The area around Pinellas Park's original train station had been a hub of activity since P.J. McDevitt arrived in 1909 to grow sugar cane. In 1912, one of Pinellas Park's pioneers, Walter Bender, built his home in the area now known as Davis Field. By 1927, Pinellas Park was thriving and another pioneering family, headed by Charles "Mac" Wiggins, arrived. Between them, the Bender and Wiggins clans provided the town with farmers, firefighters, a police chief, war veterans, and a relative by marriage who served as Florida's 32nd Governor. The Bender and Wiggins families were joined by marriage in 1954, and Paul and Shelia Bender remained in Pinellas Park to raise their own family and continue their ancestors' traditions of community service. Pinellas Park was incorporated as a city on June 19, 1959, and many more families followed the examples of the Benders and Wigginses in helping Pinellas Park grow and thrive as the heart of Pinellas.