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Hero of History Award Presented; Distinguished Award Goes to Two

The Historical Society of Sarasota County was delighted to present awards to three recipients at its Annual Meeting.

2015 Hero of History Jeff LaHurd

Hero of History Jeff LaHurd

At its 2015 annual meeting on May 2 in the historic Crocker Memorial Church (1901), the Historical Society of Sarasota County presented three awards to community people who have made significant contributions to history education, preservation, research and programming.

Receiving the 2015 Hero of History award is Jeff LaHurd, historian, author and lecturer, who through his writings and public presentations continually educates the public about the history of Sarasota and Florida.

2015 Harriet Stieff Distinguished Service Award

Harriet Stieff Distinguished Service Award

Receiving awards for Distinguished Service were two Historical Society members with long records of service to the Society and to Sarasota County. They are: Viola Goldberg, a past president of the Historical Society and a current member of the Advisory Board and Harriet Burns Stieff, a past board member and current member of the Advisory Board. Mrs. Stieff is the youngest daughter of Owen Burns, a Sarasota history maker and one of Sarasota’s legendary early developers. Both of these women have been the subjects of video oral histories, and their memories about Sarasota in days gone by are available on CD in the library of the Historical Society.

Viola Goldberg Distinguished Service Award

Viola Goldberg Distinguished Service Award

In presenting the awards, Howard Rosenthal, President of the Historical Society, said

“We are extremely proud of and grateful for the accomplishments of all three of this year’s award recipients. Each one demonstrates how much individuals can do to keep the history of Sarasota County alive, not only for their own generation but for those generations yet to come.”

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Growing up in the Circus: Sarasota native tells all

Join Sarasota native, Sarah Wheeler Chapman, on April 15 at the Brown Bag Book Luncheon at the Historical Society of Sarasota County.

Chapman is the author of two books. Simply Sarah, her cookbook, is a light-hearted story done in a circus format with anecdotes of her circus family and their travels. It blends photos and 180 yummy recipes.

balancing act sarah wheeler chapmanChapman’s memoir, Balancing Act Memoir of a Florida Youth,  describes her five-acre home on Worrington Street and the Trail, her marriage to Danny Chapman, and her notable family: sister a beauty queen; aging dad who operated the Off Shore Bar on Bay Road; drop-dead gorgeous brother; strange mom; and herself, the quiet one busy with church, 4-H, and getting molested on Turtle Beach, at a time (1960), when kids were good.

Sarah kept secrets well…until she published her memoir in 2014. Determination and a keen sense of balance piloted her through her teens, the circus, parenting, and furthering her education. She shares insights from Ringling Circus, Clown College, and the perils of aerial work. The circus provides a backdrop to the deep topic of the memoir—abuse.

Don’t miss this chance to meet Sarah Wheeler Chapman at the last Brown Bag Book Lunch this season on April 15. No reservations needed. See you at 11:30 in the Crocker Memorial Church, and remember to pack a lunch! Beverages provided by the Historical Society. BBBLs are free to members and $5 for guests. Both of Chapman’s books will be available for purchase and autographing at the luncheon.

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From Moons Ohio to Ca’ d’Zan

Mable Ringling Revealed: Mable Ringling as presented by the Historical Society of Sarasota CountyA Conversations at The Crocker presentation with rare photos of Mable Ringling and her time in Sarasota bring to life her lasting influence on this city 
 
Mable Burton Ringling (1875-1929) is remembered as the wife of John Ringling, America’s circus king.  But she was much more than the gracious hostess of Ca’ d’Zan, her Sarasota mansion. Her influence is felt today on the west coast of Florida where she oversaw the construction of the couple’s 57-room Venetian Gothic mansion on Sarasota Bay.

Continue reading →

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A Roof-top Shout Out to the Arts and Cultural Alliance!

Arts and Cultural Alliance Awards a Grant to the Historical Society of Sarasota County
Timely  grant of $4,000 from the John Ringling Towers Fund goes directly to preservation efforts at Crocker Memorial Church

 

Crocker Memorial Church dates from the first days of the 20th century

Crocker Memorial Church dates from 1901 and was originally at what is now Tamiami Trail and Bee Ridge Road.

