Nostalgia.
This time of year, nostalgia creeps up on not just history buffs, but everyone, it seems. A holiday potpourri from the HSoSC archives for your delight today. Christmas Virtual Reality, 1889 style… shares the “most wanted” holiday gift from that year. If you’re in the mood for more nostalgia, enjoy Things They’ll Never Know About.
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Adaptive reuse, repair, and renovations
Keeping historic buildings up is, well, a challenge. Join us to help preserve Sarasota’s past. The Bidwell-Wood House and Crocker Memorial Church are two of Sarasota’s most successful examples of preserving historic buildings through adaptive reuse. These historically designated buildings need constant maintenance, sensitive repairs and renovations to continue to serve the community and preserve…
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A nickel for your thoughts?
That doesn’t quite have the ring of “a penny for your thoughts”, does it? Will we be saying “A Starbucks saved, a Starbucks earned” in the future? The American penny died last week in Philadelphia. It was 232 years old. The cause was irrelevance and expensiveness, the Treasury Department said. Nothing could be bought any more…
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The Maps That Change Florida’s History
On Sunday, November 16 2025 our Conversation @ the Crocker at 2:00pm : Author James MacDougald will talk on Revisiting the Ponce de Leon and Narvaez Settlement Expeditions. He is working on an article that “provides evidence that the first European colony in today’s U.S. was in Tampa Bay, most likely Old Tampa Bay in…
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Time passes slowly in Sarasota
Since we just changed our clocks, I thought you’d like to read this excerpt from a Jeff LaHurd article plus additional info from the Observer newspapers on the Palmer Bank Clock. Palmer Bank, standing proudly at Five Points in downtown Sarasota, was established in the Roaring 20s by Bertha Palmer’s sons, Honoré Palmer and Potter…
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Sure sign that Fall is back!
We may not have sweater-weather when the calendar turns to fall, but we DO welcome the Phillippi Farmhouse Market back… this year, on Wednesday October 1. Located on Tamiami Trail/41 at 5500 S. Trail, it’s Florida at its best (and a bit of Come-From-Afar too… bonzai, bagels!) In addition to providing wonderful foods and more…
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Welcome a new Jeff LaHurd book!
The People and Places that made a Paradise, by local historian and member of the HSoSC Board Jeff LaHurd, is the newest addition to his remarkable series of Sarasota County historical references. This 17th book from LaHurd is a compilation of many of his articles that have appeared in newspapers and magazines which you might have…
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“The older I get, the more clearly I remember things that never happened.”
That’s a quote we can all nod and smile at. It’s from Mark Twain, the literary legend and timeless humorist. Truly a historic figure for the ages and one from whom we can continually learn. The Mark Twain Society has chosen Crocker Memorial Church for their performance venue this season, and HSoSC can’t be more…
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The Day We Touched the Moon
Today in History: July 20 1969 Fifty-six years ago today, while Woodstock was still a month away and the Vietnam War dominated headlines, humanity achieved something that would have seemed impossible to our grandparents: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon. 1969 was already quite a year. Richard Nixon had just been inaugurated…
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Fresh now, fresh 100+ years ago too.
Remember when I told you history could be found all over? Well, Walt’s Fish Market Restaurant has been serving up fish from our sea since 1918, and here’s its history that’ll perhaps make the inevitable wait for a table more tolerable… Don’t miss the little side mention about Texas Jim’s traveling snake show if you…
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One hundred years ago, may I present Sarasota
Actually, may I present longtime Sarasotaphile, Rex Carr, whose wonderful detail work this map is! To this aerial photo of Sarasota in 1925, Rex has added some landmarks for us. Rex writes: “I’ve posted a second version of the photo with my own annotations to help you appreciate the photo to its fullest extent. I’ve…
Keep readingAs you sit in traffic….
… with all those cones and barricades pushing their orange and white shoulders at you, you might pause to wonder Who’s Bob? No? Well, I did and thought you might like a story to mull over as you sit in the traffic that Bob’s Barricades seem to create but really, just delineate. It’s hard not…
Keep readingFather’s Day is a Conundrum in This Age.
