St. Pete Snapshot w/Rui Farias: Meet John Cromwell Blocker Jr.
Season 2, Episode 1443, Nov 30, 08:31 PM
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In this episode of St. Pete Snapshot, St. Petersburg Museum of History's Rui Farias introduces us to John Cromwell Blocker Jr.Â
👉For John Cromwell Blocker Jr., history wasn’t something kept in books; it was something to walk through, touch, and rediscover. Born in St. Petersburg in 1896, Blocker quite literally grew up with the city. His childhood memories were filled with streetcars, balloon launches, and catching mackerel along the bay. That early sense of wonder shaped a lifelong passion for preserving the stories of the place he called home. A lawyer by trade and a historian by heart, Blocker practiced law for over 30 years, serving as county attorney, local bar president, and civic leader. But on weekends, he loaded his family into the car and went exploring, often to cemeteries where his daughters earned a dime for every family gravestone they found.
Beginning in the 1940s, Blocker interviewed dozens of early residents, documenting the city’s beginnings with care and curiosity. His unfinished three-volume history filled fifteen boxes and thousands of pages, now preserved at the St. Petersburg Museum of History. As one historian noted, Blocker’s work remains “the key to early St. Petersburg,” a city he spent his life bringing back to life.
👉Explore more at the Museum 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday or from Noon to 5pm on $6 Sundays!
#HistoryStPete #spmoh #stpetersburgmuseumofhistory #ruifarias #johncromwellblockerjr #stpete #stpetefl #tampabay #radio #radiostpete #cityofstpete #dtsp #downtownstpete
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👉For John Cromwell Blocker Jr., history wasn’t something kept in books; it was something to walk through, touch, and rediscover. Born in St. Petersburg in 1896, Blocker quite literally grew up with the city. His childhood memories were filled with streetcars, balloon launches, and catching mackerel along the bay. That early sense of wonder shaped a lifelong passion for preserving the stories of the place he called home. A lawyer by trade and a historian by heart, Blocker practiced law for over 30 years, serving as county attorney, local bar president, and civic leader. But on weekends, he loaded his family into the car and went exploring, often to cemeteries where his daughters earned a dime for every family gravestone they found.
Beginning in the 1940s, Blocker interviewed dozens of early residents, documenting the city’s beginnings with care and curiosity. His unfinished three-volume history filled fifteen boxes and thousands of pages, now preserved at the St. Petersburg Museum of History. As one historian noted, Blocker’s work remains “the key to early St. Petersburg,” a city he spent his life bringing back to life.
👉Explore more at the Museum 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday or from Noon to 5pm on $6 Sundays!
#HistoryStPete #spmoh #stpetersburgmuseumofhistory #ruifarias #johncromwellblockerjr #stpete #stpetefl #tampabay #radio #radiostpete #cityofstpete #dtsp #downtownstpete
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