1943 Map of Bay Pines

About this map

Boca Ciega Bay and the Pinellas barrier islands appear here during the wartime years, showing a landscape defined by emerging beach communities and large-scale military or institutional infrastructure. The prominence of the US Veterans Hospital at Bay Pines serves as a major focal point along the Seaboard Air Line railroad. Further south, the map details the early development of Treasure Island City and Sunset Beach on Treasure Island, linked to the mainland by the Welch Causeway and Treasure Island Causeway. Inland, the rural character of the era is evident in the presence of the Seminole Sch and Seminole Ch near Oakhurst. Numerous keys and islands dot the bay, including Kitchen Key and Broken Island, offering a look at the shoreline before the extensive dredging and residential finger-island developments that would later reshape this coast.