You know how you used to gift Dad with a tie, or Old Spice, or maybe even (gasp, literally!) some nice aromatic pipe tobacco? That just doesn’t cut it in this era. But tell you what does… Isn’t Dad (Grandpa, Uncle Max, you know…) always your brick? Stalwart, steady, grounding, always there for you? Memorialize…
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Passover Pop
There’s history all around you. Even in the grocery aisles. Here’s one: While most plastic bottles of Coca-Cola boast a red cap that matches their usual color scheme, in the spring you may notice bottles with yellow caps appearing on shelves. That yellow cap signifies that the drink is kosher for the Jewish holiday of…
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Lucky Leprechauns
This Day in History, March 17, 1964: Lucky the Leprechaun, the mascot of Lucky Charms cereal, was introduced in print ads and animated television commercials on St. Patrick’s Day in 1964. Product developer John Holahan created the cereal in 1964 by combining Cheerios with chopped-up pieces of Circus Peanuts, his favorite candy. (I know, weird…
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Just what’s this station wagon got to do with Sarasota?
Sunday, February 23, 2025, 2-4 p.m. Crocker Memorial Church for a Conversation at The Crocker Norm Luppino will be our speaker at the February 23 Conversation at the Crocker, and he’ll be presenting on the Seagate estate, built by Powel Crosley, a man not as well-known in our area as he should be. Norm will…
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BOTO: You might spot these men
It’s Presidents’ Day (yeh, they merged George and Abe into one entity in 1968*) weekend, so Be on the Lookout for these two tourists. If spotted, do not approach. They hate being asked for autographs. Best hunting grounds: the Early Bird Specials. *This I did not know. AI tells me: the Uniform Monday Holiday Act…
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Time to Tour our State!
Get out in nature with tours produced for many areas of our state. The weather’s perfect at this time of year (witness all the delighted tourists!) so let’s see some of our own state. Explore the cultural, historical, and architectural treasures of the Sunshine State with Florida Stories, a walking tour app from the Florida…
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The Day the World (Almost) Ended
Twenty-five years ago, in late December 1999, there was a crisis. Folks stocked up on water and food and stayed huddled at home, not daring to fly in an airplane (They’ll fall out of the sky!) or use an ATM (We’ll lose our life savings!) The following article, by Heather Cox Richardson, reminds us of…
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Santa’s Going Historic!
Got a history-lover on your “Nice” list? Some ideas from the Historical Society of Sarasota County: There’s just nothing like a brick from Main Street and Lemon Avenue when the train station depot was being demolished. Yup, we saved them so YOU could dedicate one to a person, a place, a date… contact us at…
Keep readingHow We Celebrated Linda Garcia
If you weren’t able to attend the Celebration of Life for Linda Garcia, our beloved Site Manager for 15 years, here’s the slide presentation from Sunday afternoon, November 17. To view the slides easily, click the 3-dot menu and choose “full screen”…you’ll be able to advance the slides at your own pace from there. And…
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You’re gonna “Wish You Were Here!”
On Sunday, November 24, at 3 p.m., a new Conversation at The Crocker will be presented. Acclaimed lecturer and historian Liz Coursen presents a fascinating illustrated program, “Wish You Were Here”, using vintage post cards to tell the history of Florida. Free to Members; Guests, $10 at the door. You may join, or renew, your…
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What an incredible cruise!
This November’s Historical Sarasota Bay Cruise, our 42nd, on Le Barge, was unlike any other. Our incredible narrator, John McCarthy, esteemed local history expert, past President of HSoSC, current V.P. for Regional History at Marie Selby Botanical Gardens, treated us to a guided tour of all the waters and islands surrounding our community, and how…
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An embarrassment of riches. And free dirt under your nails.
UPDATE 10-7: OUR CLEANUP DAY’S canceled for now but will be rescheduled after Milton comes to visitIt’s beginning to look a lot like fall in Sarasota County. And around here, fall is when we tend our gardens, trim and prune and plant and mulch. Why, coming up this weekend are two don’t-miss plant sales, the…
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Pumpkin Spice? Nothing new about that.
