Near Nokomis in Sarasota County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Venice Post Office
This marks the location of the Post Office established July 3, 1888 to serve the pioneer community of Horse and Chaise, begun in 1868 by Jesse and Caroline Varn Knight on high ground east of Dona Bay near Shake It Creek. The Post Office was named Venice in Darwin O. Curry's application to the U.S. Postmaster General. Curry, the Knights' son-in-law, ran the Post Office from his home near the original Knight homestead. Mail was carted twice weekly over the sandy public road from the Manatee River to Sarasota, Osprey, and Venice.
Side 2
Alfred F. Wrede, Postmaster in 1901, ran the Post Office from a warehouse south of Curry Creek. In 1912, Postmaster William O. Harrison moved the Post Office to a site near the railroad in present-day Nokomis. By 1916, the service moved several miles south. Walter Surls became postmaster then in a building erected by Mrs. Potter Palmer at the present-day intersection of Tampa and Saint Augustine streets in Venice at the terminus of the Seaboard Air Line Railway completed in 1911. Post offices also were established at Laurel, in 1903 by Wilson E. Stephens, and in Nokomis, 1916 by Alfred F. Wade.
Erected 1988 by Sarasota County Historical Commission.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Settlements & Settlers . A significant historical date for this entry is July 3, 1888.
Location. 27° 7.694′ N, 82° 26.254′ W. Marker is near Nokomis, Florida, in Sarasota County. Marker is at the intersection of Portia Street North and Oak Tree Lane, on the right when traveling north on Portia Street North. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Nokomis FL 34275, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within one mile of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Shakett Creek / Estuary "the cradle of the ocean" (approx. 0.6 miles away); Johnson Chapel / Albee Quarters (approx. 0.6 miles away); Knight Memorial/Area First Cemetery (approx. 0.7 miles away); Turpentine / Venice Ice House (approx. 0.7 miles away); History of Nokomis / Fred Albee (approx. 0.8 miles away); Nokomis School (approx. 0.9 miles away); Curry Family / Wading Birds (approx. one mile away); Laurel Turpentine Company / Blackburn Sawmill Quarters (approx. 1.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Nokomis.
Credits. This page was last revised on March 2, 2020. It was originally submitted on March 1, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. This page has been viewed 273 times since then and 36 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on March 1, 2020, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.