People & Places

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Earlye Musicke in Historic Crocker Church

On Wednesday, April 1, 2015 the Sarasota Earlye Musicke Consort will be performing for the third season in a row for members and guests of the Historical Society of Sarasota County.  The program will be presented at the Crocker Memorial Church in Pioneer Park,  1260 12th Street (between US41 and Cocoanut Avenue) beginning at 7pm.

An early musical instrument

This is a viol de gamba!

The members of this consort, performing in period costume, play music dating from the 14th century to the 21st century on recorders and viols. This concert is free for HSOSC members; a $5 donation is requested from guests.  The group is led by Charlotte Trautwein.

The Sarasota Earlye Musicke Consort was recently awarded a 15 year certificate by the National American Recorder Society, recognizing the ensemble’s contribution to Sarasota and the surrounding communities.  The Sarasota chapter of ARS recently hosted the national board meetings for ARS at the Crocker Memorial Church, where they gather for class and group playing for intermediate and advanced players every week.

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Could YOU survive a shipwreck of the Atocha in 1622 Florida?

We are thrilled to present, at the next Brown Bag Book Lunch (BBBL), the author of a thrilling historical adventure novel, Henry Duggan.

Henry Diggan, author, presents at the Historical Society of Sarasota County on March 18 2015On Wednesday March 18, from 11:30a to 1:30p, enjoy Mr. Duggan’s tales of historical research and novel writing that havebrought forth Silver’s Odyssey. Bring your lunch and join Mr. Duggan on the Back Porch for a casual lunch after his talk and book signing. Beverages are provided by the Historical Society. BBBLs are free to members and $5 for guests.

Henry Duggan writes of  Silver’s Odyssey: Florida Wilderness Survival From the 1622 Atocha Shipwreck

A howling hurricane in 1622 tosses young Lt. Luis Armador overboard, washing him onto Florida’s savage shores. Meanwhile, his silver-ladened Atocha galleon sinks at sea, with 260 going to a watery grave.
A desperate quest for survival now begins in the wilderness, amongst bold native Americans–a world few Europeans had confronted. Wrenched to have left his betrothed’s pleadings in Seville, he now feels a sense of remorse, but realizes he must gird up for the coming physical challenges.
Indian slavery humbles him, and he becomes obsessed with escape. It comes, but with a price, as his fellow escapees meet misfortune. Pieces of eight, carried from the ship, become resentful reminders of his plight, and a mission to cache them in an underground stream almost takes his life.
Though surrounded by tremendous beauty in the New World, he suffers further grief, both at an Indian mission and  then at St. Augustine.  However, brandishing his sword, he is dauntless in his quest, while maturing in the process.

Duggan’s novel has earned 4.4 stars out of 5 on Amazon.com. It has garnered such reviews as

This is one of the most captivating books that I’ve read in a long time. The research that must have gone into this book was most impressive as was the flair that the author had for putting the reader right into the middle of the adventure.

This writer has managed to give us not only an excursion through the history of Ole Florida, but also a fantastic story of a man’s struggle and determination to survive. This is truly one of those “can’t put it down” novels.

Get a look inside Silver’s Odyssey here. You can buy it here, download it to your Kindle reading app here, or even, if you are an Amazon Prime member, borrow it for free here. (But whatever you do, DO NOT loan it to your male companion/ partner/spouse first. I did that, and now I have to wait for him to finish it, he loves it so!)

But whatever you do, don’t miss this chance to meet and discuss historical research and novel writing with Henry Duggan at the next Brown Bag Book Lunch on Wednesday March 18. No reservations needed. See you at 11:30 in the Crocker Memorial Church, and remember to pack a lunch… this will be quite the adventure!

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How and Why Sarasota Became a Place for Jazz

Jazz history expert and two musicians tell the tale in words and jazz tunes

In our March 10 Conversation at the Crocker, you’ll hear, in words and music, the reasons why there are upwards of 200 active professional jazz musicians living in the Manatee-Sarasota area.

Did you know this area supports more than a dozen places in Bradenton, Sarasota and Venice offering jazz music any night of the week?

 

 

Join the Jazz Club’s Gordon Garrett when he leads a Conversation at The Crocker, on Tuesday, March 10, starting at 7 p.m. at the Crocker Memorial Church, 1260 12th Street (Pioneer Park), Sarasota. He will be joined on stage by Continue reading →
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Good news and fun photos in the latest issue of the newsletter!

Marsha Fottler, VP, Historical Society of Sarasota County

Marsha Fottler is one of the most active and involved members of HSoSC, and serves as vice president.

As an Historical Society, we still produce a real, hard-copy newsletter for our members and to hand out to folks interested in learning about us, joining us in membership, attending some of our many events and exploring whether we are worth financial support small or large.

