Imagine Pioneer Park, the site of Hog Creek which #onceuponatime led to Sarasota’s harbor, without the Bidwell-Wood House and the Crocker Memorial Church.
Remember when we raised the funds to move our buildings?
The Historical Society of Sarasota County cares for and is proud to use our two reminders of Sarasota’s picturesque past. And our campus isn’t JUST
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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,
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The Historical Society is proud to have been one of the original 107 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. During this time, your gift of $25 to $100 will be doubled by The Patterson Foundation.
Click here at noon Tuesday April 9 until noon Weds. April 10 to donate to HSoSC and have your donation DOUBLED.
Since 2012, eight Giving Challenges hosted by the Community Foundation and strengthened by The Patterson Foundation have collectively provided more than $75 million in unrestricted funding for area nonprofits to respond to community needs with flexibility and innovation. A hallmark of the Giving Challenge is its “Be The One” philosophy, which reflects the Community Foundation’s belief that everyone can be a philanthropist and have the potential to impact a person, cause, and community. With their help, we’ve collected these FAQs.
Q. What is the Giving Challenge?
The Giving Challenge is an online giving event that allows people who care about our region to come together to raise as much money as possible for local nonprofits.
Q. When is the Giving Challenge?
Giving Challenge will take place on Tuesday, April 9, 2024 at 12:00 PM through Wednesday, April 10, 2024 at 11:59:59 AM. During those hours, our link will be operational, but you can bookmark it now!
Q. Where can I donate online?
The link to go directly the HSoSC’s page in the Giving Challenge is here. It will only be operational between noon Tuesday April 9 and noon Weds April 10, but you can bookmark it now!
Q. How can I maximize the doubling of my donation?
Your donation will be automatically doubled by the Patterson Foundation if it is between $25 (the required minimum online) and $100. You can choose any amount between those 2 numbers (your lucky number of 91, maybe?) at any time during those 24 hours and the amount will be doubled. But if you can donate more, and want to maximize the benefit, grab your spouse, your fishing buddy, your Gen Z family member, and ask them to use their credit card in their name, to receive the doubling factor. And to introduce them to the Giving Challenge as well!
Q. What payments are accepted by the Giving Challenge?
Anyone with a credit card or debit card and access to the internet may donate. Donations through the Giving Challenge online portal to charitable nonprofit organizations are 100% tax-deductible. The description on your statement will be “GIVINGCHALLENGE2024.”
Q. Can I use my phone or tablet to donate to the Historical Society of Sarasota County during the Giving Challenge?
Of course! Simply visit our page on your mobile device during the 24 hours of the Giving Challenge.
Q. Will I get a receipt?
Yes. You will automatically receive an emailed receipt acknowledging your gift after you make an online donation. The email will come from “Notifications@GiveGab.com.”
Rather send a check? That’s lovely too, and will free you up from the time restrictions. Perfect solution if you care to donate less that the $25 minimum, if you’ll be traveling or otherwise occupied on those dates, or have decided to never to use your credit card online no matter how safe this event is. The Society’s mailing address is PO Box 1632, Sarasota FL 34230.
As usual, our charming Site Manager, Linda, can help you participate in the Giving Challenge! Just call our office at 941-364-9076 on Tuesday April 9 and Wednesday April 10, or email Linda directly 24/7 at HSoSC1@gmail.com and she can help you help us!
The complete FAQs for Giving Challenge 2024 are here.
Read more about the Patterson Foundation here and here.
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>
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
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Have you done any of the auto tours yet? They’ve been updated by hard-working volunteers from the Friends of the History Center who love Sarasota County History. There’s 9 of them and they are well-researched and planned. If you haven’t downloaded the app or climbed into your a/c’d vehicle to see the sights… this weekend would be a great time to do so! https://friendssarasotahistorycenter.org/autotours/
School’s out. Whether you have kids home on vacation or visiting kids in your household, you’re gonna have to counter the “I’m bored” with something to do.
“Between hours sitting in school (with recess abridged or abandoned), time spent inside playing video games, and parents preventing kids from playing in messy nature, kids today hardly ever get to spin, flip, roll, climb, hang, race, or shimmy. It’s something that deeply worries pediatric occupational therapist Angela Hanscom—who traces these restrictions to everything from kids’ growing inability to tolerate wind in their face to the
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We stacked up 32 bags during our few hours’ work on Saturday and they were all picked up on Monday! There will be a wedding in the Crocker Memorial Church on Saturday, so we made an all-hands-on-deck effort to clear out the storm debris. Sue Padden is working on the flower boxes on the front porch. What a CREW and what great work we accomplished. Thanks so much. Linda
And what’s a penny after all? Pennies in the US have been around since the 18th century… although, of course just like us, a penny isn’t what it used to be. Did you know Benjamin Franklin designed the first penny, seen here? (Wasn’t he the BUSIEST man you’ve ever imagined!)
A member of the host club came up and said “My mother painted
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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!
We keep finding local history-related things for you to do. (Here’s the first installment, and Part Two…) It’s too hot to go traipsing about graveyards and boardwalks right now, but it’s always cool to learn a bit more about our local area.
One of our favorite supporters, Liz Coursen, is giving a talk at Gulf Gate Library on Florida Lighthouses. Info here. You probably have visited this one. If not, do! We’re sure Liz will give you directions.
Take a peek into the art collection at the Van Wezel, our on-the-bay performance venue that folks are afraid will be history soon. The best way to show your love for local history is to participate. Here’s your chance, by joining the Art and Backstage Tour. The tour features features works from the Arts Advocates’ Sarasota Colony artist collection as well as noted Florida artists, including pieces by Robert Chase, William Hartman, Eugene White, Ben Stahl, Julio de Diego, Thornton Utz, Frank Colson, and Dean Mitchell, to name a few. The backstage tour provides a peek at the dressing rooms, green room, back hallway, and the Van Wezel stage.
Tours are offered to the public August 8 and September 12 from 1:30-3:00 pm. Tours begin in the Main Lobby and cost $15 per person. Tickets can be purchased at the Box Office or by calling (941) 263-6799. More info.
More the outdoors, drink and hum along type? Here’s another Van Wezel event you’ll love, and it’s free. The Friday Fest. Future dates for Friday Fest are August 12 and September 16.
Or maybe you’d like to help fellow Sarasotans CREATE history? After all, history is not fixed in stone; it’s made every day by folks like you. Our tradition of art is strong here, and you can build on that to make art even stronger as time marches on. For example, by participating in and supporting local artists. Your grandchildren will thank you for becoming patrons of the arts in accessible venues like Creative Liberties, Ligon Arts, ArtUptown, and of course Art Center Sarasota.
The Historical Society of Sarasota County 