The St. Petersburg Museum of History and Southern Roots Realty invites you on Thursday, March 14 to Happy Hour with the Historian  and the story of Sarah Williams Armistead.

The wife of city founder Gen. John C. Williams, Sarah is credited with greasing the wheels of the deal between Williams and the Orange Belt Railway and would go on to co-sign the agreement to bring the railroad which would eventually lead to the creation of St. Petersburg.

After John’s death in 1892, the litigation surrounding his large estate, Sarah was left with a large portion of land. She later married Capt. James Armistead, a wealthy former St. Pete Mayor, she managed both his and the Williams properties, platted subdivisions, and gifted land for public use. 

When she died in 1917, her estate was valued at $165,000, or nearly $ 3 million today. 

Presented by Southern Roots Realty, Happy Hour with the Historian is frequently sold out, so please purchase tickets in advance. Admission without advanced purchase cannot be guaranteed.