Starbucks likes to claim ownership of the current “pumpkin spice” fad. Everything from pumpkin spice coffee to pumpkin spice dog snacks is declared in season for fall. I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s such a thing as pumpkin spice pumpkin spray. Of course, Floridians have been cooking up this autumn squash long before there was…
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Scavenger Hunt, History-Style.
Looking for a way to orient yourself in the history of Sarasota County? Here’s an idea: go on a scavenger hunt of all the historical markers in Sarasota, Venice, Osprey, Englewood and Northport. We’ve found some resources for you. One resource has not just the historical markers in this multi-county area, but also war memorials.…
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Uncle Sam: Where Did He Come From?
The nickname ‘Uncle Sam’ for the United States originated during the War of 1812 when a newspaper published the story of Samuel Wilson, a meat packer from Troy, New York, who marked beef barrels for the army with ‘U.S.’ Soldiers associated the initials with ‘Uncle Sam,’ and the term became a popular moniker for the…
Keep readingProgress is Being Made
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 reinstalled and thus we’ll be safe again for the public to use the building.…
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After 100+, it’s patch patch patch
Construction work to restore the east side of the historic Crocker Memorial Church in Pioneer Park has begin. Funds for the project came from the Selby Foundation and donations from members and friends of the Historical Society of Sarasota County. Sidewalk supervisors are Historical Society of Sarasota County Board members, Jon Stone, Greg Dickinson…
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“The President is visiting Shangri-La today…”
Whoever gets elected this November, chances are high that Shangri-La will be visited by the President in 2025. What’s that you say? Fun fact: What we now call Camp David, “the Presidential retreat”, was once a camp called Shangri-La. Don’t we all wish for a home-away-from-home where we can relax and do our own thing?…
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Prisoners of War: Americans in St. Augustine
If Florida’s checkered history seems a mite confusing, it is. This Day in History, July 13 1781, might clear things up a little. On this day, Members of the American Continental Congress recommended “relief payments” for American prisoners of war released from British captivity at St. Augustine. Interesting. I wonder if those released prisoners had…
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Remember when the only cool place in town was the movie theater?
On summer days when it was just too hot to even run through the sprinkler, we headed for the only air-conditioned place in town. I think the first movie that made me yearn for Florida was “Where the Boys Are”… and of course everyone knew Tarzan was filmed in Florida, not Africa (you didn’t?!?) But…
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It’s gonna be a late night tonight.
Alas, our late night tonight, June 20 2024 isn’t due to some revelry on our part. It’s all because the world is tilted. Yes, today’s the Summer Solstice, when the day is longest of all the year. Here’s everything you always wondered about this event, from the New York Times. Enjoy your late sunset… from…
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A fresh new look for the Historical Society
Our new logo shows our two buildings in our campus in Pioneer Park. We think it captures the flavor of our locale beautifully! Reid Gerletti, a lifelong resident of Sarasota, is the graphic designer who contributed our new logo. A Real Estate agent with Premier Sotheby’s International Realty, Reid is a former Board of Directors member at…
Keep readingMembers’ Annual Meeting 2024
On Saturday April 13 2024 , scores of Historical Society of Sarasota County gathered to celebrate another successful year, to vote in new board members to honor award recipients, to cheer on the supporters of the Giving Challenge 2024, and to enjoy refreshments and our door prize raffle. We hope you were able to join…
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What would Sarasota be like without us?
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…
Keep readingWhat Giving Challenges Have Helped Us Do
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…
Keep readingGiving Challenge 2024: FAQs
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…
Keep readingNo, we’re not fuming… we’re tenting!
