A presentation of the Historical Society of Sarasota County by Historian Hope Black as part of the Viva Florida 500 celebration
Do you know anything about Julia Tuttle, Mahulda Carrier, Carrie Abbe, Rose Wilson, or Victoria Brandon? Probably Continue reading
ANNUAL FLOATING HISTORY LESSON SETS SAIL ON NOVEMBER 3, 2013
The Historical Society of Sarasota County is hosting its 22nd Historical Cruise and Tour of Sarasota Bay on the LeBarge tour boat on Sunday, November 3, 2013 from 11am to 1pm. The cruise will feature narration by popular local historian John McCarthy. Guests can expect a complimentary continental breakfast and a cash bar at noon.
This specialty cruise tour has been a favorite with residents and tourists alike who want to learn more about the bygone people and places that have impacted the development of Sarasota County. Guests cruise along the shoreline of Sarasota Bay and enjoy the sunshine and refreshments while John McCarthy paints a picture of the formative years in Sarasota’s growth.
Fabled local musician Sal Garcia (left) chats with John McCarthy on an earlier cruise. Click for John’s 2-minute History of Sarasota… but you’ll get the Deluxe Edition on our Cruise!
Proceeds benefit preservation projects and community outreach programs at the Historical Society of Sarasota County.
Reservations are a MUST. For more information, contact Linda Garcia at HSOSC Monday-Friday from 10a – 2p 941-364-9076 or email: hsosc@yahoo.com
Historical Cruise Guests should be at the LeBarge slip, south of Marina Jack in Sarasota’s Bayfront Park by 10:15am, rain or shine.
Everyone’s looking forward to Pirates & Pioneers Day on Saturday November 16, when there will be pirate fun for the whole family, from digging for doubloons to a Thieves’ Market and barbeque.
But pirates weren’t the fun-loving characters Hollywood and Walt Disney have made them out to be. Far from it. They were complex, driven, and a fascinating part of Western Hemisphere history. So we’re having Pirate’s Eve for grownups on Friday November 15. Here’s the info (click the graphic to see it larger)
Conversations at The Crocker is back for a new season, starting October 8 with a photography show, sale and in-depth conversation about preserving disappearing parts of Florida through photographic documentation.
If you’re interested in historic preservation, nature, the culture of Florida or you just want to learn about beautiful and forgotten parts of the state, you want to be in the audience for the first of this season’s series, Conversations at the Crocker, organized and presented by the Historical Society of Sarasota and sponsored by SARASOTA Magazine.
The new season starts off with “Florida in Context,” an art photography show, sale and in-depth conversation among award-winning photographers Virginia Hoffman and Matt Allison and historian and naturalist, John McCarthy.
Also on Tues Oct 8, we will be celebrating the seasonal opening of the Gift Shop with new artists and authors. Join us for wine and cheese, starting at 5:30, and get your gift-shopping done with local crafts and art!
All Conversations at The Crocker begin at 7 p.m. and are held in the historic Crocker Memorial Church, 1260 12th Street (Pioneer Park). HSOSC members, free; guests $10.
Photography will be for sale at this Conversation and will be exhibited in the Crocker Memorial Church.
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Organized and presented by the Historical Society of Sarasota County (HSOSC), Conversations at The Crocker is a series of monthly inter-active panel discussions that highlight aspects of Sarasota’s history and looks at past events and at the people who have influenced today’s Sarasota. Conversationists are invited to participate because of their expertise and personal experiences.
Remember when people used to say “give me a tinkle” when they meant “call me on the phone”? Well, we’re asking you to
Love this phone? Click to see where you can get it.
and call the Historical Society to reserve your spot on this fall’s exciting events. Call us at 941-364-9076 Tues.-Fri. between 10am and 2pm. Mastercard & VISA accepted!
Call us at 941-364-9076 Tues.-Fri. between 10am and 2pm, and our Site Manager Linda Garcia will
It’s been a long time since phones tinkled instead of vibrated (and who in living memory had a dance card tied to her wrist?), but nonetheless, we’d love to hear from you before all the seats are taken!
(If you want that phone, it’s for sale here.)
