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Conversation at the Crocker: Ringling’s Private Rail Car

PullDavid Duncan working on the Wisconsin, John Ringling's private Pullman car. Hear Mr. Duncan speak at Conversation at the Crocker, January 13. For more info see http://HSoSC.comman car historian and restorer of John Ringling’s private railroad car, the Wisconsin car in Sarasota talks about rail travel of the Gilded Age and how John and Mable Ringling traveled in luxury aboard a fabulous custom car.

“It is rare for a
private railroad car
to be restored with
such care, attention to detail and respect to the historic fabric”

Ride the rails into the past with Pullman Railroad car expert and the restorer of the famed Wisconsin custom railroad car with David W. Duncan when he leads a Conversation at The Crocker, on Tuesday, January 13, starting at 7 p.m. at the Crocker Memorial Church, 1260 12th Street (Pioneer Park), Sarasota.

David W. Duncan is a Pullman Railroad car historian and he has been the consultant on the Wisconsin for The Ringling Museum. His hands-on work and expertise have been instrumental in the restoration process of this historic railroad car. Duncan will be joined on stage by Ron McCarty, Curator of Ca’d’Zan at The Ringling Museum.

A Pullman Car was a standard of luxury in the early part of the 20th century and John Ringling wanted one. Having established a relationship with the Pullman firm by buying second-hand cars for use by the circus, Ringling commissioned Pullman to build a private car for his personal use in 1904. The name Wisconsin was chosen to honor the state that was home to the Ringling brothers and their circus.

On March 16, 1905, Ringling took delivery of the Wisconsin from Pullman’s Calumet Shop. He used the car as a place to stylishly entertain and impress friends, family, business associates and politicians. And the car enabled him to conduct circus business as he traveled across the country. Ringling’s first trip aboard the car was to Baraboo, Wisconsin, the family’s hometown. Later that year, John Ringling and Mable Burton were married in Hoboken, New Jersey.

“It is rare for a private railroad car to be restored with such care, attention to detail and respect to the historic fabric,” says Ron McCarty about Duncan’s work on the Wisconsin. “Now at the museum, visitors to Sarasota can glimpse a means of transportation that only a few ever experienced. This restored jewel of the Gilded Age tells the story of a bygone era and the community can learn all about it at the Conversation at The Crocker on the evening of January 13.” All aboard !

Organized and presented by the Historical Society of Sarasota County and sponsored by SARASOTA Magazine, this public conversation (accompanied by rare photos) is free to Historical Society members and students. Guests, $10. Proceeds help maintain the two historic properties at Pioneer Park, The Bidwell-Wood House (1882, Sarasota’s oldest private residence) and the Crocker Memorial Church (1901).

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25th Historical LeBarge Cruise

The Historical Society celebrated its 25th Historical LeBarge Cruise early in November, and were delighted to offer commentary courtesy of famed local historian John McCarthy.

If you couldn’t make the November tour with us, make plans now to join us in March! Email Linda Garcia, our Site Manager, at hsosc1@gmail.com for your reservations now.

Historical Bay Cruise by the Historical Society of Sarasota County

Our newest board member Virginia Hoffman (second from left) enjoyed her birthday celebration on the cruise with other board members (l. to r.) BrendaLee Hickman , Bill Kleber, and Meade Ferguson.

Funds raised help the private non-profit Society preserve and protect two of the oldest historic buildings in Sarasota County. Visit the Bidwell-Wood House (1882) and the Crocker Memorial Church (1901) Monday-Friday 10am to 2pm, or during any of our special events on our Calendar of Events.  Pioneer Park is located just east of 41 at 12th Street.

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Love to read? Love history? Join us with our new programs

The Historical Society of Sarasota County has two new programs beginning in December.

BBBL – Brown Bag Book Lunch!

This series of four get-togethers starts on Wednesday, December 17, 2014 from 11:30am to 1:30pm.  Local authors will discuss their books and offer insights in the Crocker Memorial Church starting at 11:30am followed by a question and answer period.  Then the group will have their BYOB brown-bag lunch on our serene Back Porch with beverages supplied by HSOSC.

On December 17 Bea Hartman will illustrate chapter sites from her “Florida Treasures – 55 Great Sites on the National Register of Historic Places“.  You will be able to purchase an autographed copy at the meeting.

The series continues with

  • January 21, 2015 – Charles Sobczak “The Living Gulf Coast“;
  • February 18, 2015 – Liz Coursen “Shade in the Sunshine State“
  • March 18, 2015 – Henry Duggan “Silver’s Odyssey: Florida Wilderness Survival From the 1622 Atocha Shipwreck“

These events are free for HSOSC members and $5 for guests.

