When settlement began in Pass-a-Grille in the 1890s, all commerce came through the bayside dock at the end of 8th Street, later renamed 8th Avenue. In 1902, Joseph E. Merry built a store at the end of the dock, where he rented boats and sold bait, groceries, and tools. By 1905, ferry services operated from the pier, bringing visitors across Tampa Bay, since Pass-a-Grille was accessible only by water until 1919. Thousands of tourists walked the pier each year and enjoyed Pass-a-Grille’s beaches and legendary fishing. Because of the pier’s popularity, commercial development centered on 8th Street, which Ripley’s Believe It or Not! called “America’s shortest and most beautiful Main Street.” When Pass-a-Grille incorporated in 1911, it had about twenty homes, five stores, three hotels, and a restaurant, and many of the original structures still survive, contributing to the area’s character and atmosphere. In the 1950s, Wilson Hubbard took over the pier’s lease and chartered boats for fishing parties. The pier was briefly known as Hubbard’s Pier until it was rededicated in 1981 as the Merry Pier, and it remains a popular fishing destination.