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.
As the story goes,
Continue reading
We’re thrilled to partner with our historic peers, the Friends of the History Center, to present two special programs this season.
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you, like so many of us, grew up Up North, your Christmas stocking might have had a lump in the toe… which you just knew was an orange.
That tradition started when oranges were very much a seasonal delicacy, and rather pricey Up North.
I used to be able to find the Nonesuch filling in jars at Publix, but alas, the past few years, nothing.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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>
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
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.
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
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!
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.
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.
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
Continue reading
[Updated 3-30-24: See the latest email from the Alliance here. ]This post is inspired by the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation, who are urging you to contact your city officials to make your opinion known on the McAlpin House.
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”.
But if you long to see a smidgen of our “pioneer” past remain, visit the SAHP website.
A Sarasota History 101 presentation by Jon Stone kicks off a season of special events and programming organized by HSOSC at the historic Crocker Memorial Church
When Jon Stone retired from his long career as a Sarasota-based architect, he found he had the free time to indulge his passion for history. From the time he was a schoolboy in Sarasota, Jon has been fascinated by local history and he began collecting items from the past — maps, post cards, photos — things that could bring him closer to understanding how people lived, worked, traveled, and spent their time long ago.
Jon joined the board at HSOSC and is currently Treasurer, head of the Finance Committee and a member of Buildings and Grounds committee. He’s found like-minded, history-loving people at HSOSC and he’s found members that can help with his research questions as well as people who are eager to engage in long conversations about history.
Over the past few months Jon Stone has put together a Sarasota History 101 presentation that he will share on October 15 at 2:45 p.m. at the Crocker Memorial Church. This event kicks off our HSOSC season of special events and public inter-active programming that illuminate people, places and happenings that have shaped Sarasota. Conversations at The Crocker is now in its second decade and a tradition at HSOSC.
Before Jon’s presentation, there will be a Welcome Back Reception on the back porch of the Bidwell-Wood House starting at 2 p.m. However, HSOSC will open its doors at 1:30 for those who’d like a tour of the Bidwell-Wood House or for those who just want a prime parking spot. Hope to see all you friends of history there.
Conversation at the Crocker: A Sarasota History 101 with Jon Stone
1260 12th Street, Sarasota (Pioneer Park)
Sunday, October 15, 2023
Jon Stone presentation of Sarasota History 101 starts at 2:45.
Welcome Back Wine & Cheese Reception on the back porch of the Bidwell-Wood House 2:00 p.m.
Doors open at 1:30 for those who would like a tour of the Bidwell-Wood House.
Members, free; Guests, $10 at the door.
If you miss the garden you once had, if you’re curious as to how to groom your tropical plants, or just if you want to be out in the fresh air and join others digging in the dirt: You’re invited!
Bring your gloves and your gardening tools! Kids and grandkids welcome, too. They can learn how to care for the environment, heck how to weed… and when they get bored, there’s a playground right next to us in Pioneer Park.
Another way to be a part of history: If you have a cutting
Continue reading
When Marsh Supermarket cashier Sharon Buchanan rang up a 10-pack of Juicy Fruit on June 26, 1974, and heard a telltale beep, her face must have registered relief.
Continue reading
The Historical Society of Sarasota County 