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Tampa Beach & Tennis Clubby John Philip March |
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An alleged jewel thief and pirate by the name of
José Gaspar came to Tampa in
1896 to escape the authorities in New York. Fay had allegedly robbed the alleged Tiffany
jewelry store on 5th Avenue but had only come away with one single jewel: the alleged
Mexican tourmaline "La Jolla del Tampa" (Spanish for "The Jewel
is on Fire").
Gaspar found a piece of flat land just north of Tampa, along a magnificent white sandy beach. He allegedly traded the gem stone to a poor tomato farmer. Along with the land and the beach, Gaspar also got a one room cabin which he later turned into the first beach cabaņa, and allegedly named it the Tampa Beach & Tennis Club. Gaspar spent the rest of his life renting out beach towels and tennis balls to passing tourists. It had not yet been fashionable for travelers to always carry their own towels. Gaspar allegedly escaped the notice of the New York police and the FBI for many years. It was only in 1987 that the Gaspar family fortune was lost in an alleged investment scheme by Bernie Maidoff that the original source of the money came to light.
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