Presented by actor/real estate expert Tom Aposporos and organized by the Historical Society of Sarasota County
Mark your calendars for March 10 at 2 p.m.
A Conversation about architecture and historic homes in Sarasota that link to one of our most influential architects, Ralph Twitchell (1890-1978). Presenter Tom Aposporos charts the early career of Twitchell, who came to Sarasota in 1925 to manage the final stages of Ca d’Zan for Dwight Baum. Twitchell stayed to become architect and contractor of a collection of Mediterranean Revival homes, many of which remain preserved today as icons of a specific style.
Ralph Twitchell in the 1920s
Later in his career Twitchell became the bridge from Mediterranean Revival to the modern. When he hired the young Paul Rudolph, the collaboration embraced new materials, a new look and a new way of building with glass and reinforced concrete. Some say the culmination of Twitchell’s move to modernism reached its zenith with
February 29 is a leap day, an intercalary* date added periodically to create leap years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the 60th day of a leap year in both calendars, and 306 days remain until the end of the leap year. It is also the last day of February in leap years with the exception of 1712 in Sweden.
Yada yada, Leap Day’s when women get to propose marriage, red petticoats, a dozen pairs of gloves and so on. A French newspaper that only publishes on Leap Day. Eating pigs’ feet if you’re old. Pretty boring traditions, you ask me.
Leaplings, those folks born on February 29. There’s even a League of Leaplings. Well, they don’t call it that, but they COULD.
Hey! Sadie Hawkins! Now there’s a tradition to enjoy. My high school had a Sadie Hawkins Dance. Maybe yours did too. Girls asked boys. Problem is, Sadie Hawkins Day isn’t February 29. It’s November 26, a date set by Al Capp himself.
And there’s the Anthony Texas Leap Year Festival coming up, too. Don’t ask me why it’s on March 1 and 2, 2024.
Note from your Olde Correspondent: I started this post thinking it’d be interesting and maybe even amazing. I learned otherwise. So spend your extra day doing something extra, something you normally wouldn’t. I think I’ll sleep in.
Our February 18, 2024 Conversation at the Crocker will be all about the ladies. (Note: Emma Booker has graciously declined; Bertha Palmer has graciously agreed to take her place.) Hope to see you there!
Presenting will be three Board members: author-educator Dr. Frank Cassell, actor-playwright Kathryn Chesley and archivist-historian Deborah Walk.
Sunday, February 18 at the Crocker Memorial Church (1260 12th Street in Pioneer Park) at 2 p.m. As always, this Conversation is free to members of HSOSC and $10 at the door for guests.
Well, first you have to understand that it started out, in the US at least, when European immigrants wanted to take note of Hedgehog Day.
But the science of “6-more-weeks-of-winter” is: While animals obviously can’t predict the weather, hibernating males traditionally emerge sometime in February to gauge if they can start waking up their female counterparts to mate.
We’re thrilled to partner with our historic peers, the Friends of the History Center, to present two special programs this season.
Wednesday January 24, 2024 at 2pm in the Crocker Memorial Church
How Florida Got Its Shape – Of the fifty states, Florida has one of the most distinctive and widely recognized shapes. But how did that familiar shape come to exist? Obviously the state’s 1,350-mile coastline defines the majority of it, but what about its borders to the north and west? It might surprise you to learn that “Florida” has at various times stretched as far north as present-day Virginia and as far west as the Mississippi River. The current shape of Florida was settled during a fascinating era before the region was a U.S. state. In those days, Florida was actually an international borderland. Join the staff of the Sarasota County History Center for a brief journey into that era–illustrated with maps and records explaining exactly how and why Florida acquired its well-known shape.
Wednesday February 21 at 2pm in the Crocker Memorial Church
The Tamiami Trail and the Development of Florida’s Gulf Coast in the 1920s – The 275-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 41 between Tampa and Miami is called the Tamiami Trail. To the casual observer it looks like every other major highway in the area, but this strip of pavement played a big role in the development of Florida’s Gulf coast. Because of its route through the Everglades, it was in many ways an engineering marvel of its time, and it even resulted in the creation of a new county! Join the staff of the Sarasota County History Center for a closer look at the fascinating history of this iconic scenic Florida byway and its impact on the Gulf coast.
The public is invited to these one-hour educational events at the Historic Society of Sarasota County.
Curious abut the history and development of Pinecraft? It’s an unusual neighborhood in Sarasota, first settled by Mennonites in the 1920s. Many Mennonites still live there. As a religious group Mennonites are members of a small denomination, with some 300,000 members in the United States. Sarasota’s Mennonite community is composed of about 2,000 regular worshippers in the summer and twice that during the Pinecraft season.
