US 541 was commissioned in 1932, a few years after the US route system was established, and it existed for only about 20 years.  Its original north end was in Tampa (at the intersection of Florida Avenue and Hillsborough Avenue).  This interactive image is looking north at that intersection:
Picture
Nitzman, Sep. 2016
Hillsborough carries US 92, and US 541 ended there at that junction.  But after two years, US 541 was extended a bit further north, to the point where today's Business US 41 ends at mainline US 41 (near Chapman Lake).  This photo was looking south on US 41:
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Nasiatka, Jan. 2002
The north beginning of US 541 was on what is now signed as Business 41.  ​
US 541 essentially functioned as a long business loop off US 41; its south end was not far from Tampa, in Palmetto:
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c. 1940, Rand McNally
The photos below were all taken from the same perspective: looking south on 8th Avenue West (today's Business US 41) at 10th Street (FL hwy. 43).  To the left was historically northbound US 41, and straight ahead was southbound US 41, so US 541 ended here.  But in the middle photo, note the guy at left holding a custom historic US 541 shield.  That was specially manufactured so that the sign could be temporarily posted at the historic terminus (last photo):
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Morrison, June 2009
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Droz, Oct. 2001
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Droz, Oct. 2001
This next shot was looking west on 10th St, or historic southbound US 41, which continued to the left.  To the right was the south beginning of US 541:
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Morrison, June 2009
Research and/or photo credits: Robert Droz; Jeff Morrison; J.P. Nasiatka; Alex Nitzman; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa
Page originally created 2001;
last updated Aug. 6, 2019.