A timely award of a $4,000 grant from the Arts and Cultural Alliance of Sarasota County to the Historical Society of Sarasota County has gone immediately to a project to stabilize and preserve the metal roof on the 1901 Crocker Memorial Church building at Pioneer Park in Sarasota. The heritage building, which is under the protection of the Historical Society, is the headquarters for the Historical Society and is used almost daily by the community for weddings, civic and cultural club meetings, music recitals, theater rehearsals, history book club, and for monthly membership meetings of the Historical Society as well as for Historical Society sponsored educational programs (including docent-led tours) that are open to the public.

 

“The Crocker Memorial Church building is our town’s model of a historical building that has eluded the wrecking ball through adaptive use,” said Site Manager, Linda Garcia. “Ever since it was built by Peter Crocker and his neighbors in 1901 at what is now the corner of Bee Ridge Road and US 41, it has been in constant use, first as a place of worship for several different congregations and since 2006 as a community gathering place. The building has been moved three times over the decades but now has a permanent home at Pioneer Park on 12th Street where the Historical Society is charged with protecting and preserving it.”

 

The grant money from the John Ringling Towers Fund at the Arts and Cultural Alliance has been combined with member and community donations from the Historical Society’s annual appeal to make critical repairs to the Crocker roof. We thank the Alliance and our members and supporters for helping us keep a Sarasota landmark dry and safe!

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Earlye Musicke in Historic Crocker Church

On Wednesday, April 1, 2015 the Sarasota Earlye Musicke Consort will be performing for the third season in a row for members and guests of the Historical Society of Sarasota County.  The program will be presented at the Crocker Memorial Church in Pioneer Park,  1260 12th Street (between US41 and Cocoanut Avenue) beginning at 7pm.

An early musical instrument

This is a viol de gamba!

The members of this consort, performing in period costume, play music dating from the 14th century to the 21st century on recorders and viols. This concert is free for HSOSC members; a $5 donation is requested from guests.  The group is led by Charlotte Trautwein.

The Sarasota Earlye Musicke Consort was recently awarded a 15 year certificate by the National American Recorder Society, recognizing the ensemble’s contribution to Sarasota and the surrounding communities.  The Sarasota chapter of ARS recently hosted the national board meetings for ARS at the Crocker Memorial Church, where they gather for class and group playing for intermediate and advanced players every week.

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Could YOU survive a shipwreck of the Atocha in 1622 Florida?

We are thrilled to present, at the next Brown Bag Book Lunch (BBBL), the author of a thrilling historical adventure novel, Henry Duggan.

Henry Diggan, author, presents at the Historical Society of Sarasota County on March 18 2015On Wednesday March 18, from 11:30a to 1:30p, enjoy Mr. Duggan’s tales of historical research and novel writing that havebrought forth Silver’s Odyssey. Bring your lunch and join Mr. Duggan on the Back Porch for a casual lunch after his talk and book signing. Beverages are provided by the Historical Society. BBBLs are free to members and $5 for guests.

Henry Duggan writes of  Silver’s Odyssey: Florida Wilderness Survival From the 1622 Atocha Shipwreck

A howling hurricane in 1622 tosses young Lt. Luis Armador overboard, washing him onto Florida’s savage shores. Meanwhile, his silver-ladened Atocha galleon sinks at sea, with 260 going to a watery grave.
A desperate quest for survival now begins in the wilderness, amongst bold native Americans–a world few Europeans had confronted. Wrenched to have left his betrothed’s pleadings in Seville, he now feels a sense of remorse, but realizes he must gird up for the coming physical challenges.
Indian slavery humbles him, and he becomes obsessed with escape. It comes, but with a price, as his fellow escapees meet misfortune. Pieces of eight, carried from the ship, become resentful reminders of his plight, and a mission to cache them in an underground stream almost takes his life.
Though surrounded by tremendous beauty in the New World, he suffers further grief, both at an Indian mission and  then at St. Augustine.  However, brandishing his sword, he is dauntless in his quest, while maturing in the process.

Duggan’s novel has earned 4.4 stars out of 5 on Amazon.com. It has garnered such reviews as

This is one of the most captivating books that I’ve read in a long time. The research that must have gone into this book was most impressive as was the flair that the author had for putting the reader right into the middle of the adventure.