The History Book Club

Jeff LaHurd's Sarasota: A HistoryAlso new beginning in January, HSOSC is starting a History Book Club headed up by president Howard Rosenthal and new member Anita Palladino.

First book reading is “Sarasota A History” by Jeff LaHurd.

These meetings will take place on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 1pm from January thru April in the Crocker Memorial Church.

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D E S I G N E R T A G S A L E

Saturday, Novmeber 15, 2014

9 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

Crocker Memorial Church

1260 12th Street  (Pioneer Park)

One block east of N. Tamiami Trail at 12th Street

941-364-9076

Presented by the Historical Society of Sarasota County in cooperation with area interior designers who have donated specialty items from their galleries and inventory.

Come and find custom toss pillows, lamps, occasional furniture, extraordinary designer fabric and wallpaper, tabletop sculpture, framed paintings and prints, mirrors, garden ornaments, silk flower and foliage arrangements and a special holiday section with gift items for the season.  Proceeds help maintain the historic Bidwell-Wood House (1882) and the Crocker Memorial Church (1901).

Shop for fun, amazing and gorgeous designer bargains and help support historic preservation in our town.  It only happens every other year so don’t miss out!

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Memorial Bricks Dedication on November 15, 2014

You still have time to order a brick for the front walkway in time for the dedication inlay for this year on Saturday November 15, 2014.  This is the day for the Tag Sale in the Crocker Memorial Church and the Historical Trolley Tour that morning….returning in time for the dedication.

The Historical Society of Sarasota County salvaged the bricks from Main Street and Lemon Avenue when the station depot was being demolished.  We have them laid as the walkway into the 1882 Bidwell-Wood House, Sarasota County’s oldest surviving residence, for a lasting memorial.

Bricks at Bidwell-Wood HouseYou can honor anyone including yourself, or an event (marriage? Birth? Anniversary? Memorial?)  with an etched historic brick.  A donation of $100 or more creates a permanent reminder of your loved one and participation in Sarasota History.  Each year the new etched bricks are laid in November to honor those who support Sarasota history with a dedicated brick in the walkway.

To have a brick etched for you, your family, or a loved one, simply contact Linda Garcia, our Site Manger, via phone at 941-364-9076 Mon-Fri 10 to 2, or 24/7 via email at hsosc1@gmail.com. Mastercard and Visa accepted, as are those old-fashioned things, checks in the mail! You’ll receive a personal invitation to our ceremony on our campus at 1260 12th Street (1/2 block east of Tamiami Trail), Sarasota, in Pioneer Park on Saturday November 15.

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One Month til 25th Historical LeBarge Cruise !!

25th FLOATING HISTORY LESSON SETS SAIL ON NOVEMBER 2, 2014

The Historical Society of Sarasota County (HSOSC) is hosting its 25th Historical Cruise and Tour of Sarasota Bay on the LeBarge tour boat on Sunday, November 2, 2014 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.

John McCarthy - Norma Kwenski

Norma Kwenski, Volunteer Extraordinaire, grabs the catbird seat on LeBarge, next to our commentator, always-captivating John McCarthy, one of Sarasota’s leading historians.

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.

Historical Cruise Guests should be at the LeBarge slip, south of Marina Jack in Sarasota’s Bayfront Park by 10:15am, rain or shine. Proceeds benefit preservation projects and community outreach programs at the Historical Society of Sarasota County.

To reserve your seats, contact Linda Garcia at HSOSC Monday-Friday from 10a – 2p at 941-364-9076 or anytime by email:  hsosc1@gmail.com

Save

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Black Bottom, Overtown, Newtown, Rosemary District: What, where, when.

History of Newtown is the subject of a Conversation at the Crocker event. 

James Brown of Sarasota FL will lead the Conversation at the Crocker on October 14 2014.

James Brown, educator, historian and a man born and raised in Newtown, leads a discussion on the History of Newtown, on Tuesday, October 14 starting at 7 p.m. at the Crocker Memorial Church, 1260 12th Street, Sarasota. Historical Society members and students free. Guests $10. 364-9076 for more information.

Educators, business leaders, and the Mayor of Sarasota will gather on the stage of the Crocker Memorial Church on Tuesday, October 14, to talk among themselves and with the audience about the History of Newtown, Sarasota’s African-American community.  The conversationists will also talk about the two communities that preceded Newtown, called Black Bottom and Overtown. Those neighborhoods were in the area now called the Rosemary District.

An inter-active discussion hosted by the Historical Society and open to the public. Come and ask questions and be heard. It’s part of our history!

This lively and informative discussion (with visuals to set everything into context) is open to the public and begins at 7 p.m. Historical Society members and students are admitted free. Guests, $10.

Participating in this Conversation will be: educator James Brown (Conversation leader), Mayor Willie Shaw, educator Dorothye Smith and Newtown businessmen Henry Battie and Jetson Grimes.

