Hey, Isn't Pop Stansell a Park?

Henry “Pop” Stansell came to Palm Harbor in 1925 from Georgia with his family of four children.  He founded Stansell’s Truck Service with his children.  Pop owned only three trucks and they contracted mostly for Manatee Fruit Company transporting citrus.  Back then, citrus was a big industry on this side of Florida. Palm Harbor was mostly citrus farms, especially around County Road 1.  

Pop’s son, H. L. (aka Lorimer) Stansell took a great interest in the trucking business and began to run operations.  Under Lorimer’s watch, the trucking company hauled to northern states in open trailers hitched to open trucks during the late 1930’s into the 1940’s.  It was reported that Lorimer drove the first out of state citrus load by truck and trailer to Virginia in 1936. The company became a long distance interstate truck hauling company.  Lorimer expanded to haul other merchandise such as fresh flowers from farms in Clearwater.  The company was located on Alternate 19 between Florida and Pennsylvania Avenues. 

By the time the United States entered into World War II, the company grew and was known as Stansell’s on the side of their cabs.  The Stansell Company began to use closed trucks, a precursor to today’s tractor trailers.  During the war, war bonds were sold to support the costs of the war.  Lorimer advertised the war bonds with an American flag on the side of these trailers.  Stansell’s cabs were emblazoned with “Palm Harbor” which publicized the area throughout the United States.    

Lorimer had a garage that was built in 1933.  It was initially built to maintain the Stansell fleet and expanded services to the community.  Part of the garage was a gas station.  Pop could be found working and operating the station that served the local community.  The original garage/gas station was located on the corner of Alternate 19 and Illinois Avenue until the mid-1990’s when it was moved.

Pop was considered the patriarch of the Stansell Trucking Company.  He was also involved in providing movement of citrus from the groves to the packing houses.  The company was a source for local employment for non-family members even though it was a family business.  Prior to 2002, the company averaged over 20,000 trips, operated 90 tractor trailers, trucks and refrigerator trucks, and served all of the continental United States and Canada.  Stansell Trucking made headline news when Pop’s grandson had “Trucking for Jesus” stenciled onto the trucking fleet and in very large letters on the side of the business on Alternate 19.    

In memory of Pop is a park with his name on it. It is located at the corner of 8th Street and Florida Avenue.  Pop Stansell Memorial Park is a 5 acre waterfront park that sports a boat ramp to the intracostal and a fishing pier.  The park is a venue for many things including Movies in the Park where families gather to enjoy an evening.   The park can be rented for shows and has a picnic shelter and bandshell.    It also has a children’s playground.   The park is run by the Palm Harbor Parks and Recreation.  What a nice way to commemorate a man who put Palm Harbor on the map, employed many and became an integral part of the community.  Without him and his company, maybe the then future of Palm Harbor might have been very very different. 

Did you know that Pop Stansell Memorial Park is not too far from the Pinellas Trail or from where his company was located?