Thanks to our donors, soon the east wall of the Crocker Memorial Church will be done (here, you see the workers installing the milled wood siding) and we can start on another aspect of the Church’s facelift!
The ramp will be
Continue reading
The Historical Society is proud to have been one of the original charities invited to join the Giving Challenge in 2012, its first year, and happy to join the over 700 area nonprofits participating in this year’s Giving Challenge, a 24-hour online event between noon Tuesday April 9 and noon Wednesday April 10, 2024. During this time, your gift of $25 to $100 will be doubled by The Patterson Foundation. (Here’s our FAQs on the Giving Challenge.)
Now, the Historical Society is unique amongst most local nonprofits in that it is 100% responsible for the upkeep and daily maintenance of two historic buildings: The Bidwell-Wood House built in 1882, and the Crocker Memorial Church, dating from the early years of the 20th century.
Here’s just the highlights of what donations,
Continue reading
The saying is perennial, as is the duty of the Historical Society. Ongoing maintenance of our two historic buildings is, well, ongoing. The Florida climate may be sublime for beach-goers, but it’s a bear on wooden structures. This multi-building fumigation was last done in 2016, and it was time, again, to wage the never-ending and costly battle against the bugs.
We love our task of stewardship of these pieces of Bygone Sarasota, but it takes all of us, you included, to keep our material past in good shape. That’s what the upcoming Giving Challenge is all about. All of us pulling together, to preserve and protect our past.
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.
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>
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
The Board of Directors has announced our new Calendar for the upcoming 2022-2023 year at HSoSC. While there are still some events awaiting confirmation, you can plan on these events. See you there!
Yes, the Historical Society is holding events in March. And not only are you welcome, you’re encouraged to attend! Come as you are. The only event requiring pre-registration is the Historical Bay Cruise, so check with Linda Garcia, our Site Manager, to see if space is still available on Le Barge. Other events, walk-ins welcome; admission fees (if any) noted, and of course, you are welcome to come masked.
Wednesday March 2, 2022: History Is Fun. In the Crocker Memorial Church at 2 p.m. Free for members, $10 for those who haven’t gotten around to becoming members yet. It’s the last of this season’s presentations, and we’re welcoming the Sarasota County Historical Resources folks. They’re the people who guard and catalog our county’s past, from mastodon bones to Bertha Palmer’s rowing machine. Come learn, come ask, come get acquainted with Historical Resources.
Sunday March 6, 2022: Historical Sarasota Bay Cruise. Our favorite narrator, John McCarthy, takes the mic on Le Barge as you glade on Sarasota Bay. Watch history unfold before your eyes. Sip a beverage, nibble on snacks and enjoy the open air and gentle breezes. The boat leaves from Marina Jack at 11 a.m. (loading at 10:30!) and returns around 1 p.m. This is the boat ride you will always remember. There are still some tickets left at the time of writing. $75 per person. Call HSoSC Site Manager, Linda Garcia, at 941-364-9076 for availability.
Tuesday March 8, 2022: Conversations at The Crocker. 7 p.m in the Crocker Memorial Church. The Crocker Church, Lost And Found Years. A fresh look at the revised history of the Crocker Memorial Church. Read more. Presenters are Deborah Walk, Jon Stone and Betsy Lingenheld, board members at HSoSC. Docent tours of the Bidwell-Wood House are available at 6 p.mbefore the show. Free to members; $10 at the door for guests.
Sunday March 20, 2022: Sunday Afternoon Social: 2 p.m. in the Crocker Memorial Church. The Last Lustron. Tom McArdle is a board member at the Sarasota Alliance for Historic Preservation and owner of the last Lustron, a piece of post WWII Americana, in Sarasota. Read about these unusual homes here. Refreshments included in this relaxed, cafe-style event. $5 for members and $10 for guests at the door.
We are still holding Sparkly Saturday on Sat. Feb. 12, which is both indoors in well-ventilated space and outdoors on our Porch,
and our traditional Historical Sarasota Bay Cruise on March 6 (spots filling up since we’re limiting numbers; get your reservations in NOW by calling Linda M-F 10 to 2 at 941-364-9076 or emailing hsosc1@gmail.com)…
The Keith Mansion in Phillippi Estate Park at 5500 S. Tamiami Trail, was built by a Chicago couple in 1916. The Mansion itself is amazing, and in the classic living room they are presenting Lost Towns of Sarasota County with Kate Holmes, an HSoSC past Board member. This is not an HSoSC event, but it is sponsored by our peers and supporters, a not-for-profit formed to raise money to help fund a future local history venue in the neighboring the Edson Keith Farmhouse (1915).
The longest-reigning, as-yet-uncrowned Hero of History at the Historical Society of Sarasota County has been Jon Thaxton. We look forward to finally being able to gather together at Michael’s On East on November 18 to acknowledge Jon’s vast contributions to our regional history. Please join us at this, our traditional luncheon.
Jon Thaxton is the designated Hero of History for 2020. An official celebration of his achievements and the presentation of his award should have happened in March 2020 at a grand luncheon with speakers attesting to the many accomplishments of this activist in the cause of preservation and conservation, especially of Florida’s natural spaces. But the HSoSC Hero of History recipients are not only recipients for one year. They are heroes for all time. So, we look forward to celebrating Jon Thaxton’s life in government, the non-profit sector and his private life through affiliation with history, preservation and conservation organizations on Thursday, November 18, 2021.
A worldwide pandemic has delayed our public recognition of Jon Thaxton’s work in Sarasota County, but not diminished his contribution one bit.
Reservation information below.
Contact Linda Garcia, Site Manager, at 941-364-9076, or email her at hsosc1@gmail.com for more information and sponsor opportunities.
All previous reservations and payments still apply, and it will be doubly exciting to finally be able to cheer all our Heroes of History on! All Covid19 precautions will be strictly adhered to on November 18 2021. Would love to attend but the date doesn’t work? Chat with Linda… she has ways you can participate even without being there!
For a climate not known for its subtly, our semi-tropical Sarasota lets autumn sneak up on us. Maybe youve noticed those beach sunsets come earlier and earlier? It’s already before 8. By Halloween, the sun will be setting at 6:45 p.m, and by Thanksgiving? It’ll be dark by 5:30 or so.
And how about your pool temperature? It’s going down even though air temperatures are in the mid to upper 80s. Just so you know: the average high in early September is 90. By the end of November, the average high will be 75.
The beauty berry plumps up (read what you can do with this harvest.)
The blackeyed Susans compete with the beach sunflowers for Showiest Bloom.
And the Virginia creeper, latest of all fall signals, lets you know when you should start Christmas shopping.
The Historical Society of Sarasota County 