After 140 or so years, it’s patch, patch, patch. Isn’t that the saying? 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…
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Musicke to My Ears
The Historical Society of Sarasota County will host a concert performed by members of the Sarasota Earlye Musicke Consort, a group that performs music from Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque eras in the Crocker Memorial Church, located in Pioneer Park, at 1260 12th Street, on Tuesday, April 2 at 2:00 PM. This musical group has been…
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Don’t be a Sarasota Scofflaw
Back in 1903, there were things you just couldn’t do in Sarasota, lest you end up spending some time in the pokey. Pokey pictured here: (And remember. No A/C. No mosquito abatement program. And, I don’t know for sure, but I’m guessing no cheerful jailer’s wife to bring you homemade meals either.) Here’s the article,…
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Architect Ralph Twitchell’s Early Career in Sarasota
Presented by actor/real estate expert Tom Aposporos and organizedby the Historical Society of Sarasota County Mark your calendars for March 10 at 2 p.m. A Conversation about architecture and historic homes in Sarasota that link to one of our most influential architects, Ralph Twitchell (1890-1978). Presenter Tom Aposporos charts the early career of Twitchell, who came to…
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Leapin’ Lizards! It’s Leap Day!
February 29 is a leap day, an intercalary* date added periodically to create leap years in the Julian and Gregorian calendars. It is the 60th day of a leap year in both calendars, and 306 days remain until the end of the leap year. It is also the last day of February in leap years…
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Remembering the Ladies of Sarasota
Our February 18, 2024 Conversation at the Crocker will be all about the ladies. (Note: Emma Booker has graciously declined; Bertha Palmer has graciously agreed to take her place.) Hope to see you there! Presenting will be three Board members: author-educator Dr. Frank Cassell, actor-playwright Kathryn Chesley and archivist-historian Deborah Walk. Sunday, February 18 at…
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Honey, not tonight. A History of Groundhog Day
Well, first you have to understand that it started out, in the US at least, when European immigrants wanted to take note of Hedgehog Day. 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…
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Midweek Get-Togethers at HSoSC
We’re thrilled to partner with our historic peers, the Friends of the History Center, to present two special programs this season. Wednesday January 24, 2024 at 2pm in the Crocker Memorial Church How Florida Got Its Shape – Of the fifty states, Florida has one of the most distinctive and widely recognized shapes. But how did…
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Pinecraft: How It Came to Be
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…
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When bugs and dead birds say “Merry Christmas!”
Christmas hasn’t always been jolly Santas and nativity scenes. Oh no. Take a look at some of the oddest Christmas greetings we’ve found for your holiday amusement. Well, yes, there were some St. Nicholas, Father Christmas, Santa figures… but they’d only instill fear in the little ones: Want to learn more? Many of these images…
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Christmas Trees… and AI?
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,…
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What’s in the toe of YOUR Christmas stocking?
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. But did you know…. …that down here, back then: Children…
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Where did the mince pie disappear to?
If you follow HSoSC on Facebook, you may have seen my lament for mince pie at Thanksgiving. 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…
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A treasure of history awaits us!
Leave the driving to us (and the parking!) Take our Day Trip to Tampa History Center on Tuesday, February 6, 2024 and prepare to enjoy yourself hassle-free. DAY TRIPPING WITH HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SARASOTA COUNTY toTampa Bay History Center with host Brenda Lee HickmanTuesday, February 6, 2024 Our private charter bus boards at 8 AM…
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What will you find inside this eccentric “Castle”?
Go ahead, brag. After all, how many people have been to a castle made up of discarded aluminum printing plates? Take our Day Trip to Solomon’s Castle in the wilds of Florida and the experience will be yours! DAY TRIPPING WITH HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF SARASOTA COUNTY toSOLOMON’S CASTLE with host Brenda Lee HIckmanWednesday, January 17,…
Keep readingMurder and Mayhem in Manatee
An HSoSC Extra Presentation Wednesday, October 25, at 12 Noon Young Pliny Reasoner of Manatee wrote to his parents UpNorth: “When a man can shoot another and cut his throat, in cold blood, and know that the law nor the people will neither of them care or do anything about it, you can imagine they…
Keep readingNew to Sarasota… or just love it?
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…
Keep readingOne more historic building gone?
[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…
Keep readingA Fast Ride Through Time
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…
Keep readingDiggin’ up the dirt….
Our Fall Yard Clean Up Day is Saturday October 7, 2023 from 9am til noon. 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!…
Keep readingWait… Juicy Fruit is Historic?
