Photograph of Camp Helen State Park — Photograph by Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0. Via Wikimedia Commons.

Camp Helen Historic District

Built in 1996. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. 9 historic topographic surveys show this location, the earliest from 1943.

From the record

“Camp Helen State Park is a Florida State Park and historic site located west of Panama City Beach, in northwestern Florida. The park is south of U.S. 98, and bounded by the Gulf of Mexico and Lake Powell, one of the largest coastal dune lakes in the state.”
Wikipedia article Camp Helen State Park, CC BY-SA 4.0.

One of 12 National Register listings published here for Bay County · listed in 2012 · category: District · built in 1996.

Sources: the Wikipedia article · the case file at the National Archives · the National Register database, National Park Service

The listing

Address. 23937 Panama City Beach Pkwy., Panama City Beach, 32413
When was it listed? May 2012
Category. district
Census division. Panama City Beaches
When was it built? 1996
National Register reference number. 12000298 - the number the National Park Service assigned this property when it was listed, and the key its nomination file is catalogued under at the National Archives.

Fires near this property

76 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 76 fires within 5 miles of Camp Helen Historic District between 1992 and 2020, burning about 1,290 acres in total. 22 started naturally. 4 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause	Fires
Natural	22
Missing data/not specified/undetermined	16
Equipment and vehicle use	13
Debris and open burning	9
Misuse of fire by a minor	6
Arson/incendiarism	4
Smoking	3
Railroad operations and maintenance	2
Recreation and ceremony	1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

Date	Cause	Size	Reported by	Name on the report
7 September 1997	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	2.0 acres	Florida Forest Service	not named
15 September 1997	Equipment and vehicle use	60 acres	Florida Forest Service	not named
10 September 1997	Misuse of fire by a minor	under an acre	Florida Forest Service	not named
9 August 1994	Missing data/not specified/undetermined	under an acre	Florida Forest Service	not named
8 August 2000	Misuse of fire by a minor	under an acre	Florida Forest Service	not named
31 August 1997	Natural	90 acres	Florida Forest Service	not named
31 August 1997	Natural	70 acres	Florida Forest Service	not named
31 August 1997	Equipment and vehicle use	35 acres	Florida Forest Service	not named

Every fire recorded in Bay County

Mines and quarries near this property

3 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 3 workings within 5 miles of Camp Helen Historic District: 1 occurrence, 1 unknown, 1 prospect. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Titanium-Heavy Minerals, Zirconium, Sand, Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Site	Commodity	Status	Recorded
Bay-Walton Services, L. C. - Beaches Mine	Sand	Unknown
Panama City-Phillips Inlet Placer	Titanium-Heavy Minerals, Zirconium	Occurrence	Staurolite, Kyanite, Zircon, Rutile, Leucoxene, Ilmenite
Unnamed Sand Deposit	Sand and Gravel, Construction	Prospect

Every working recorded in Bay County

Storms near this property

43 since 1994

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Panama City Beach, the town this property stands in, in 43 storm reports between 1994 and 2024: 12 thunderstorm wind, 10 rip current, 5 tornado, 5 lightning. The reports record 12 deaths and 14 injuries. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