This writer has managed to give us not only an excursion through the history of Ole Florida, but also a fantastic story of a man’s struggle and determination to survive. This is truly one of those “can’t put it down” novels.

Get a look inside Silver’s Odyssey here. You can buy it here, download it to your Kindle reading app here, or even, if you are an Amazon Prime member, borrow it for free here. (But whatever you do, DO NOT loan it to your male companion/ partner/spouse first. I did that, and now I have to wait for him to finish it, he loves it so!)

But whatever you do, don’t miss this chance to meet and discuss historical research and novel writing with Henry Duggan at the next Brown Bag Book Lunch on Wednesday March 18. No reservations needed. See you at 11:30 in the Crocker Memorial Church, and remember to pack a lunch… this will be quite the adventure!

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Even the kids & the grandkids support Sarasota history!

The Historical Society of Sarasota County loves the Keith Farmhouse restoration!
Did you know that the Farmhouse Market, in Phillippi Estate Park, is managed by Friends of Sarasota County Parks? This non-profit volunteer organization improves the life of current-day Sarasotans and visitors as well as helps maintain our ties to our past history.

Bring your children to the 4th Annual Children’s Day in the Park, at Phillippi Estate Park on Wed. March 11th, from 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

In addition to the sights and yummy tastes of the weekly market, there will be games of skill and balance by Krisztina. Plenty of vendors in the Arts/Crafts, live music by Siesta John and local authors too.

You can even bring your pooch to this weekly Farmhouse Market, where you find over 50 purveyors of locally grown and produced fresh produce, fish, honeys, teas, pet items, and much, much more! No-hassle free parking.

Children’s Day has always been the biggest day at the Market, so come early and stay late!
Phillippi Estate Park is located at 5500 S. Tamiami Trail in Sarasota on the Phillippi River.

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How and Why Sarasota Became a Place for Jazz

Jazz history expert and two musicians tell the tale in words and jazz tunes

In our March 10 Conversation at the Crocker, you’ll hear, in words and music, the reasons why there are upwards of 200 active professional jazz musicians living in the Manatee-Sarasota area.

Did you know this area supports more than a dozen places in Bradenton, Sarasota and Venice offering jazz music any night of the week?

 

 

Join the Jazz Club’s Gordon Garrett when he leads a Conversation at The Crocker, on Tuesday, March 10, starting at 7 p.m. at the Crocker Memorial Church, 1260 12th Street (Pioneer Park), Sarasota. He will be joined on stage by Continue reading →
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Exploring Sarasota County History

It’s the perfect time of year, here in Sarasota, to venture forth and see some of the sights in our county that you have always meant to visit.

Put down the top and see the county!

Put down the top and see the county!

The History & Preservation Coalition has, for your print-out-and-take-with pleasure, a colorful PDF map of what THEY call Historical Resources and what WE call cool spots to see. Included are URLs, so be sure to visit the various sites of the sights to see when they are open to the public.

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County Park, food, art, and jazz. What more could we want?

The Historical Society loves how everything in the county is intertwined. Some of our volunteers are volunteers elsewhere. Perhaps members of the Wood family, who lived in the Bidwell-Wood House from 1896 until the 1960’s, visited the Keiths or the Prodies at the Keith Mansion. So we are proud to help our current-day peers preserve and protect history, and of course, we love food, art and jazz as well as history! So join us at an event on the Trail, just a few miles south of our Pioneer Park location:

 

Light Chasers at the Bidwell-Wood House

The plein air painters often visit our historic buildings at the Historical Society of Sarasota County.

On Wednesday February 25 the Phillippi Farmhouse Market, a venture of the Friends of Sarasota County Parks,  welcomes the Light Chasers (Sarasota’s Plein Air Painters) to a Quick Draw Painting Contest.  At 10 a.m. the air horn signals the start of the painting in the market and all over the park.  The painters have just two hours to create an original painting: will they paint the Farmhouse> The Mansion? The colorful kayaks bobbing in Phillippi Creek? You’re welcome to wander the grounds and peer over the artists’ shoulders as they strive to envision an award-winning artwork of this bit of Sarasota history!

