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“Bite-Size Bits of Local, National, and Global History”
Venice in Sarasota County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
 

Eagle Point Bell

 
 
Eagle Point Bell Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, June 20, 2011
1. Eagle Point Bell Marker
Inscription. This bell was salvaged from a logging train used in Woodmere, a sawmill town south of Venice, on what is now Rt. 776. The abundant stand of pine trees in that area was dying from having been "bled" of their resin to make turpentine, a much valued commodity. The trees were then harvested for their timber and hauled south to the port of Charlotte Harbor. A community of 1500 workers and their families supported the mill at Woodmere. The mill was built in 1918 by Manasota Lumber Corporation and operated at peak capacity until about 1927, when the stand of trees was depleted. The sawmill buildings burned to the ground in 1930. The bell may have been used within the Woodmere community as a school bell or to alert the families and workers in the event of an emergency. It is assumed the bell came to Eagle Point either when the mill closed or in 1930, after the fire.

The bell was then used to summon guests to lunch and dinner at Eagle Point, a prime waterfront property in Venice, with an elite hunting and fishing resort, established in 1916 by Mrs. Bertha Honore Palmer. The resort was purchased by Mike Evans in 1918, and then sold to Mr. and Mrs. Kingsbury Curtis in 1923.

Georgette Williams married Jack Duke in 1946, and the couple lived at Eagle Point where he served as maintenance superintend and fishing guide. In 1953,
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Jack Duke became manager of the resort. The resort was sold in 1989, and soon after that, the bell was moved to the Duke residence on Dona Bay. Until the property was sold to Glen Goodman in 1989, Eagle Point was the oldest continuously operated resort in Sarasota County. Eagle Point was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on October 3, 1991.

The Venice Archives acquired the bell through the generosity of the estate of Georgette Williams Duke, the younger daughter of George and Hattie Williams, owners of the first dairy farm in Nokomis.

The bell now has a new home, here at the entrance to the Triangle Inn.

Please ring the bell
 
Erected by the Venice Historical Society.
 
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & CommerceSettlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Historic Bells series list. A significant historical month for this entry is October 1862.
 
Location. 27° 5.727′ N, 82° 26.851′ W. Marker is in Venice, Florida, in Sarasota County. Marker is on Nassau Street South south of Milan Avenue West, on the left when traveling south. This historical marker is located a few blocks south of the downtown business district, adjacent to the parking lot that is just north of the Triangle Inn Museum,
Eagle Point Bell Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, June 20, 2011
2. Eagle Point Bell Marker
Close-up view of the picture on the right side of the historical marker showing a view of Jack and Georgette Duke at the old boat house at Eagle Point.
and on the property of the Triangle Inn. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Venice FL 34285, United States of America. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Triangle Inn (within shouting distance of this marker); The Venice-Nokomis Bank (within shouting distance of this marker); Venezia Park (approx. ¼ mile away); Venice Apartment District (approx. 0.3 miles away); Ennes Arcade and Hotel Valencia 1926 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Johnson-Schoolcraft Building 1926 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Venice (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Supreme Sacrifice (approx. 0.3 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Venice.
 
Eagle Point Bell Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, June 20, 2011
3. Eagle Point Bell Marker
Close-up view of the picture on the left side of the historical marker showing a view of the bell located at Eagle Point ca.1960.
Eagle Point Bell Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, June 20, 2011
4. Eagle Point Bell Marker
View of the historical marker affixed to the pole that the bell is situated upon.
Eagle Point Bell Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, June 20, 2011
5. Eagle Point Bell Marker
View of the historical marker and the bell situated on the north side of the Triangle Inn Museum.
Eagle Point Bell Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By Dale K. Benington, June 20, 2011
6. Eagle Point Bell Marker
View of the historical marker and the bell at its location between the parking lot and the north side of the Triangular Inn Museum.
 
 
Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2011, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio. This page has been viewed 634 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on September 27, 2011, by Dale K. Benington of Toledo, Ohio.

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Mar. 19, 2024