Yes, it is, believe it or not! The first product scanned with a barcode was Juicy Fruit gum. 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. Buchanan’s co-workers at the grocery store in Troy, Ohio,…
Keep readingAre you a Purple People?
This quiz is from an older blog post, but it’s time to learn more about, pay more attention to, care more for our remaining historic buildings; we’re sure you agree. Designed by the late Frank Lloyd Wright’s firm, Taliesin Associates Architects, the building was called by its critics the “purple cow” or “purple people seater.”…
Keep readingFeeling “all at sea”?
If you’re feeling all at sea (especially when you try to navigate downtown Sarasota after a bit of an absence), take heart in this demographic. 94 Floridians, as of the 1880 census, listed their birthplace as “at sea.” Of course, our most famous local resident, Ocean Hansen, was born there… at sea that is, not…
Keep readingNational Lemon Day
Either it’s August 20 or August 29, but either way… what would we do without lemons. Here’s some historical facts about lemons, with a twist. (Get it? Got it. Good.) *The origin of the lemon is unknown, though lemons are thought to have first grown in India, northern Myanmar, or China. A genomic study of…
Keep readingSave $50 and get cultured, too
It’s Museums on Us weekend! August 5th and 6th 2023! Bank of America offers their cardholders free general admission during the first full weekend of every month to more than 225 cultural institutions in cities across the United States, including both of our favorites: Selby Gardens in downtown Sarasota and The Bishop Museum of Science…
Keep readingTootlin’ Round the County
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…
Keep readingDim the screens, kids. We’re out for fun!
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…
Keep readingCelebrity Endorsements… through the years!
Would you use a phone card if Dean Martin asked you to? Buy Bogie’s favorite thank-you gift, a Whitman’s Sampler? Celebrity endorsements must work, and of course, the added income to a writer’s, an actor’s, a singer’s income was always welcome, we’re sure. One does wonder, however, how Abe profited from this 1888 endorsement. Enjoy…
Keep readingMother’s Day and carnations
“Traditionally, the colors of the flower carry different meanings on Mother’s Day: white carnations honor the mother whose mother has died, while pink ones celebrate a mother whose mother is living. ” Moms and grandmothers alike can thank Philadelphia activist Anna Jarvis for the carnation tradition — and even the holiday itself. On May 10,…
Keep readingAnnual Meeting and Elections
Held on April 1, 2023, the Annual Meeting of the Historical Society of Sarasota welcomed members and directors at the Crocker Memorial Church. Greg Dickinson was elected President. Distinguished Service Awards: Presented by Marsha Fottler, outgoing President, the active and enthusiastic recipients were Sue PaddenWilliam Pearson Jerry ChesleyDeborah Walk The full minutes of the Annual…
Keep readingA most flavorful garden occupant
April 16 is National Orchid Day. One of my favorite trivia questions is: “What part of an orchid do we commonly, maybe even daily, eat?” Answer? VANILLA! And what’s more… we can grow vanilla on our lanais, in our front yard tree… and then we can not just eat local, but Flavor Local! Here’s how.
Keep readingSarasota News, 100 years ago
How’s your year going so far? 2023 shaping up as interesting, is it? Here’s what you would have been thinking about 100 years ago in Sarasota. Top Headlines for 1923 “I am not especially anxious to build a hotel in Sarasota” Is it just me, or was this the start of something that looks a…
Keep readingA Day at Sea
Well, yes, red tide did cause a few coughs, but the continental breakfast buffet on our March 2023 Historic Sarasota Bay Cruise provided some soothing refreshments. Volunteers Sue Padden and Norma Kwenski made a lovely buffet table, and the Gentleman With The Legs added a little cheesecake to the menu. On land, before boarding, board…
Keep readingMy favorite library card.
