New exhibit at Heritage Village showcases Pinellas County pioneering family

LARGO, Fla. — A new exhibit at the Heritage Village is showcasing one of the area’s most influential families.

Pinellas County is celebrating the grand opening of the Turner Bungalow collection, showcasing more than 5,000 personal artifacts from the Turner family. The Turners were one of seven pioneering families in Pinellas County’s earliest history. The new exhibit is taking visitors on a journey through time to old Florida.

“It’s so much better than I remember,” says Amber Turner Shadd, walking through the Turner Bungalow.

Crossing the threshold of an old relative’s home, Jack Turner and Amber Turner Shadd take a walk through time.

“There’s just so many cool things in the house that I get to see now as an adult and go, ‘Wow, that’s a piece of my family’s history,’” Turner Shadd said.

Turner is Turner Shadd’s great-uncle. She said she remembers visiting the house on occasion when she was a little girl.

Built in 1915, the Turner family bungalow was home to Amber Elizabeth Clark and Alfred Cleveland Turner.

“In the 80s, my mom used to help Amber with things around the house. Running errands, that kind of stuff,” Turner Shadd said. “So, even as a little kid, I got to come in the house and be a part of it and see all of the cool old things.”

The bungalow is now the latest addition to Pinellas County’s Heritage Village.

“Heritage Village was, essentially, born in 1976,” said Monica Drake, the historical museum operations manager at Heritage Village. “It was a response to the bicentennial movement, and that was not particular to Pinellas County. It was a nationwide trend that saw a lot of different historical organizations and societies pop up to really collect, preserve and save their local history.”

The Turners were one of seven pioneering families in Pinellas County’s earliest history — and the family still has roots firmly planted in the area.

“This is really unique, because we have one family’s material culture that was donated to us along with the house,” said Drake. “So, this really is a comprehensive view of a family’s life from the 1940s in Pinellas County.”

Heritage Village is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Sunday from 1-4 p.m. The village will be turning 50-years-old next year with events planned around the celebration.