Our Sunday Afternoon Socials at 2 pm are casual, cafe-style events complete with wine and refreshments, and feature some of the most interesting people around. This month we welcome two historical writers who have turned their research into fish ranchos and early development into a fascinating tale of the 1840s-1900 Manatee and Sarasota areas.
Peggy Donoho and Ron Prouty will be telling the true tale of everyday settlers who populated our area.
They are the authors of Miguel’s Bay, about the people who lived in the Terra Ceia Bay area (that area you are in when you cross the Sunshine Skyway Bridge), the Manatee River towns Bradenton and Palmetto, and the Sarasota Bay area.
Miguel was a fisherman from Menorca who fished the waters from the bay now named after him all the way to Sarasota. He courted a Bavarian immigant who worked on the Manatee River and married her, despite
March is definitely for lovers. Lovers of local history that is. After so long apart, we’re thrilled to welcome you back on campus in Pioneer Park.
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.
Join history buffs at the newly-refreshed and -researched Crocker Memorial Church in March.
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.
I’m feeling bad about leaving you in the lurch here at the Historical Society of Sarasota County, what with our two upcoming events (Conversation on Jan 11and Sunday Afternoon Social on Jan 16) being cancelled, so here’s some substitutes to keep you and your brain occupied until we meet again.
EDIT Feb. 25 2022 Originally schedued for 2021, we’re happy to be able to present this event on Sunday March 20 2022. Bookmark our Events Page where you will find the most up-to-date info on gatherings at HSoSC.
Sarasota is renowned for its mid century modern structures designed by nationally known local architects and collectively known as the Sarasota School of Architecture. The designs employed innovative use of materials, engineering and spatial configurations. Many of the city and county’s SSA treasures are, or have been, the focus among preservationists who seek to preserve these architectural links to our past.
Lesser known but equally innovative, was the Lustron House. It was conceived to help meet the demands for housing among returning WWII veterans and their families. Like the earlier Sears Kit Houses, the concept brought mass production to homebuilding to save time and costs in construction, and sought to re-purpose the industrial capacity built in the United States for WWII.
But unlike its predecessors, the Lustron Corporation employed the use of steel and porcelain enamel to achieve the same results, and added the concept of low maintenance and durability.
Our Sunday Afternoon Social on January 16 at 2pm in the Crocker Memorial Church will focus on Sarasota’s last remaining Lustron Home #01687 located at 1956 Rose Street. We’ll discuss the history of the Lustron Corporation, this house and the challenges to its preservation and our efforts to secure its future.
— submittted by Tom McArdle
Our Sunday Afternoon Socials at the Crocker start at 2pm. These are light, cafe-style gatherings with light refreshment and interesting content. Members, $5 and yet-to-become-members, $10. The topic of the Sunday Afternoon Social on April 24 will be announced as available on our Events Page Calendar.
The Historical Society of Sarasota County 