Can I get a little personal here? The first thing I did when I moved to Sarasota two dozen years ago was to visit the library. The second thing I did was volunteer to help at an historic site. And both of those things have influenced how I see and appreciate our county, which I…
Keep readingCarl Abbott: HSoSC Hero of History 2023
Trying to sum up Carl Abbott, the Historical Society of Sarasta County’s 2023 Hero of History, is like trying to freeze, in one moment, the earth and sea, sky and clouds. We cannot possibly say anything about the man and his work that has not already been said better by Barbara Peters Smith: Read the…
Keep readingMake Sarasota County Smell Sweet Again
It’s official: citrus is back for the home landscape! As Florida Master Gardeners writes: Since the introduction of citrus greening to Florida in 2005, homeowners have been discouraged from growing citrus at home. However, UF/IFAS is now recommending the planting of citrus trees again and has provided a new line of support for those who…
Keep readingDid the future turn out as expected 100 years ago?
I don’t know about you, but I remember figuring out, in grade school, how OLD I’d be in the year 2000. I think imagining the year 2022 was beyond my capacity (then and quite possibly now.) I never dreamed flowers would be emancipated. Or that we’d all have to wear glasses because skyscapers ruin our…
Keep readingPerfect Holiday Stroll
If your family would like an easy and interesting stroll in what promises to be invigorating December 24-25-26 weather, check out the greeting cards designed by local schoolchildren at University Town Center. The card viewing location is on Cattleman Road across from Ford’s Garage.
Keep readingWatching history being made, Christmas-style.
Don’t you love getting those photographic Christmas cards from family and friends? To cherish the ability to watch history being made as the kids grow? Remember, history isn’t in dusty old books. Sometimes it arrives in a red envelope with a Santa postage stamp. Today we share with you a Sarasota memory… …Sarasota’s Joseph Janney…
Keep readingThe Day of Infamy. And its consequences.
This Day in History: December 7, 1941, of course, The Day of Infamy, as FDR called it. When the US went to war, it shaped the future development of our entire county. Sarasota County was slowly emerging from the Great Depression at the beginning of 1940. The city’s new Lido Casino opened, Myakka River State…
Keep readingHave a drink. It’s legal again.
This Day in History: On December 5, 1933, the 21st Amendment was ratified. The 21st Amendment repealed the 18th Amendment of January 16, 1919, commonly called the Volstead Act ending the increasingly unpopular nationwide prohibition of alcohol. Why did Prohibition start? By the turn of the 20th century, temperance societies were prevalent in the United…
Keep readingIt’s Snowing in Sarasota
You know it’s time to start thinking about Christmas and other December-ish holidays, when you’re driving along and lo and behold! Is that SNOW??? NO, you’re not seeing things. That’s Florida pusley (Richardia scabra) AKA Florida snow. I asked a bunch of folks what that flower was called and they said “a weed.” How sad. Bet…
Keep readingSarasota Honoring its Veterans
“Over 100 years ago, on April 8, 1917, a rainy Easter Sunday morning, “Sarasota’s Sailor Lads,” a well trained Naval militia, gathered at a downtown movie theater for religious services. They were leaving that day bound for Europe and World War I” …”To honor them, a flagpole was erected at the center of Five Points,…
Keep readingLookin’ good!
Our pretty campus in Pioneer Park got some extra lovin’ recently. Linda Garcia, our Site Manager, writes: 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…
Keep readingRead Florida History for Free
Is your house overwhelmed with books? You just can’t resist the opportunity to learn more… but there are books “stacked on the floor, books kept in baskets” and so on? Well, we’re here to help you save some space. We’ve found some digital books that we think you’ll like, and all they occupy are some…
Keep readingWhat’s a penny, after all?
“Your penny at work.” That’s the slogan of the campaign asking voters to approve, on Election Day 2022, a continuation of the county 1% sales tax. Many wonderful things have been financed by this income since it was first authorized in 1989, but never before has the history of our county been addressed. And what’s a…
Keep readingHidden Treasures of Local History
It’s always a treat for anyone who loves local history to find a new artifact. And that’s just what happened during an engagement of a member of our Speakers’ Bureau this last spring. A member of the host club came up and said “My mother painted a picture of The Oaks, Bertha Palmer’s estate, sometime…
Keep readingYou might not be a native, but your landscaping can be!