Amongst myriad other tasks, our Vice President, Marsha Fottler, writes, edits, produces, and even drives to the printer, our newsletter. Be sure to thank her, next time you see her!

Here’s our Newsletter Page where you can view, download, even print out the electronic version of our current newsletter, and explore past issues as well

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A lovely day for a walk in the past

A walk along the beach is always wonderful. Exploring downtown can be very rewarding (and stopping for a bite and sip every 40 feet or so is always an option). Our parks are beautiful. And so many neighborhoods are as well. So get out into our beautiful winter weather and treat yourself to a walk in the past!

Explore Laurel Park

Click to visit the Laurel Park web site.

Here’s the Laurel Neighborhood Walking Tour PDF. Print it out, lace up your walking shoes, and enjoy this lovely neighborhood!

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Brown Bag Book Lunch: Discuss & munch with famed The Living Gulf Coast author

The Living Gulf Coast author leads a discussion at the Historical Society of Sarasota County January 21 2015Charles Sobczak, author of our favorite guide book, “The Living Gulf Coast – A Nature Guide to Southwest Florida”, will be the featured author at this month’s Brown Bag Book Lunch at the Historical Society of Sarasota County on Wed. Jan. 21st, in the historic Crocker Memorial Church.

Sobczak, a resident of Sanibel Island, has been a featured lecturer with ROAD SCHOLARS (formerly Elderhostel.) He is only one of two authors in the county whose books are used as companion guides to their local programs. His first novel, “Six Mornings on Sanibel is currently in its seventh printing. His nature guide, entitled, “Living Sanibel – A Nature Guide to Sanibel and Captiva Islands” quickly became the best-selling book on Sanibel and rose to #34 nationally on Amazon.com for nature guides.

His lectures are memorable for their relevance and his sense of humor and his Gulf Coast book has been a Best Seller at the Historical Society. If you have a copy, bring it to discuss… if you don’t, you can buy one at this Brown Bag Book Lunch!

Bring your lunch, drinks will be provided on the Back Porch of the historic Bidwell House. Join history, book, and nature lovers for this month’s BBBL Wednesday January 21 at 11:30 am Free to members, $5.00 per guest. The Historical Society is located in Pioneer Park, just east of Tamiami Trail, at 1260 12th Street . Plenty of free parking. Call the Society at  941-364-9076 during office hours, 10 to 2 Monday-Friday for more information.

(Can’t make this month’s meeting? Interested in our History Book Club as well? Read more.)

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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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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

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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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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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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.

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See how our gardens grow at HSoSC

The land surrounding the Bidwell-Wood House (1882) and the Crocker Memorial Church (1901) started out as barren park land. But with the help, donations, and labor of our members and supporters, our garden is growing!

Below: Bleeding Heart is the vine that is climbing up the west side of the front porch at the Bidwell Wood House. Like most of the other plants in the garden, it was donated. A landscape committee tends the garden, but friends who find satisfaction (and exercise) in pulling weeds, pruning and planting are always welcome to join in.

Bleeding Heart is the vine that is climbing up the west side of the front porch at the Bidwell Wood House. Like most of the other plants in the garden, it was donated. A landscape committee tends the garden, but friends who find satisfaction (and exercise) in pulling weeds, pruning and planting are always welcome to join in.

Below: Bright red pentas line the brick path leading from parking area to the front porch of the Bidwell-Wood House in Pioneer Park, the home of the Historical Society. The landscape committee chose red flowers to reference the red front door of the Crocker Memorial Church. Pentas love full sun, can get by with minimal watering and are hardy.

Bright red pentas line the brick path leading from parking area to the front porch of the Bidwell-Wood House in Pioneer Park, the home of the Historical Society. The landscape committee chose red flowers to reference the red front door of the Crocker Memorial Church. Pentas love full sun, can get by with minimal watering and are hardy.

Below: Currently,we have one hibiscus bush in the members garden at the Historical Society. It’s on the east side of the Bidwell-Wood House near the front porch. This bush was donated to the garden by a member. That’s how we get most of our plants, so if you have a cutting or a plant that is Florida friendly and needs a home, bring it to Pioneer Park and add to the botanical history that is growing strong.

Currently,we have one hibiscus bush in the members garden at the Historical Society. It's on the east side of the Bidwell-Wood House near the front porch. This bush was donated to the garden by a member. That's how we get most of our plants, so if you have a cutting or a plant that is Florida friendly and needs a home, bring it to Pioneer Park and add to the botanical history that is growing strong.

Below: Perhaps you’ve noticed the brick walkways in our garden. You can be a part of the garden with your sponsorship of a brick, in your name, your family;s or friend’s name, or as a memorial tribute to someone you loved who loved history and Sarasota. Click to learn more.

Bricks at Bidwell-Wood House