Ben's Tribute To
The Kapok Tree Restaurant
Presents...
Odds & Ends
Our kapok tree, about 1940 Already famous, about 1950
 About The Tree - For you botanists out there, the tree is actually a red Silk Cotton tree (Bombax malabaricum), also called Indian Kapok. It is related to, but distinct from, a true Kapok tree (Ceiba pentandra). Both produce valuable kapok fiber from the seed pods, but the Silk Cotton tree fiber is more used for furniture stuffing, and less for life jackets and preservers. Our tree does not produce pods or fiber, as it is a female tree with no male trees in sight.

I would like to express my sincere thanks to the following -
For making old newspaper articles and photos available to the public on-line at no charge
   » The Florida Electronic Library
   » Clearwater Public Library
   » Florida Legacy
   » Tampa Bay Library Consortium
For providing the public with a massive searchable family history database on-line at no charge
   » RootsWeb
For maintaining the former Kapok Tree Inn complex and grounds, the management and staff of
   » Sam Ash Music
   » Kapok Special Events
   » Player's School of Music
For providing ideas, support and encouragement during this site-redesign
   » Anne Mancine
For sharing Kapok information, postcards, brochures, memorabilia, and memories
   » The many visitors to this website who have emailed me since 2005
Another view of the Mall

Fountain and map of the complex


Entrance Mall and Kapok Tree, about 1975
"Known Unknowns" -
Stuff I Need Your Help Resolving

Is the staircase in the Grand Ballroom a scale model of the staircase on the Titanic? (From a Kapok Special Events employee - can anyone verify?)
How many times, when, and to whom was Richard B. Baumgardner married? Some accounts say three, others two.
What were Richard's wives maiden names and later names?
The Daytona Beach Kapok Tree - when did it open/close, where was it, etc.?
What specifically caused the business to finally shut its doors in May 1991?

"False Facts" -
Stuff I Discovered Was Wrong

There is no Inn; never was.
The restaurant doesn't have a tree growing out of it. The tree is outside in front of the building.
The kapok tree is not over 400 years old. This is the age of the oak trees across the street.
The tree was not planted by missionaries. Its seeds may have been brought from India by missionaries.

Please email me if you have any information!

Welcome To The Gift Shop

Gift Shop wares, mid-1970's
When the huge Entrance Mall was built in the early 1960's, new gift shops on either side of the mall replaced the original gift shop. The round windows visible from McMullen Booth Rd. are the those of the gift shops of the 1970's and 1980's. Along with the lovely pieces shown above, the shops offered cut flowers and a wide range of souvenirs. For example:


Punch glass, '70's logo
Cocktail glass, '70's logo
Souvenir glass, '80's logo
Shot glass, '80's logo

Ashtray
Souvenir dish
Candy dish

Here is the complete Souvenir Brochure from 1966.
Scanned pages donated by Kurt White. Thanks Kurt!

Souvenir brochure, 1966

More "Odds & Ends" coming soon - please visit again!


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© Copyright 2005, 2008 by Ben Mancine