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Hollins Family Papers, bulk 1900-2000

 

Summary

Creator:
Hollins, Dixie M., Sr. (Dixie Martin) (1887-1962)
Hollins, Maurice L. (Maurice LaRue) (1912-1991)
Extent:
24.62 Linear Feet
60 boxes
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Hollins Family Papers, USF Libraries - Tampa Special Collections, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL

Background

Scope and content:

Papers of Dixie Hollins family and estate, focusing on business records related to holdings in St. Petersburg and Crystal River areas of Florida, primarily from the 1920s until the 1980s. These business interests include the Pasadena Golf/Country Club, St. Petersburg Printing Company, various municipal bonds, residential properties, and especially the Hollinswood Ranch estate situated near Crystal River, Florida.

Biographical / historical:

Born in 1887 in Texas, Dixie Martin Hollins arrived in Clearwater, Florida in 1908. A dedicated young educator, Hollins established more than thirty vocational programs in Pinellas County. In 1912 at age 24, he became superintendant of schools when Pinellas County was created. He quickly became known for conflict with the school board and local politicians. In 1919, he helped lead a successful effort have compulsory education in Florida. He tirelessly raised funds to improve schools as Pinellas County's population boomed. In the 1930s, Hollins led an effort to restructure the City of St. Petersburg's debts during the Great Depression, keeping it solvent and saving millions of dollars in the process. He helped many other municipalities wi their debts at the time. He was also a successful entrepreneur, running the St. Petersburg Printing Company and the Pasadena Country Club. During the 1940s, Hollins bought a large 20,000 acre tract of land in Citrus County, which is one of the largest ranches in the state. Known as Hollinswood Ranch, the land has become an important asset to the family and helps give insight into private land management in Florida. Hollins's namesake school opened in 1959, where today it is known simply as "Hollins High School." The records were donated by Dixie M. Hollins III in 2020.

Acquisition information:

The Hollins family

Gift/Donation

Arrangement:

The collection is oragnized by subject into nine series. The first series labeled "Correspondence" contains letters. telegrams, and other correspondence that is arranged chronologically into six boxes.

The next seven series' are all arranged aphabetically within each series. "Cross-Florida Barge Canal" contains materials reptaing to the canal in five boxes. "Gulfport Financial Papers" contains financial documents pertaining to the city of Gulfport in four boxes. "Harbond, Inc." contains material pertaining to the Hollins family business in three boxes. "Hollinswood Ranch" contains material pertaining to the Hollins family ranhc and cattle business in thirteen boxes. "Pasadena Golf Course" contains material pertaining to the Hollins family's golf course business in nine boxes. "St. Petersburg Printing Company" contains material pertaining to the Hollins family's printing business in eight boxes. "Tarpon Springs Financial Papers" contains financial documents pertaining to the city of Tarpon Springs in five boxes.

The final series "Related Business Documents" is further organized by subject and then arranged alphabetically within the three subjects. Two boxes of "Business and Legal Papers" unrelated to any of the previously stated businesses, Two boxes of "Mining Papers" pertaining to mining operations involving the family or their land, and threes boxes of "Property" documents unrelated to any of the previously stated businesses.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

None.

Terms of access:

To the extent that they own copyright, the donor has assigned the copyright in their works to USF; permissions to use the material in excess of what copyright law allows should be sent to the USF Technology Transfer Office (https://www.usf.edu/research-innovation/pl/). Copyright in some items in this collection may be held by their respective creators. Consult Special Collections for details.

Preferred citation:

Hollins Family Papers, USF Libraries - Tampa Special Collections, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL