The park is named after Odet Philippe, who is credited with introducing grapefruit to Florida.

[3] Half a century later the plantation was still growing citrus, as a nursery for the area extending north to Tarpon Springs.

[4] A Tocobaga Indian mound that is situated in the park is a National Historic Landmark known as the Safety Harbor Site.

Records indicate that Pedro Menéndez de Avilés, the founder of St. Augustine, Florida, visited the site in 1566 to help broker a truce between the Tocobaga and the Calusa to the south.

[6] During the visit Pedro Menéndez founded a Spanish outpost nearby, but by 1567 it was reported to have been wiped out by the Tocobaga.