The Crocker Memorial Church is the headquarters for the Historical Society and is located in Pioneer Park at 1260 12th Street.

Organized by the Historical Society of Sarasota County and sponsored by SARASOTA Magazine, Conversations at The Crocker events highlight specific aspects of Sarasota’s past and examines pivotal events and people who have influenced today’s Sarasota.

Conversations take place at The Crocker Memorial Church and proceeds help to maintain the Bidwell-Wood House (1882, Sarasota’s oldest private residence) and the Crocker Memorial Church (1901). Docent-led tours of the two buildings are available before each Conversation event. For more information, call the Historical Society’s office, Mon-Fri, 10a to 2p, at 941-364-9076

Yup, it WAS “the good old days”
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Yup, it WAS “the good old days”

Nowadays it takes 5 fishermen and a boat to catch a kingfish.

Kingfish trophyBut back in the day…

Sept 30 1913: For easy fishing, stay at the Bay Island Hotel. On the first day of kingfish season, a 4′, 27-pound beauty, complete with a mullet in its mouth, jumped 10 feet from the bay, over the seawall, and onto the lawn where it was corralled by a guest. Mr. Faubel, the manager, quickly pointed out the fine fishing on his lawn. — Entry in Yesterday’s Sarasota calendar by J. Whitcomb Rylee

Photo from http://www.insideflorida.com/

More on the Bay Island Hotel from Sarasota History Alive.

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JDeal Pump Organ – Returns in Top Shape!

Photo from Pump Organ Before Repair July 2014Before repair pump organPump Organ Inspection by Robert SensemanRobert Senseman and Son haul it offThe pump organ repairman angel arrived this summer!!

Mr. Robert Senseman visited the Bidwell-Wood House in June when his mother Lois Ann Senseman arrived to film her Ordinary Historian video. Her grandfather, his great grandfather, was the yacht captain for John and Mabel Ringling. While touring the house we mentioned that the JDeal pump organ in the parlor was in need of a strap repair on one of the pedals.

Mr. Senseman offered to do the repair. Amazingly he took the organ and did a full refurbishment and repair and brought it back better than ever. We cannot thank him enough.

The early 1800’s organ was donated to the  Historical Society of Sarasota County by Mike Lesnick of Bradenton.

See the pump organ in action in the MySuncoast tv coverage of our building. Linda has hidden talents!

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Voting, Then & Now

You didn’t have to register to vote. You did have to be a member of the militia. And there was no such thing as Sarasota County… heck, there wasn’t even a Manatee County.

Here’s what political districting looked like in 1843 when Florida voted to become a State in the United States of America.
Florida map, 1853(Click the map, which is courtesy of State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, to enlarge)

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From the Office: 2014 Summer Interns

Linda Garcia, our invaluable Site Manager, writes about the wonders of our summer interns:

open quoteWe were contacted last winter by a 2nd year New College History student, Joy Feagan, to see if we would be interested in a summer intern. We had never had that opportunity in the past so we Continue reading →

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Today in History: A Mother’s Gentle Nudge

On August 18, 1920, Tennessee passed the proposed 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution by a one-vote margin, becoming the 36th state to ratify the measure and clearing the way for its official adoption eight days later.

Can you imagine NOT "giving the vote" to a woman like this?

Can you imagine NOT “giving the vote” to a woman like this?

Incredibly, women’s suffrage in the United States ultimately hinged on an 11th-hour change of heart by a young state legislator with a very powerful mother.

“I know that a mother’s advice is always safest for her boy to follow,” he explained, “and my mother wanted me to vote for ratification.” Read about it.

(Thanks to this family web site for the image of a strong woman c. 1920.)

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113 years of hard sitting is coming to an end….

When the Crocker Memorial Church was just 12 years old, in 1913, 63 of Sarasota’s women came together and formed The Woman’s Club of Sarasota. Their service to our community can be summed up by this quote on their brochure:

The good works of life consist of many small units.

We are delighted to announce that The Woman’s Club has taken on a “small unit” for the Crocker Church: they are Continue reading →

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A two-fer of History in Pioneer Park!

The Whitaker Cemetery, from 1879, is next door to the Historical Society's Pioneer Park campus at 1260 12th Street, just east of Tamiami Trail.

Photo courtesy of our neighbor, the DAR.

The Bidwell-Wood House (1882) and the Crocker Memorial Church (1901) might seem reason enough to visit Pioneer Park, but did you know that next door is the The Pioneer Whitaker Cemetery?

It is the first cemetery in Sarasota , and the burial site of the first white settlers in the County. The Whitaker Pioneer Cemetery continues to be the burial site for the Whitaker family. More on the Whitaker Cemetery.