Captiva in Lee County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Captiva School & Captiva Chapel~By~The~Sea

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. Captiva School & Captiva Chapel~By~The~Sea Marker

Inscription. The building now known as the Captiva Chapel-by-the-Sea was built in 190l as a one-room schoolhouse by the Lee County Board of Public Instruction. William Binder, the first settler to establish a homestead on. Captiva, donated the land. As it was the first school on Captiva, students from the island, nearby Sanibel, and Buck Key attended classes here. Area families also, used the space as their primary house of worship. A new schoolhouse was erected in 1918, and the Captiva School closed. In 1921, the Methodist Church purchased the building for use as a mission church. A separate minister's study was built in 1926 to replace a structure destroyed by the Great Miami Hurricane. The Captiva Civic Association, by agreement with the Methodist Church, took over operation of the building in 1947. The Methodist Church deeded the property in 1954 to Captiva. Chapel-by-the-Sea, which manages and operates it as an interdenominational church. The parsonage building was designed by noted architect Leon R. Levy, and built in 1965. This 1901 building remains the oldest school house in Lee County on its original site and was listed on

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the National Register of Historic Places in 2013.

Erected 2015 by Captiva Chapel~By~The~Sea, The Captiva Island Historical Society and The Florida Department of State. (Marker Number F-862.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Education • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1901.

Location. 26° 31.22′ N, 82° 11.538′ W. Marker is in Captiva, Florida, in Lee County. It can be reached from the intersection of Chapin Lane and Wiles Drive, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 11580 Chapin Lane, Captiva FL 33924, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf Coast.

It is also in the American South

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. Captiva School & Captiva Chapel~By~The~Sea Marker

the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 9 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Historic Captiva Cemetery (within shouting distance of this marker); 'Tween Waters Inn (approx. 0.7 miles away); Wildlife (approx. 7.1 miles away); Education (approx. 7.1 miles away); Conservation (approx. 7.1 miles away); Environment (approx. 8.3 miles away); Sanibel Pioneers (approx. 8.8 miles away); The Packing House (approx. 9.1 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Captiva.

Also see . . . Captiva Chapel~By~The~Sea. Website homepage (Submitted on February 16, 2026, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

Captiva School & Captiva Chapel~By~The~Sea image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

3. Captiva School & Captiva Chapel~By~The~Sea

Credits. This page was last revised on February 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 15, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 169 times since then and 30 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on November 15, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.