As the legend goes, Indian Rocks Beach reputedly got its name when a native medicine man, having heard of a healing sulfur spring to the west, brought his ailing chief to bathe in and drink of the water. After the Chief’s miraculous recovery, annual pilgrimages were made to the spring, believed to have been located in what is now Kolb Park across from the Indian Rocks Beach City Hall. Early settlers seeing the Indians on their way to the “rock encircled spring” would say “The Indians are on their way to the rocks.”

Around the latter part of the 1800’s, a group from Cedar Key, among them L. W. Hamlin, explored the area and found a few settlers along the beach. The Hendricks family, according to a 1925 newspaper account, landed in the area in 1833 and homesteaded there. A settlement, Anona, has existed in the vicinity (on the mainland) since the mid-1800’s. With the opening of a road from the waterway to the vicinity of Largo, the Indian Rocks area became a favorite spot for picnickers. Residents worshiped at the old Anona Church and children attended the Anona School.

Among the early landmarks were the Indian Rocks Sundry Store, the Indian Beach Hotel and a railroad spur crossing the bay. After a number of years of declining use, the rail spur was removed. The first Indian Rocks Bridge was built in 1916, and its location, in the “Narrows,” is indicated by a historical marker. The community grew and developed during its early days, but after World War II that growth started to accelerate rapidly. Today, Indian Rocks Beach is a thriving community that has maintained most of its original character, and supports a lively mixture of recreational activities. From our Nature Preserve, to our parks, to our sandy shores, you’ll find a smile on every face, and a warm Florida welcome with everyone you meet.