All Conversations take place at the Crocker Memorial Church, 1260 12th Street (Pioneer Park), Sarasota, FL. All conversations start at 7 p.m. For more information, call Linda Garcia at (941) 364-9076. Members, free; Guests, $10
We’re excited to announce that the 2013-2014 Classes at the Park Schedule is now online!Our traditional Classes on the Back Porch have been renamed Classes at the Park, reflecting our involvement in the wider community of Pioneer Park in Sarasota, this year’s syllabus starts with Yoga and ends with birdwatching… and you won’t believe the variety of classes in between!
While our Conversations at the Crocker focus monthly on historical info and interests, and our special events such as the Bay Cruise and Trolley Tours put residents and visitors alike in touch with Sarasota’s journey to 2013, our classes are focused on the here-and-now with up-to-date topics and education.
As far as non-members are concerned, class registration opens in September. But members not only get preferred pricing, but if you call our competent and just-plain-adorable Site Manager, Linda Garcia (who’s “standing by” in the Historical Society office Tues-Fri, 10 to 2), I’m sure she’ll let you snap up the limited enrollment spots now! (Tip: there are some one-session classes that your card club, Red Hat Ladies, neighbor group could turn into a private girls’ day out!)
Our Classes in the Park are a major source of operating funds for the non-profit Historical Society, so learn something and help us preserve, protect, and polish the Bidwell-Wood House and the Crocker Memorial Church at the same time.
The 2013-2014 season of events at the Historical Society looks like it’s going to be great! We’re having everything from women’s history to pirates (the real-life history for adults PLUS the fun, PG-rated version!) to yoga classes. And our annual favorites, the Narrated Historic Sarasota Bay Le Barge Cruise and the private tour of Ca’d’Zan.
Here’s what the Historical Society’s President, Howard Rosenthal, reports to the membership on May 30, 2013. Read the President’s 2013 President Letter.
A panel of performing arts experts discusses how Sarasota evolved into a thriving performing arts community that attracts both tourists and permanent residents. This Conversation at the Crocker is the seventh in a series of year-long panel discussions organized and produced by the Historical Society of Sarasota County with support from SARASOTA Magazine.
There is more to the Sarasota area than great beaches, a welcoming climate and key lime pie. Tourists and those moving to our shores know that Sarasota offers a lively performing arts community with its own opera house, ballet company, symphony, theaters galore, choral music, jazz, you name it. We’re a small vibrant city with the
Howard Millman will chair the panel in April at the Historical Society’s Conversation at the Crocker
But it didn’t happen overnight or without concentrated effort by both visionary professionals and talented volunteers. Learn how Sarasota became a performing arts destination when a panel of experts led by esteemed director Howard Millman takes the stage at The Crocker Memorial Church on Tuesday, April 9, at 7 p.m. for a conversation among colleagues that reveals how and why Sarasota celebrates the performing arts.
Appearing with Howard Millman (theater) on April 9, will be Continue reading
The big hullabaloo (now, there’s an historic term!) in Sarasota/Manatee Counties this week is The Giving Challenge, an online promotion whose wonderful motto is
Several of our most fervent supporters have asked me to explain what’s going on, and I defer to this concise definition Continue reading
We’re so proud to be a charter member of TheGivingPartner.com and we’re poised to participate this year in The Giving Challenge. It’s an honor to have our non-profit mission, accomplishments and plans vetted by them, and hope that you can join us in this year’s Giving Challenge. Read our profile on The Giving Partner.
The Giving Challenge provides community-wide recognition for over 300 local non-profits and is promoting the 36 Hour Giving Challenge taking place Tuesday, March 5th at 7 AM through Wednesday, March 6th at 7 PM.
The HSOSC operates and maintains the Bidwell-Wood House which was built in 1882 and is the oldest remaining residence in Sarasota. We also maintain the Crocker Memorial Church which was built in 1901. These are located on our campus in Pioneer Park just 
north of downtown Sarasota and are open to the public. Simply keeping these Sarasota County treasures safe from the weather and time costs $40,000 a year. We maintain these buildings not as relics of the past, but as living examples of what they have always been: community gathering places. This is adaptive reuse for the 21st century.
