiece, and why markers like this one matter for keeping that history visible to students and neighbors alike. We will then walk from the Library to the Bayboro marker.

    The marker was made possible through a grant from Florida Humanities, supported by the Mosaic Company. 


    Event begins at the Nelson Poynter Memorial Library, located on the USFSP campus.

    Campus Map Detail:

    Purple Rectangles = Parking areas

    Red Circled Building (POY) = Nelson Poynter Memorial Library



Past events

24 Mar 2026 PlaceMattersSP - Harboring Resilience: the Past, Present, and Future of Bayboro Harbor
14 Mar 2026 Recounting William Harvard's Legacy
26 Feb 2026 PlaceMattersSP & Florida Talks - Sea Level Rise and Heritage Sites in Florida
23 Oct 2025 PlaceMattersSP & Florida Talks - Exploring Florida's Historic African American Homes
25 Sep 2025 PlaceMattersSP - 60 Years: The Life and Times of USF St. Petersburg
20 Feb 2025 PlaceMattersSP - Forty Years of Preserving the 'Burg
24 Oct 2024 PlaceMattersSP - Ghost Buildings: Places That Haunt St. Pete's Past
27 Mar 2024 PlaceMattersSP: The Historic Williams House
22 Mar 2023 St. Pete Below the Surface: Archaeology in our City Parks
22 Feb 2023 Immersive St. Pete: How New Technologies Can Help Us Preserve the Past
24 May 2022 Webinar: Financial Incentives for Historic Preservation Projects
09 Feb 2022 St. Pete vs. Tampa: An Architectural Tale of Two Cities with Ray Arsenault and Gary Mormino
20 Jan 2022 State of Preservation: An Evening with the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation
21 Sep 2021 Lecture - John Nolen's Vision for Mirror Lake by Bruce Stephenson
04 Mar 2020 Florida Women's Fight for Suffrage with Peggy Macdonald and Stephanie Owens
03 Nov 2016 An Evening of Conscious Conversation with Dr. Charles B. Dew
17 Sep 2015 Tin Can Tourists in a Roadside Paradise
17 Aug 2015 Donovan Rypkema - Why Preservation is Embraced by Successful Communities!
20 May 2015 Rising Tide: Will Sea Level Rise Doom the Burg’s Next Boom?
19 Mar 2015 From Mediterranean Revival to Mid Century Modern: Boom Architecture
18 Feb 2015 Race and Place in the Burg's Boom and Busts
21 Jan 2015 Beyond Boom and Bust, the Sustainable Dimensions of the New Florida
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