Pass-A-Grille Centennial

Pass-A-Grille Beach, the southern-most beach on Long Key, is celebrating it’s centennial this year in June.

covers much of the history of how Pass-A-Grille Beach changed and merged throughout the years.

The museum is located in one of the first churches to be erected on Pass-A-Grille, Crawford. After the congregation moved to a new location in 1959, Joan Haley bought the church and moved in and used it as her residence.

“When she died, she left it to the Pinellas Historical Society,” Crawford said.

The museum is run by volunteers who help teach visitors about what makes the different beaches on Long Key, specifically Pass-A-Grille, unique, said Art Crawford, a docent at the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum.

Pass-A-Grille was officially incorporated as township in 1911 and has grown since then while still keeping the easy going atmosphere they were first known for.

Pass-A-Grille started as one of the vacation hotspots for citizens of St. Petersburg to visit, said Art Crawford, a docent at the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum.

When they were originally incorporated as township, there were only 22 residents, Crawford said.

Although Pass-A-Grille is still recognized as a historic district, the township changed in the 1950’s, Crawford said. Due to growth on Long Island, there was a move to get unified services, such as sewer, police, and fire. In order to receive these services across the island, all of the Long Key towns, including Pass-A-Grille, Don Cesar, Belle Vista and St. Petersburg Beach, were merged into St. Pete Beach.

Even after the merger, Pass-A-Grille has maintained it’s unique identity among the other beaches and has it’s own special recognitions.

“8^th Avenue was listed by Ripley as the smallest main street in the world,” Crawford said.

One hundred years after becoming a town, Pass-A-Grille is still the same type of place it was when it began, Crawford said. A place to relax and enjoy life in the sun.

For more information of Pass-A-Grille’s history, check out the Gulf Beaches Historical Museum, open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. every Friday and Saturday and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. Sundays.