Streetcars were a main source of transportation in Tampa, starting in the early 1900s. In the first part of the twentieth century, they competed with horse-drawn buggies and bicycles on the streets. Tampa Electric was the leading provider. By the late 1920s, as autos became more affordable to the masses, the popularity of trolleys decreased. In 1946, the last of the Tampa streetcars retired, and the tracks were removed. In this photo from 1950, crews from the Cone Brothers Construction Company are digging up the wood and steel from the 900 block of Franklin Street. If we only knew then what we know now!

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