Preserve: The historic wooden roof on the House is in constant need of weatherproofing repair or replacement. Other historic upkeep tasks are a constant financial challenge in smaller ways.
and Protect: We want to develop further our accessibility issues. We are seeking legal permission and funds to provide hand rails on the Church’s front steps, and to upgrade the lighting for safety issues.
and Polish: We wish to continue and grow our ongoing programs such as the Oral History video archive, the native plantings for public edification, and educational programs ranging from Classes on the Back Porch to Conversations at The Crocker.
So far this season, over 400 people have enjoyed the Conversations at The Crocker (for the March topic, click here), many more attended last weekend’s Civil War in Song & Stories, and groups have toured the House and Church almost non-stop!
The Historical Society’s holiday wreath at Sarasota Square amused people with its vintage postcard reproductions while raising our visibility and the extravaganza Designer Tag Sale involved scores of donors, volunteers, and workers in November.
We’ve hosted a tea in the Crocker Memorial Church, reached out into the commu
nity (almost 70 people heard about the Historical Society when “Bertha Palmer” visited their community in February) and we’re preserving local history with the Oral History Project, which has produced videos on local legends Art Ferguson, Marty Hartman, Diane Esthus, Louann Palmer, Robert Parker, Pete Esthus, Harriet Burns Stieff and Sue Blue. The volunteers on this project are enthusiastic and looking to widen their search, but funds are needed to produce these.
We are a proud participant in the Viva Florida 500 celebration, a state-wide promotion of our cultural diversity and are participating in Great Nonprofits, where you can read reviews of nonprofit groups across the country.
Our Classes on the Back Porch program is a yearly offering of fun education on everything from writing your memoirs to watercolor to native plantings (see this season’s offerings) and functions not only as an educational opportunity, but a fun way to get to know your neighbors.
In addition, our Gift Shop, known for its focus on local artisans and authors, is becoming a destination shop for the community. The Gift Shop volunteers are renowned for “taking the Shop on the road” to places such as the Phillippi Farmhouse Market and the Sun Circle event, but again, funds are needed to widen the Shop’s appeal and presentation of memorable home items and books.
Our historic buildings have hosted weddings, book clubs, musical ensembles, prom-dress giveaways, christenings, craft shows and history fairs, historic gatherings and family reunions. They are very much a part of the fabric of our community, and play an important part in drawing all of us into the appreciation of all that our county has to offer both long-time residents and newly-arrived fellow citizens.
We’re thrilled to be part of the Giving Challenge, but we also understand that not all our supporters are keen on using online donation sites. If you would rather not use your credit card online for the Giving Challenge or if you will be unavailable during the window of time above, please call Linda Garcia, our Site Manager at 941-364-9076 on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday from 10 to 2 or email her anytime night or day at hsosc@yahoo.com and she will help you donate in a manner that you feel comfortable with. Rather simply drop a check in the mail? Lovely! Our address is 1260 12th St., Sarasota 34236.
A panel of architecture experts convenes on Tuesday, March 12 at 7 p.m. at The Crocker Memorial Church, 1260 12th Street to talk about how Sarasota came to look the way it does, in our Conversations at The Crocker event.
Florida Cracker, vernacular Continue reading
Bob Plunkett to moderate Pay Dirt, a panel discussion at the Historical Society of Sarasota County
Our next Conversation at the Crocker will be an illuminating panel discussion on how and why this area started attracting serious buyers in 1885 and hasn’t stopped yet.
In 1885 60 men, women and children from Scotland (known as the Ormiston Colony), who had purchased land in this area from the Edinburgh-based Florida Mortgage and Investment Company, debarked in Sarasota on a December day. They thought they were coming to sunny Florida to become gentlemen farmers. Then it snowed.
Want to know what happened next? Then be sure to be in the audience at the Crocker Memorial Church on Tuesday, February 12 at 7 p.m. for a panel discussion about those who were deceived by promises of paradise and about the developers and visionaries who promised paradise.
Bob Plunket, moderator, has been writing about Sarasota’s people and places for over 30 years. He is a magazine writer and as The Real Estate Junkie, a well-known TV personality. Joining him will be author/historian Jeff LaHurd who has lived in Sarasota since 1950 and is Sarasota County History Center’s History Specialist. “The common thread running throughout Sarasota’s history from its earliest days to the present time is real estate,” said LaHurd, “buying, selling and, occasionally, bilking.” Also on the panel are long-time experts Realtors Lynn Robbins and David Jennings.
