Author: saradesota

“The older I get, the more clearly I remember things that never happened.”
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“The older I get, the more clearly I remember things that never happened.”

That’s a quote we can all nod and smile at. It’s from Mark Twain, the literary legend and timeless humorist. Truly a historic figure for the ages and one from whom we can continually learn.

The Mark Twain Society has chosen Crocker Memorial Church for their performance venue this season, and HSoSC can’t be more pleased. There will be a series of lectures on Twain, a condensed autobiography of Mark Twain delivered by Twain interpreter Alan Kitty “in no particular order the way life happens,” and even a look at Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn in their dotage… in 1925 St. Pete!

The MT folks have also, most graciously, offered a free, private performance for our members on Saturday, .January 10 at 3:00 pm of A FORK IN THE ROAD, two monologues by Sarah Grigsby and Rhonda Liss, celebrating resilience. The only weapon against adversity is perseverance and laughter. Against these nothing can stand. For this special performance, you don’t need to buy tickets in advance. For all other performances, they have offered a discount to our members. See their full schedule here.

Ed. Note: Think Mr. Twain is not worth considering nowadays? May I leave you with this quote from him: “The government is merely a servant―merely a temporary servant; it cannot be its prerogative to determine what is right and what is wrong, and decide who is a patriot and who isn’t. Its function is to obey orders, not originate them.”

The Day We Touched the Moon
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The Day We Touched the Moon

Today in History: July 20 1969

Fifty-six years ago today, while Woodstock was still a month away and the Vietnam War dominated headlines, humanity achieved something that would have seemed impossible to our grandparents: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon.


1969 was already quite a year. Richard Nixon had just been inaugurated as president, promising

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One hundred years ago, may I present Sarasota
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One hundred years ago, may I present Sarasota

Actually, may I present longtime Sarasotaphile, Rex Carr, whose wonderful detail work this map is!

To this aerial photo of Sarasota in 1925, Rex has added some landmarks for us.

Rex writes: “I’ve posted a second version of the photo with my own annotations to help you appreciate the photo to its fullest extent. I’ve also highlighted a few

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Passover Pop
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Passover Pop

There’s history all around you. Even in the grocery aisles. Here’s one:

While most plastic bottles of Coca-Cola boast a red cap that matches their usual color scheme, in the spring you may notice bottles with yellow caps appearing on shelves. That yellow cap signifies that the drink is kosher for the Jewish holiday of Passover.

Prior to 1935, Coke wasn’t kosher at all, but that year the company swapped out beef-tallow glycerin for a vegetable counterpart that

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Lucky Leprechauns
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Lucky Leprechauns

Product developer John Holahan created the cereal in 1964 by combining Cheerios with chopped-up pieces of

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This Day in History, March 17, 1964: Lucky the Leprechaun, the mascot of Lucky Charms cereal, was introduced in print ads and animated television commercials on St. Patrick’s Day in 1964.

Product developer John Holahan created the cereal in 1964 by combining Cheerios with chopped-up pieces of

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Just what’s this station wagon got to do with Sarasota?
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Just what’s this station wagon got to do with Sarasota?

From Sarasota History Alive: Powel Crosley was a promoter, businessman and industrialist who had the knack of transforming ideas into reality. Between 1900 and 1940, in the field of radio, Crosley generated the

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Sunday, February 23, 2025, 2-4 p.m.
Crocker Memorial Church for a Conversation at The Crocker

Norm Luppino will be our speaker at the February 23 Conversation at the Crocker, and he’ll be presenting on the Seagate estate, built by Powel Crosley, a man not as well-known in our area as he should be.

From Sarasota History Alive: Powel Crosley was a promoter, businessman and industrialist who had the knack of transforming ideas into reality. Between 1900 and 1940, in the field of radio, Crosley generated the

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Time to Tour our State!
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Time to Tour our State!


Get out in nature with tours produced for many areas of our state.

The weather’s perfect at this time of year (witness all the delighted tourists!) so let’s see some of our own state.

Explore the cultural, historical, and architectural treasures of the Sunshine State with Florida Stories, a walking tour app from the Florida Humanities Council. Whether you’ll actually listen as you walk or simply imagine the delights from the comfort of your chair, the phone app allows users to learn about the history of some of Florida’s most unique towns. Try a close-to-home venue such as Phillippi Estate Park or Bradenton/Old Manatee on foot, then hop in the car for a road trip to explore other places.

Oh, but wait: there are auto tours of our own county before you go. The Sarasota County Centennial 2021 created wonderful guides for areas of our county, including Bee Ridge and Vamo, and you can learn more here. If you’re a bit hazy on how to download an auto tour app to your phone and use it while driving, they’ve written a straightforward guide to that.

More of a nature child? Check out https://floridatrail.org/ As they say: “The Florida Trail Association (FTA) develops, maintains, protects, and promotes a network of hiking trails throughout the state. In the app, you can explore the Florida National Scenic Trail interactive map, get up-to-date trail notices and closures information, get news and volunteer event opportunities, and download the trail and base map data to use the app while offline.”

Or perhaps you’re a botanical gardens lover? Well, you’re in luck, you can split this tour in half, seeing as how our own Selby Gardens is right in the middle of this suggested itinerary!

The Day the World (Almost) Ended
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The Day the World (Almost) Ended

Twenty-five years ago, in late December 1999, there was a crisis. Folks stocked up on water and food and stayed huddled at home, not daring to fly in an airplane (They’ll fall out of the sky!) or use an ATM (We’ll lose our life savings!)

The following article, by Heather Cox Richardson, reminds us of why, exactly, the world did not end on January 1, 2000. She’s a political historian and well-worth following. After all, history is politics.

January 1, 2025 (Wednesday) Twenty-five years ago today, Americans—along with the rest of the world—woke up to a new century date…and to the discovery that

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Santa’s Going Historic!
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Santa’s Going Historic!

Got a history-lover on your “Nice” list? Some ideas from the Historical Society of Sarasota County:

There’s just nothing like a brick from Main Street and Lemon Avenue when the train station depot was being demolished. Yup, we saved them so YOU could dedicate one to a person, a place, a date… contact us at hello@hsosc.com or 941-364-9076. More info here.

On the other hand, if your history buff has a sense of humor, maybe this would be a good gift? You can get such plaques in everything from wood to iron various spots on the internet.

The sartorial history fashionista ( or fashionisto?) could swoon over something for their wardrobe. Great men’s hats are on this site, and the modern-day-sized old-fashioned shoes are from here.

Lest we neglect the history lover with a sweet tooth… candy from past eras. Everything from sorghum drops to Sky bars, rose vinegar to sugar-coated violet petals can be found at True Treats here: https://truetreatscandy.com/

Just in case you were wondering: No, we don’t earn a commission from sending you to these places. But remember: a gift of a personalized historic brick in our courtyard not only will please your recipient, it’ll be a gift to HSoSC as well!