Williams Park Bandstand

Williams Park Bandstand replica at Heritage Village, Largo, Florida, in 1987. The original bandstand was destroyed in the Tampa Bay Hurricane of 1921.

Aerial view of Williams Park in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida, circa 1965.

John C. Williams, circa 1890. The namesake of Williams Park in St. Petersburg, Williams and his wife Sarah Graven Judge, helped bring the Orange Belt Railroad to St. Petersburg, leading directly to the city’s incorporation. John Williams passed away in 1892, after which Sarah Judge married Capt. James A. Armistead in 1894.

Headquarters of the St. Petersburg Women’s Town Improvement Association in downtown St. Petersburg, circa 1913. This building no longer exists. The WTIA was founded in 1901 and first met in the Detroit Hotel. Sarah Armistead, the widow of John C. Williams, was an early member of the WTIA. The WTIA continued the work of the Park Improvement Association, who were responsible for building the bandstand, in beautifying Williams Park.

Fountain in Williams Park, St. Petersburg, Florida, circa 1908. This fountain, once located in front of the Williams Park bandstand, was one of the improvements paid for and maintained by the Women’s Town Improvement Association.

Michigan Picnic at the Williams Park bandstand in St. Petersburg, Florida, December 20, 1894. The Williams Park bandstand was built Park Improvement Association, comprised of leading women from the St. Petersburg community.