Video Gallery
On this page, we present a variety of video projects that speak to the human experience of the river. Among these are several short videos (8 minutes or less) about the history of key locations on the Hillsborough, using historic and contemporary photos, and highlighting the human connections, from swamp to bay.
Contemporary Connection to the Hillsborough
Contemporary connections to the Hillsborough are captured in this short video, produced by three Anthropology graduate students. The video, created for a Visual Anthropology class taught by HI Director Liz Bird, was made with our Human Connections project in mind.
Crystal Springs: Human Connections along the Hillsborough River.
Traces the history of Crystal Springs, from an early utopian community near the source of the Hillsborough, to today’s environmental preserve.
Crystal Springs Preserve is one of The Hillsborough River: Human Connections community partners. The preserve is a 525-acre sanctuary devoted to environmental education and dedicated to the preservation of Florida's natural environment. Crystal Springs Preserve features a wealth of wilderness experiences for visitors. Featured within the preserve is Crystal Springs, a Magnitude 2 Spring System, discharging 40 million gallons of water per day.
Hillsborough River State Park.
Tells the story of one of Florida’s first state parks, focusing on its role of bringing the experience of the river to everyone.
Hillsborough River State Park was one of the first state parks in Florida, building on the unique attraction of the river, which boasts one of the very few rapids in the state. Under the Roosevelt era New Deal, much of the park’s infrastructure was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. This video tells the history of its development as a local and regional recreational resource. The Park is a community partner. Visit their website.
Temple Terrace’s Hygiostatic Bat Roost.
Temple Terrace, a community long focused on the river, once boasted a unusual structure with a unique and colorful history: on of the only hygiostatic bat towers in the country.
Temple Terrace, a community established in the 1920’s, has always loved the river, which has been a focal point of the community for almost a century. Many homes line the Hillsborough, and Temple Terrace residents fish, boat, and enjoy nature at Riverhills Park and other waterside locations. The river banks once boasted an unusual structure with a unique and colorful history – the famous Bat Tower. The Temple Terrace Preservation Society is one of our community partners. Visit their website
Remembering the Temple Terrace Bat Tower
In 2007, the Temple Terrace Preservation Society sponsored the collection of oral histories from a number of Temple Terrace residents, who spoke about many of the landmarks and past lifeways in the community. In this short clip taken from the interviews, several talk about their memories of the iconic Bat Tower. For more about the Tower and plans to reconstruct it as anew Landmark for the community, visit the Bat Tower website.
Josiah Richardson’s Dream: Sulphur Springs, 1900s to 1930s.
Sulphur Springs is a community with a rich and diverse history. For a short period in the early 20th century, a resort built around the supposedly curative springs drew white tourists from all over the country. This video describes this brief moment in Sulphur Springs history – just one story among many about this riverside community. The Sulphur Springs Museum and Heritage Center is a community partner. Visit their website.
To view additional videos on the diverse history of Sulphur Springs, visit http://heritagelab.org/?page_id=245, and learn about the Sulphur Springs Heritage Project, an ongoing research initiative of Dr. Antoinette Jackson and her students in the USF Department of Anthropology.
The River in Downtown Tampa.
The convergence of the Hillsborough with Tampa Bay has long been a site of rich human interaction, from Native Americans, European explorers, to industrial workers and tourists. This video tells part of the story of human activity at this key location on the river. Today, the downtown river is being revitalized as a recreational and living resource for the Tampa Bay community. The City of Tampa Public Arts Program is a community partner. Visit the Riverwalk Portal Project.