Pinecraft has about 500 tiny homes in a planned grid at the intersection of Beneva Road and Bahia Vista Street. The bustling neighborhood is home to many authentic restaurants and is a popular destination for snow-bird Amish as well as Mennonites escaping the harsh winters of the midwest. Find out why the commuity exists, and how it came to be.
J.B. Miller is an authority on the history of the Mennonite community in Sarasota and on the history and development of Pinecraft. We are pleased to host this expert on Sunday, January 14 at 2 p.m. at the Historical Society’s Crocker Memorial Church at 1260 12th Street, between Tamiami Trail and Cocoanut Avenue in Pioneer Park, Sarasota.
This program is free to members; $10 at the door for not-yet-members. Come early… last time J. B. Miller filled the Crocker Church!
A confluence, today, of an historic happening and how artificial intelligence (AI) is increasing our potential modes of learning.
I read an article (in between all the ads) about The Christmas Tree Boat Wreck of Chicago in 1912. Then I thought, well maybe our HSoSC fans don’t want to work their way through this piece, so I decided to try and see if AI could help.
First, here’s the article on the history, the shipwreck, and the new tradition of the Christmas Tree Boat.
Here’s AI recapping the article for you. There’s a weird little glitch in the middle where the female “narrator” reads the all caps message LOST HOPE FOR SHIP. SANTA CLAUS BOAT LOST letter by letter, but see what you think.
The U.S Coast Guard and youth volunteers unload 1,200 Christmas trees from the Coast Guard Cutter Mackinaw at Chicago’s Navy Pier in Dec 2017, an annual event commemorating Herman Schuenemann’s Christmas Tree Ship. D GUEST SMITH/ ALAMY STOCK PHOTO
Christmas Past… and Christmas Future? Tell us in the comments your thoughts.
If you follow HSoSC on Facebook, you may have seen my lament for mince pie at Thanksgiving.
I used to be able to find the Nonesuch filling in jars at Publix, but alas, the past few years, nothing.
A 1905 recipe. No, “modern” mincemeat doesn’t have meat or suet in it.
So when I came across a treasury of turn-of-the-last century (that’s 1898-1899 to us history-minded folks) Thanksgiving menus, I was pleased to see mince pie on nearly every one. I was beginning to think that such a pie was a figment of my imagination.
This menu was from the 1899 version of a fast-food place: the restaurant in the train station. So it’s much less elaborate than the hotel menus but it has prices to marvel at. Please note that the prices are in cents! not dollars as they would be now.
Leave the driving to us (and the parking!) Take our Day Trip to Tampa History Center on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 and prepare to enjoy yourself hassle-free.
DAY TRIPPING WITH HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SARASOTA COUNTY to Tampa Bay History Center with host Brenda Lee Hickman Tuesday, February 6, 2024 Our private charter bus boards at 8 AM and returns about 4 PM. Free parking at the Historical Society (1260 12th St., between Tamiami Trail and Cocoanut Avenue in Pioneer Park) Cost: $99 (lunch on your own) Registration deadline is January 5, 2024.
12,000 years of Florida history
The History Center has 3 floors of permanent and temporary exhibition galleries focusing on 12,000 years of Florida’s history. Beginning with a look at the Florida’s earliest peoples, who inhabited the peninsula some 10,000 years ago, to the Seminole Wars and the arrival of European explorers in the 1500s, to Tampa Bay’s modern role as a port city, the industrial capital of west central Florida and a draw for tourists and visitors the world over, the History Center tells the story of Tampa Bay’s and Florida’s history, heritage, and culture.
Founded in 1989 by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners, the History Center opened its new 60,000 square-foot facility on Tampa’s Riverwalk in 2009. The History Center was accredited in 2015 by the American Alliance of Museums and has been a Smithsonian Affiliate museum since 2012.
Look familiar? John Nolan’s plan for a Jacksonville neighborhood!
The History Center is also home to the Touchton Map Library / Florida Center for Cartographic Education. The only cartographic research center of its kind in the state, the TML/FCCE houses one of the most comprehensive collections of Florida cartography in the world, with holdings spanning five centuries.
Sangria for me, sangria for you…
We will enjoy a delicious lunch at the Columbia Café located inside the History Center, a branch of the world-famous Columbia Restaurant, featuring signature Spanish-Cuban cuisine. Lunch is on your own; choose from their amazing menu.
To make your reservations, call the HSOSC office Monday through Friday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at 941-364-9076 or email hsosc1@gmail.com The deadline to register is January 5, 2024.
