Ybor City Museum State Park is a

Florida State Park There are 175 state parks and 9 state trails in the U.S. state of Florida which encompass more than , providing recreational opportunities for both residents and tourists. Almost half of the state parks have an associated local 501(c)(3) non-pr ...

in Tampa,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

's Ybor City. The museum occupies the former Ferlita Bakery (originally La Joven Francesca) building at 1818 9th Avenue in the

Ybor City Historic District The Ybor City Historic District ( ) is a U.S. National Historic Landmark District (designated as such on December 14, 1990) located in Tampa, Florida. The district is bounded by 6th Avenue, 13th Street, 10th Avenue and 22nd Street, East ...

. The bakery was known for producing

cuban bread Cuban bread is a fairly simple white bread, similar to French bread and Italian bread, but has a slightly different baking method and ingredient list (in particular, it generally includes a small amount of fat in the form of lard or vegetable s ...

and its ovens are part of the museum displays covering the history of the cigar industry and the Latin community from the 1880s through the 1930s. There is also an ornamental garden in the building (available for rental after regular hours). Tours of the gardens and the "casitas" (small homes of cigar company workers) are provided by a ranger. Exhibits, period photos and a video cover the founding of Ybor City and the cigar making industry.

History

The Museum is housed on the site of what is likely the earliest U.S. bakery to produce Cuban bread, ''La Joven Francesca'' bakery. Established in 1896 by the Sicilian-born Francisco Ferlita, of

Cuban Cuban may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Cuba, a country in the Caribbean * Cubans, people from Cuba, or of Cuban descent ** Cuban exile, a person who left Cuba for political reasons, or a descendant thereof * Cuban citizen, a perso ...

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

descent, bread sold for 3 to 5 cents a loaf, mainly to the Ybor City market. The bakery was destroyed by a fire in 1922, leaving only the brick bread oven standing. However, Francisco rebuilt the bakery even larger than before and added a second oven, turning it into a major supplier of bread for the Tampa/Ybor area. The bakery itself became a place to congregate, offering coffee and snacks. till the building was converted into a museum in 1973. In Ybor City, bread (like milk) used to be delivered every morning. Houses had a sturdy nail driven into the doorframe next to the door on which deliveryman would impale the fresh loaf of bread. La Joven closed in 1973 and was renovated and converted shortly after into a main part of the museum complex at the Ybor City State Museum. The original ovens where the original Cuban bread was baked are still viewable inside. La Segunda Bakery ('The Second' as La Primera, 'The First,' burned down long ago) is currently the major producer of Cuban Bread for the Tampa area. It was founded by Juan Morè, and opened La Primera Bakery in 1915.

References

External links

Ybor City Museum State Park
a
Florida State ParksMuseum website
a
Absolutely Florida
{{authority control Cuban-American history Cuban-American culture in Tampa, Florida Ethnic museums in Florida State parks of Florida Buildings and structures in Tampa, Florida History of Tampa, Florida Industry museums in Florida Italian-American culture in Tampa, Florida Latino museums in the United States Museums in Tampa, Florida Parks in Tampa, Florida Spanish-American culture in Tampa, Florida