When	Event	Place named	Harm	What the report says
July 2003	Rip Current	Panama City Beach	2 killed	Two swimmers drowned in rough surf. A dozen swimmers were rescued. Reported by the Bay County EMA.
August 1999	Lightning	Panama City Beach	1 killed, 1 hurt	A Georgia man and his teenage daughter were struck by lightning while walking along the beach behind the Sugar Sands Motel on Front Beach Rd. The man died from the strike. The girl was treated by EMS personnel and released.
July 2005	Rip Current	Panama City Beach	1 killed	An 18-year-old male drowned in heavy surf. Reported by the Orlando Sentinel.
July 2005	Rip Current	Panama City Beach	1 killed	A 13-year-old female was dragged 600 yards into the Gulf of Mexico and drowned. Reported by the Orlando Sentinel.
May 2004	Rip Current	Panama City Beach	1 killed	Rip currents claimed the life of a 26-year-old man at Panama City Beach. Reported by the Tallahassee Democrat.
June 2004	Rip Current	Panama City Beach	1 killed	Rip currents claimed the life of a teenage tourist just east of Panama City Beach. Two swimmers were rescued. Reported by the Tallahassee Democrat.
May 2002	Rip Current	Panama City Beach	1 killed	A man drowned after he was caught in a severe rip current. Reported by the Bay County EMA.
May 2002	Rip Current	Panama City Beach	1 killed	A man drowned after he was caught in a severe rip current. Reported by the Bay County EMA.
June 2002	Rip Current	Panama City Beach	1 killed	A man drowned while attempting to escape a severe rip current. Reported by the Bay County EMA.
July 2002	Rip Current	Panama City Beach	1 killed	A man drowned while attempting to escape a severe rip current. Reported by the Bay County EMA.
September 2002	Rip Current	Panama City Beach	1 killed	A man drowned from a severe rip current caused by Tropical Storm Hanna. Reported by the Bay County EMA.
January 1999	Tornado (F2)	Panama City Beach	7 hurt, $4,000,000	A tornado initially struck at Panama City Beach damaging several homes and a few hotels within a four-block area surrounded by Sunset Ave-Thomas and Holiday Dr. The tornado again touched down two miles to the north at the Hathaway Bridge (U.S. Highway 98) where a six-car pileup injured seven. Finally, the tornado lifted over St. Andrews Bay and descended about a mile further north into a residential area surrounded by Big Daddy-Marina Dr. and Bay Circle where numerous homes and businesses were damaged. Scattered power outages affected several thousand customers in West Panama City and Panama City Beach.
July 2000	Lightning	Panama City Beach	3 hurt	Three people were struck by lightning while walking on the beach. All were transported to the Gulf Coast Medical Center and released. Reported by the Panama City News Herald.
October 1997	Tornado (F1)	Panama City Beach	1 hurt, $350,000	Waterspout moved ashore. Extensive roof damage to beach front hotel, sewage treatment plant, middle school and convenient store. One minor injury sustained from flying debris.
July 2007	Lightning	Panama City Beach	1 hurt	Lightning struck from a sudden thunderstorm near a teenage girl. The girl was shocked and overcome by the bolt. She was rushed to a local hospital and was reported in good condition.
July 2004	Lightning	Panama City Beach	1 hurt	A 29-year-old woman suffered minor burns when lightning struck the water on the west end of Panama City Beach.
February 2008	Flood	Panama City Beach	$750,000	Flooding began along Beach Drive, Thomas Drive, in the Cove and near the intersection of State Road 77 and 23rd Street, then spread until roads across the county were underwater. By 8 pm CST, county officials reported severe flooding at State Road 79 and Pine Log Road, Joan Avenue and Front Beach Road, and County Road 2301 and Noel Road. The county courthouse and Emergency Operations Center were closed due to severe flooding. Twenty Parker residents were rescued from their apartments on Cherry Lane, where three feet of water had entered. Several homes along 16th Street in Cedar Grove were surrounded by water. Many streets in Springfield were underwater, and 30 to 40 homes in the Robindale subdivision took on water. Schools were closed on February 22. A 50-foot wide portion of John Pitts Road in northern Bay County washed away. The flood gates at the west end of Deer Point Lake's dam were opened to release flood waters into North Bay near Southport.
May 1999	Thunderstorm Wind	Panama City Beach	$500,000	60 mph wind gust reported by WJHG-TV. Thunderstorm winds lifted a 40-by-90-foot roof off a local paper mill. The Bay County EMA reported trees down on cars, houses and several city streets.
June 1994	Tornado	Panama City Beach	$500,000	A waterspout moved onshore at Panama City Beach and heavily damaged the roof of two motels causing $100,000 damage. Roofing material fell onto parked cars and did mostly superficial damage. The wall of an oil lubrication building collapsed destroying one car and damaging ten others. Numerous power lines were blown down.
August 2006	Lightning	Panama City Beach	$350,000	Lightning struck a home on the east side of Panama City Beach and caused extensive damage. Reported by the Panama City News Herald.
October 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Panama City Beach	$125,000	Straight-line winds tore off a roof from a townhouse on the 17700 block of Front Beach Road and dumped it across the road into a wooded area behind an office complex. Numerous shingles were blown off the townhouses. Much of the roof was peeled off the Gala Inn. A small boat was flung across the road from the sand dunes and struck three vehicles. Two other vehicles were overturned. Reported by the Panama City News Herald.
October 1997	Thunderstorm Wind	Panama City Beach	$100,000	Severe thunderstorm winds downed power lines at residence on Albatross Lane.
March 2001	Thunderstorm Wind	Panama City Beach	$50,000	A portion of the roof covering four rooms at the Majestic Motel and Resort was torn off. Some small sheds on the beach were destroyed and a few cars were damaged. Reported by the Bay County EMA.
September 2002	Storm Surge/Tide	Panama City Beach	$15,000	Storm surge heights of three feet caused minor beach erosion. Reported by the Bay County EMA.
June 2004	Tornado (F0)	Panama City Beach	$10,000	The waterspout came ashore as a weak F0 tornado between Front Beach and Cobb Roads on the west end of Panama City Beach. Before it dissipated, it ripped a 9-ton steel-and-wood cement mold from the 16th floor of a condominium under construction. Reported by the Bay County EMA.
November 2004	Tornado (F0)	Panama City Beach	$10,000	A waterspout came ashore and caused minor structural damage at a construction site on U.S. Highway 98. Reported by the Bay County EMA.
October 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Panama City Beach	$3,000	Power lines were blown down in several locations around Panama City Beach.
September 2011	Thunderstorm Wind	Panama City Beach	$2,000	A trained spotter estimated winds of 60 to 70 mph with power lines blown down. The monetary damage figure provided is a rough estimate.
July 2013	Thunderstorm Wind	Panama City Beach	$1,000	WJHG-TV relayed a reported of a large pine tree blown down.
February 2008	Thunderstorm Wind	Panama City Beach	$1,000	Downed power lines were reported near Panama City Beach.
November 1995	Thunderstorm Wind	Panama City Beach	$1,000	Bay County Sheriff's Office reported a shed knocked down and some windows blown out of a building on Thomas Drive.
February 2014	Thunderstorm Wind	Panama City Beach	$500	A picture was submitted on social media of damage to an awning attached to a house near Panama City Beach.
June 2024	Flash Flood	Panama City Beach	-	Numerous roads on the east end of Panama City Beach were underwater due to heavy rain in a short period of time.
December 2023	Flood	Panama City Beach	-	Minor flooding was reported along Cabana Blvd.
September 2022	Flash Flood	Panama City Beach	-	Water was inside a house in the Panama City area.
June 2022	Flood	Panama City Beach	-	Minor flooding was reported along portions of Highway 98.
February 2021	Thunderstorm Wind	Panama City Beach	-	Multiple trees were blown down in Palmetto Trace.
August 2020	Flash Flood	Panama City Beach	-	Water was reported over roads in several locations.
August 2020	Flash Flood	Panama City Beach	-	The media relayed a report of flooding on Alf Coleman Road between Back Beach and Middle Beach Roads.
February 2016	Funnel Cloud	Panama City Beach	-	A funnel cloud was visible on the Schooners web cam in Panama City Beach for a brief time.
February 2013	Flash Flood	Panama City Beach	-	Water surrounded the building of Arnold High School via a series of pictures from WJHG's facebook page. Heavy rainfall rates of 2 to 3 inches per hour had occurred over the past couple of hours. Bay County Emergency Management also reported several road closures in the area around Panama City.
September 2011	Funnel Cloud	Panama City Beach	-	Home video was forwarded to the NWS by the public that showed a funnel cloud near Panama City Beach.
March 2000	Thunderstorm Wind	Panama City Beach	-	A 61-mph thunderstorm wind gust measured at Surfside Middle School. Reported by Panama City WJHG-7 TV meteorologist.

