St. Petersburg’s Williams Mansion, built in 1892 and now living at the Bayboro Campus of University of South Florida in St. Petersburg, Florida. Credit: Photo via cityofstpete/Flickr

Perry Snell, John Constantine Williams, William Straub, Peter Demens. A lot of dudes get their names tossed out during conversations about the history of St. Petersburg, but not enough people mention Sarah Armistead.

Widely recognized as the “Mother of St. Petersburg,” Armistead—also known with the surnames Judge and Craven—passed in 1917 and was the wife of Williams. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union group, which she led for a spell, drew plenty of headlines and mentions in the news, and she even led multiple construction projects in the area (including the Williams Mansion, built in 1892 and now living at the Bayboro Campus of University of South Florida).

This history talk led by Jessy Breckenridge, Archives & Collections Manager at the St. Petersburg Museum of History, aims to shed light on “a meddling woman” who helped build St. Pete.

Donations will be accepted for the the Sarah Armistead ‘How a Meddling Woman Helped Build St. Pete’ discussion happening Wednesday, March 12 at Clearwater Historical Society. Readers are invited to submit their own events to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay’s things to do calendar.

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This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 5, 2025.