Odet Philippe was the first permanent, non-native settler on the Pinellas peninsula in what is now the state of Florida, acquiring of land in what is today Safety Harbor in 1842. He was a successful businessman who introduced cigar making and citrus to the Tampa Bay region. His descendants, including the McMullen and Booth families (for whom McMullen-Booth Road is named), are among the countyâÂÂs most well known pioneer clans.
Philippe was buried in Philippe Park â his former plantation â in 1869, but the exact location of the gravesite is unknown.
Odet Philippe<br /> Born Lyon, France, 1787<br /> Died at this Site 1869
As the first European<br /> settler in Pinellas County<br /> he established St. Helena<br /> Plantation, now Philippe Park<br /> Philippe was the first<br /> to cultivate grapefruit<br /> in Florida and introduced<br /> cigar-making to Tampa<br /> His descendants populated<br /> this frontier. He was<br /> said to be a doctor<br /> and of noble birth