 

Bill Farnsworth, Master Artist from Venice, will judge the paintings and award prizes. You can buy the paintings right off the easel right then or attend one of the art shows and sales at the Edson Keith Mansion on Friday, Feb 27 – 6 – 8 p.m. (Gala Opening Night – $25.00/ticket) or come Sat Feb 28, 5 – 8 p.m. FREE, or Sunday, March 1 – noon – 5 p.m. FREE.

 

Along with Sunday’s art show and sale will be Jazz in the Park, a free jazz concert from noon – 5 p.m. at the Gazebo, sponsored by the Jazz Club and the kickoff to Jazz Week in Sarasota.The Quick Draw Contest and art shows and sales in the Edson Keith Mansion will raise funds for the restoration of the Keith Farmhouse in the Park.  This was the original building erected on the estate in 1916 – 99 years ago.

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Brown Bag Book Lunch: Discuss & munch with the author of “Shade in the Sunshine State”

AAuthor Liz Coursenuthor, editor, and publisher Elizabeth H. Coursen will be featured at this month’s Brown Bag Book Lunch at the Historical Society of Sarasota County on Wed. Feb. 18, in the historic Crocker Memorial Church. She will be speaking on Continue reading →

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Good news and fun photos in the latest issue of the newsletter!

Marsha Fottler, VP, Historical Society of Sarasota County

Marsha Fottler is one of the most active and involved members of HSoSC, and serves as vice president.

As an Historical Society, we still produce a real, hard-copy newsletter for our members and to hand out to folks interested in learning about us, joining us in membership, attending some of our many events and exploring whether we are worth financial support small or large.

Amongst myriad other tasks, our Vice President, Marsha Fottler, writes, edits, produces, and even drives to the printer, our newsletter. Be sure to thank her, next time you see her!

Here’s our Newsletter Page where you can view, download, even print out the electronic version of our current newsletter, and explore past issues as well

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A lovely day for a walk in the past

A walk along the beach is always wonderful. Exploring downtown can be very rewarding (and stopping for a bite and sip every 40 feet or so is always an option). Our parks are beautiful. And so many neighborhoods are as well. So get out into our beautiful winter weather and treat yourself to a walk in the past!

Explore Laurel Park

Click to visit the Laurel Park web site.

Here’s the Laurel Neighborhood Walking Tour PDF. Print it out, lace up your walking shoes, and enjoy this lovely neighborhood!

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What the built future of Sarasota could look like.

An imaginary future city.Are There More Modern Buildings in Our Future?

Four young turks of architecture think so. Come and hear what they have to say and what the built future of Sarasota could look like.

No matter how you feel about modern architecture, you’ll want to be in the audience on the evening of Tuesday, February 10, at 7 p.m. when Sarasota Herald-Tribune real estate editor and architecture lecturer Harold Bubil leads a conversation with four ambitious and highly talented young architects who discuss how future of Sarasota will look if they have any influence. And they do, since they’re all working on important projects in town. Joining Bubil on stage at the Crocker Memorial Church are: Tatiana White, Chris Leader, Leonardo Lunardi and Damien Blumetti. A power point presentation narrated by Harold Bubil will place the modern movement in context with Sarasota’s past styles of residential, commercial and municipal architecture.

If you’re a newcomer to town, seasonal visitor or tax paying full-time resident, you’re bound to learn a lot about buildings and homes you see everyday around town. But, you’ll also see what could be down the road for Sarasota in terms of the homes we live in and the buildings we shop in, bank in and places where we receive medical care. Are we clinging to Mediterranean revival and cottage styles or committing to leading-edge modern design based on principles of the Sarasota School of Architecture that reigned in post-war years through the 1960s? Find out and then express your own views.

Now in its third year and presented by the Historical Society of Sarasota County (HSOSC), Conversations at The Crocker is a series of interactive monthly discussions that highlight aspects of Sarasota’s history and looks at past events and people who have influenced today’s Sarasota. All Conversations take place at the historic Crocker Memorial Church in Pioneer Park, 1260 12th Street, Sarasota. Community welcome. 7 p.m. Free to HSOSC members and students; $10, guests.

The futuristic rendering appears here.