Every storm recorded in Bay County

Maps showing this location

9 surveys

United States Geological Survey topographic sheets whose coverage includes this point. Matched by taking the middle of the area the National Park Service maps for this listing, then testing that coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet.

1943 USGS Seminole Hills quadrangle1:24000
1944 USGS Seminole Hills quadrangle1:31680 - 3 printings
1944 USGS Seminole Hills quadrangle1:24000
1954 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000 - 4 printings
1959 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000
1960 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000
1981 USGS Panama City quadrangle1:100000 - 2 printings
1982 USGS Seminole Hills quadrangle1:24000
1988 USGS Tallahassee quadrangle1:250000 - 2 printings

Listed places nearby

1 within 8 miles

Other National Register properties close enough to walk or drive between, ordered by distance from this one. Both positions come from the same geocoding pass that matched these properties to their map sheets.

Photograph	Property	Distance	Listed
	Latimer Cabin	0.5 miles	2004

Sources for this property

National Archives record	The nomination case file for reference 12000298 in Record Group 79.
Wikipedia article	Community-written account of this property, licensed CC BY-SA.
Bay County	All 12 listed properties in this county.

Provenance

Listing record. National Park Service National Register of Historic Places, listed-properties dataset, current to 2026-05-22.
Map join. Address geocoded through the United States Census geocoder, then tested against the published boundary of every sheet in the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection.
How this page is made. Listing fields come from federal records; map-sheet coverage is a labelled coordinate-to-boundary calculation, not a source-field claim.
Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.
Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.
Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.