We all want our gardens, whether we have a multi-acre spread or a pot on the balcony, to scream FLORIDA! Well, here’s local folks to help, and to get native plants from. And their advice is wise, easy to get, and free. It’s available one day only, though. This FREE, family-friendly, fall gardening event, set…
Keep readingFirst Conversation @ The Crocker!
We’re so excited about the October 11 2022 Conversation at the Crocker coming up as a kick-off to our 2022-2023 season. Our speaker will be Dr. Josh Goodman, Sarasota County’s new historical resources manager, a position that is part of the Libraries and Historical Resources Department. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in history from Florida…
Keep readingThis Day in History: September 19, 1559
Just a little something to ponder as we enter the peak of the hurricane season, here in 2022. Pensacola was the scene of a massive hurricane that changed the history of North America forever, illustrating the pivotal role that such storms played and continue to play in human affairs. A weeks-old settlement of over 1000…
Keep readingHello, I’m a cabbage palm.
Are you as bad at names as I am? Don’t you wish everything, from people to birds, wore their names on their chests? Well, guess what… the trees on The Ringling’s grounds have the digital equivalent of those stick-on nametags! Using a software program, you can have a lovely fall outing, strolling under the shade…
Keep readingWhat’s coming at the Historical Society
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!
Keep readingIn their own words
The best kind of history? First-hand from people who lived it. You get a feeling for the times, see events through borrowed eyes, and have the opportunity to experience what life back then was like for those who lived through it. And the interviewers, who took the time and effort to create a slide show…
Keep readingHelp the History Center
Love local history? Get into it up to your elbows, suggests Marsha Fottler, President of the Historical Society. When important documents and artifacts are donated to the Historical Society of Sarasota County, we bring them to the History Center, where professionals can conserve and store them. Why? Because we do not have the proper security,…
Keep readingHappy National Dog Day!
August 26 is National Dog Day, and we here at the Historical Society of Sarasota County would like to take this opportunity to introduce you to our Florida Dog! Yes, we do have a Florida dog. The Florida Cattlemen’s Association says: Shortly after cattle were brought to Florida in 1521, the Cracker (cur) dog was…
Keep readingGonna make me some per-loo
You can’t get more Florida Pioneer than making some pilau (pronounced “per-loo”) for dinner, supper, or a get-together potluck. So what, you might well ask, is pilau? It’s really any meat and rice dish, and here’s what some historic figures have to say about it: In the 18th century, naturalist William Bartram wrote of eating…
Keep readingThis Day in History: August 4 1842 The Armed Occupation Act
1842 – The Armed Occupation Act was passed by Congress on this date. Each settler who would settle and cultivate five acres or more of land in eastern and southern Florida for a period of five years would receive 160 acres of land and one year’s rations from the Federal government. Settlers were expected also…
Keep readingHot History Part THREE!
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. Up at the top there’s gotta be a breeze! One of our favorite…
Keep readingOld ladies? Huh.
A post from Facebook called “Walk down Memory Lane.” Mergatroyd ? Do you remember that word? Would you believe the spell-checker did not recognize the word, Mergatroyd Heavens to Mergatroyd! The other day a not so elderly (I say 75) lady said something to her son about driving a Jalopy; and he looked at her…
Keep reading“Learn everything good and throw away the bad”
We’ve spent the last several years comparing the COVID-19 pandemic to the 1918 Spanish flu* and people have been complaining about tearing down buildings since, well forever. (What was there before they built the Colosseum? Kew Gardens? The Great Wall of China?) Have we never had a boom/bust cycle before in the History of Mankind**…
Keep readingWouldn’t a new History Center be WONDERFUL?!
“Your penny at work.” That’s the slogan of the campaign asking voters to approve, in November 2022, a continuation of the county 1% sales tax. Many wonderful things have been financed by this income since it was first authorized in 1989, but never before has the history of our county been addressed. Understandably, we history…
Keep readingHot History, Part 2
It’s still too hot to do anything. If you visited our earlier post on brushing up on, or learning new things about, local history, we know you had a cool time. Here’s some more things that’ll keep you entertained and not all sweaty. The romance of ports. Tampa Bay History Center’s virtual event It’s on…
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The Historical Society of Sarasota County 