This Conversation at the Crocker is the fifth in a series of panel discussions presented by the Historical Society of Sarasota County with support from SARASOTA Magazine. The events are free to members; $10 for non-members. New memberships are welcomed at the door.
Look through our roster of classes for this winter season, then fill in our Sign- Up Sheet (click here) and mail it with your check. Reservations are limited, so to assure your place, call the HSOSC office at 941-364-9076 M-F 10am to 2pm with your credit card or email us at HSOSC@yahoo.com Reservations must be made in advance.
Create a one of a kind, illustrated, personal journal of your travels, or your own back yard. Beginners Welcome!
Each Tuesday in Feb. and March. First Class: Feb.5th 10:00 – Noon.
Fee: $35.00 per class or $100.00 for three.
Instructor: Nationally famous artist/author, Lucinda Hathaway
Supplies: Bring your own OR available at Art and Frame Shop, or Blue Line Office Sup.
Mention Lucinda’s Class for 10% disc. Contact Lucinda: 941-383-0216
Lucindahathaway@comcast.net http://www.LucindaHathaway.com
Maggie Nevens, back from her Cruise Ship Classes, has returned with her
“Let loose, have fun and paint like crazy!” Water Color Classes
Thursdays in Feb. and March 10:00 – Noon in the Crocker Church.
$35.00 per class or 4 for $100.00.
Blue Line Office Sup. offers a 10% Discount on supplies.
Call Maggie for list: 941-343-0430 mnevens@verizon.net http://www.maggienevens.com
New this year, we welcome the team of Laurel Schiller, Annie Schiller and Fran Palmeri, all Florida Nature lovers and educators, very involved in the gardening industry, right here in Sarasota County.
With many degrees and years of teaching experience among them, this team will be offering classes for adults and a Butterfly Gardening class for children as well, happily during Spring Break! Sign up soon, we’re sure we’ll have a full house for these classes AND participants will take home a small plant of their choice at the end of each class.
All classes will be held on Mondays, from 10:00 am to Noon, in the Crocker Church. Minimum 10 students.
Monday, March 4th: Gardening with Hardy Edibles – Eat What You Grow!
Introduction to a handful of hardy edibles, both native and tropical, that will thrive in your yard….from grapes to pumpkins! Includes planting and harvesting instructions, health benefits, recipes and more. Take home an edible plant of your choice.
Fee: $10.00 per person
Monday, March 11th: Natural Butterfly Gardening for Kids
(For ALL ages, but especially ages 4 and up. What a great way to spend a Spring Break Day with your grandchild!) We will read the wonderful book, “On Meadowview Street” by Henry Cole and see a slide presentation on wildlife that you might see in YOUR yard, should you plant wildflowers. Take home a wildflower plant. Attendees will be invited to plant a plant in the Butterfly Garden at the Historical Society!
Fee: Adults – $5.00, kids free!
For an in depth introduction to our valuable gardening instructors, please find their bios on http://www.floridanativeplants.com . Their credentials are way too long to list here, but when they’re not instructing, you can find them at the Florida Native Plants Nursery, 730 Myakka Rd, Sarasota.
Tuesday, Feb. 26th: Leaf Embossing on Card Stock
Nature Printing has been a fascination for Beverly Blair, a retired lawyer who fills our Gift Shop with her gorgeous artwork on cards and fabrics. She has studied with some of the best nature printers in the country and she will be sharing the methods of the art of Leaf Embossing. You’ll come away with your own creations of this fascinating craft and a deeper appreciation for the beauty of leaves! All supplies will be provided. Class size limited to 8 students!
Fee: $15.00 per person
* Actually, classes are held on the Back Porch, overlooking the beauty of Pioneer Park, when the weather is gorgeous. If the weather is less than spectacular or our instructors and students would be more comfortable, we move into the 1901 Crocker Church. So don’t let a few clouds stop you from attending… it’s always warm and sunny in our HSoSC classes!
Postcard image made available by the Boston Public Library.
The Historical Society of Sarasota County 
