The Pelican Tree

In 1908, St. Andrews incorporated for the first time. It continued to grow in the early 1900s and became a popular port on the coast.

The SS Tarpon traveled between Mobile and Appalachicola, stopping like clock work in St. Andrews, delivering beer, flour, and other supplies.

One could “set your watch” by the arrival and departure of the Tarpon, and it was this persistence of her captain, and the fact she was overloaded, that led to her demise. He pushed her on through a storm to be on time, but she sank off Panama City Beach in 1937.

The site is now an underwater archaeological preserve.

The best part of my visit to St. Andrews was learning the story of the Pelican Tree. It’s a remarkable symbol of a community uniting and coming back stronger after tragedy.