The Beginnings - Freedom Magazine Presents The History of Clearwater Part I

In North Clearwater, he was joined by Samuel Stevenson. Leaving behind him Stevenson Creek, still a popular Clearwater fishing spot that runs under alternate U.S. Highway 19, Stevenson sold out to John C. White after the gale of 1848.

Captain James Parramore McMullen, the first of seven brothers who moved into this area, settled in an east Clearwater log cabin around 1850 after visiting the area nine years earlier. His brothers homesteaded different parts of Pinellas County, influencing politics, engineering, law and farming in this area for years to come. Many county residents can trace their roots to Captain Jim’s homestead.

Clearwater’s coastal proximity and access by boat were an advantage over the underdeveloped stagecoach and horseback trails. Word of mouth spread pioneer tales that men could kick fish onto the beach at low tide while their wives scooped them up with their aprons, that hunting in the pine and oak forests was bounteous and that the rich soil provided excellent farming opportunities.