Longing to visit a castle filled with art and oddities? Got Wednesday, January 17, 2024 free?Learn more>
Go ahead, brag. After all, how many people have been to a castle made up of discarded aluminum printing plates? Take our Day Trip to Solomon’s Castle in the wilds of Florida and the experience will be yours!
DAY TRIPPING WITH HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SARASOTA COUNTY to SOLOMON’S CASTLE with host Brenda Lee HIckman Wednesday, January 17, 2024 Our private charter bus boards at 8:00 AM to 3:30 pm. Free parking at the Historical Society (1260 12th St., between Tamiami Trail and Cocoanut Avenue in Pioneer Park) Fee: $109 (lunch on your own) Registration deadline is December 15, 2023
Wonders await you…
In the lush Florida woodlands is one man’s dream of paradise. A visit to Solomon’s Castle may be the most unique experience of your life. Visit the Solomon home, galleries, and workshop of internationally renowned artist, Howard Solomon. We will enjoy a docent led tour of the Castle. You may want to walk the beautiful nature trails over Horse Creek. Then, enjoy a delightful lunch, at the Boat in the Moat Restaurant.
You will enjoy 80 interpretive stained glass windows and countless metal sculptures in the castle. Their latest addition to the castle grounds is the foundering sailors and wayward cowboys. “Lily Life House” is their lighthouse by the Moat complete with stained glass windows and the adjacent pavilion. Following lunch, our tour will continue with Howard’s Encore Gallery of his car collection and his workshop with his tools.
Here are a few of the media that have told the story of Howard’s Castle: BBC, PBS, CNN, Spanish National TV, Animal Planet, Better Homes & Gardens Network, The Associated Press, Gannet publications, the Wall Street Journal, The Boston Globe, the St. Petersburg Times. The Miami Herald, and newspapers and magazines from around the world.
Don’t miss the one with the skull candlestick holder…
To make your reservations, call the HSOSC office Monday through Friday 10:00 am to 2:00 pm at 941-364-9076 or email hsosc1@gmail.com The deadline to register is December 15 2023.
Would love to see the Tampa History Center but hate the whole traffic hassle? Come on our bus on Tuesday, February 6, 2024!Learn more>
An HSoSC Extra Presentation Wednesday, October 25, at 12 Noon
Young Pliny Reasoner of Manatee wrote to his parents UpNorth: “When a man can shoot another and cut his throat, in cold blood, and know that the law nor the people will neither of them care or do anything about it, you can imagine they get lawless, and not afraid of anything nor anybody.”
What happened? Find out…
Such was the reputation of the Sara Sota Vigilante Commitee, or, as the New York Times dubbed them, the Assassination Society. And just think: they planned the murder of the postmaster, Charles Abbe, in the parlor of the Bidwell-Wood House!
“…the removal of all obnoxious persons…”
Intrigued? There was more than one murder done the the Sarasota Region in the mid 1880s. In fact, up in the civilized towns of Manatee and Bradentown, Sara Sota was known to be full of lawless types.
Krystin Miner, Supervisor of Manatee Village Historical Park
Learn more from our guest, Krystin Miner, Supervisor of Manatee Village Historical Park. It’s a presentation of “disastrous proportions” and definitely, not to be missed!
Join us on Wednesday, October 25, at 12 Noon in the Crocker Memorial Church for Murder & Mayhem in Manatee: the Sarasota Vigilantes during the 1880s, presented by Manatee Village Historical Park. This event is free with a suggested donation to MVHP of $5.
The glorious view of Pioneer Park, wonderful nibbles and old & new friends on an October afternoon. What could be better?
Every year about this time, the Historical Society has a pleasant “Welcome Back” get-together on the back porch of the Bidwell-Wood House before the first Conversation at the Crocker*. It’s to welcome back members to our new season, of course, but it’s also to “Welcome for the First Time” those residents who spend the summer Up North and new Sarasotans.
The Sunday October 15 2023 Conversation* is in tune with
[Updated 3-30-24: See the latest email from the Alliance here. ]This post is inspired by theSarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, who are urging you to contact your city officials to make your opinion known on the McAlpin House.
Google screen shot of 1530 Cross Street this year.
The same 1912 building and its neighbors in 2007.
You may not know the role of Mr. McAlpin in Sarasota history. Chances are, you don’t drive down Cross Street (it stretches all the way from Pineapple to Osprey and is the 5th exit from a roundabout, easily missed), nor know about rusticated stonework. You may not be a city resident, or you may feel the tug of property rights. Perhaps a 1700-square-foot old house-turned-office surrounded by parking lots isn’t your idea of “history”.
The Historical Society of Sarasota County 