RAO MUSUNURU, M.D. MUSEUM & LIBRARY
Port Richey
Historical Photo Galleries
James W. Clark and his wife Frances are believed to be the first permanent residents of the area. The Clarks introduced Aaron and Mary Richey to the area in 1883. A year later, Captain Richey became the first postmaster of a place officially known as Port Richey.
Port Richey’s neighbor to the south, New Port Richey, was a bustling community looking to grow. Conversely, the citizens of Port Richey were quite content spending their days watching the tide come in and out of their sleepy little community. Fearing that they might be annexed by their more aggressive neighbor, Port Richey decided to incorporate in 1925. Victor Clark, son of pioneer James Clark, became the first elected Mayor of Port Richey.
The first fishing shacks were built off the coast of Port Richey by the 1920s. The practical purpose of the fish camps was to store large amounts of mullet caught in nets, and to provide a shelter from thunderstorms. But area sportsmen cherished the stilt houses as the perfect getaway. At its peak during the 1960s there were at least 24 fish camps off Pasco County shores. Today there are 12 remaining fish camps that survived hurricanes and fires. State law has put a moratorium on building any new stilt houses.
At the stilt house of W. D. "Des" Little in March 1976: Johnny Cash, his wife June Carter Cash, Rev. Billy Graham, his wife Ruth Bell Graham. St. Petersburg Times photo provided by Clyde Hobby.
The Allgood stilt house in the Gulf of Mexico. This picture was taken from the 1968 Gulf High School yearbook.
This building was located on what is now called Grand Boulevard near the Pithlachascotee River. The photo is probably from the late 1920s. This building was replaced with the more pretentious Hotel York in 1924.
This store was located on what is now Grand Boulevard. Next to it is the Doll House. The photo is from 1957, courtesy of Jamie Cardnell.
This photo is from the Frank A. Bowman collection, so it is probably from the 1920s.
This is the residence of James W. Clark Sr., perhaps the earliest resident of Port Richey. It's one of our oldest photos, as it scanned from a 1911 brochure. The building later became a hotel.