Hollywood's Little Sister Was New Port Richey During The Roaring 20's, Almost

I don't know if you knew this or not, but New Port Richey had the potential to become the "Hollywood of the East" back in the 1920's!

Top silent-film actor Thomas Meighan bought land and built a home on the Pithlachascotee River. He also wanted more prominent Hollywood individuals to relocate to New Port Richey, as it was becoming a popular winter vacation destination.

Thomas on setPhoto bywikidata

Jan. 1, 1926: New Port Richey Press:

HISTORIC BROADWAY MILLIONAIRES GET NEW PORT RICHEY

Irving Berlin, Sam H. Harris, Paul Whiteman, and Thomas Meighan

The New Port Richey Press has learned that celebrities who are well-known worldwide, with names as well-known to Australian music fans and Paris theatergoers as they are to the locals of old Manhattan Island, have purchased land in New Port Richey with the intention of constructing winter residences in this well-known resort town. When word gets out about the recent building lot purchases made in this city, New Port Richey will become well-known since no other community of comparable size inside the boundaries of Florida could conceivably be exposed to the intense spotlight of exposure.

Meighan wasn't the only fame to purchase land in New Port Richey during this time. In no particular order there was also: Charlie Chaplin, Sam H. Harris, Joseph Santley, Charlette Greenwood, Earl Benham, Paul Whiteman, Thomas Meighan, Irving Berlin, Leon Errol, Raymond Hitchcock, and Blanche Ring.

The Terazzo pool and bath house are the only part of the home that remains from MeighanPhoto byCompass.com

Thomas Meighan, who was the leading man in the film industry at the time, bought waterfront property located next to what is Jasmin Park today in Jasmin Point Estates. Completed in 1927, a "new" home stands there today, and only the Terrazzo pool & bath house remain. The home that stands today on this property was built in 1969 and rebuilt in 1988.

But that's not where it ends.

The Dade City Banner published an article on March 12, 1926, stating that Thomas Meighan had completed the acquisition of a sizable plot of land in New Port Richey for a compound of famous people mansions that included actors Hathan Burkman, the theatrical lawyer from New York, Gloria Swanson, Leon Errol, Blanche Ring, Charles Winninger, Charlotte Greenwood, and Victor Hurman.

View of the propertyPhoto byCompass.com

The following can be found in a February 28, 1929, Portsmouth Daily Times article about New Port Richey:

Not just Gene Sarazen, the famous one, resides here. The well-known movie star Thomas Meighan lives in a stunning home and enjoys entertaining himself when he's not entertaining theatergoers. Worthwhile property here is also owned by Gloria Swanson and Blanche Ring. Taking the time to greet your neighbor—because everyone is your neighbor—seems to be the main purpose in life. In fact, the little city is primarily made up of people of more or less prominence in various arts and professions, including wealthy men who have come here to make their homes. The Florida sun has mellowed and moulded them into one large family.

Photo byAbandonedReclamation/Canva

Attributions:

7140 Jasmin Drive, New Port Richey, FL 34652 | Compass. (n.d.). https://www.compass.com/listing/7140-jasmin-drive-new-port-richey-fl-34652/969622310570622513/

The Dade City Banner (Dade City, Fla.) 1913-1971. (n.d.). The Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/item/sn95047372/

Hollywood of the East - West Pasco Historical Society. (2023, June 10). West Pasco Historical Society. https://westpascomuseum.org/explore/hollywood-of-the-east/

History of the New Port Richey Press, New Port Richey, Pasco County, Florida. (n.d.). https://www.fivay.org/press.html

https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2482786