Longboat Key in Manatee County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

The Abutments Of The Old Longboat Pass Bridge

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

1. The Abutments Of The Old Longboat Pass Bridge Marker

Inscription. The original bridge over Longboat Pass was built in 1923 by Manatee County. It washed away in a high tide in 1932. The foundations are still in place and mark where the pass used to be. The south foundation of the old bridge is on shore partially hidden by some underbrush. The north foundation is still visible in the pass itself but the accretion of sand has passed it by.
In 1939 Pickett's Key and Jewfish Key, east of the pass, were joined together, interfering with the flow of water through the pass. In that year Beer Can Island started to form as a result accretion and the sand is still building and threatens to create a lake.
The present bridge was built in 1959 and spanned a new pass to the north. When nature broke through the original south pass and formed an island, the county filled in the break in 1962.

Erected by Town of Longboat Key and the Longboat Key Historical Society.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Bridges & Viaducts • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1932.

Location. 27° 26.342′ N, 82° 41.16′ W. Marker is in Longboat Key, Florida, in Manatee County. It is at the intersection of Gulf of Mexico Drive (Florida Route 789) and North Shore Drive, on the left when

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traveling north on Gulf of Mexico Drive. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 7140 Gulf of Mexico Dr, Longboat Key FL 34228, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf Coast

and on Tampa Bay.

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 the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Longboat Key’s First Home (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Town Dock (approx. 0.3 miles away); Birthplace of Resorts and Condominiums (approx. half a mile away); The Village of Cortez (approx. 1.9 miles away); The 1890 Bratton Store / The 1912 Cortez Rural Graded Schoolhouse (approx. 2 miles away); Propeller from the 1892 Steamboat 'Mistletoe' (approx. 2 miles away); Pillsbury Boatshop/Pillsbury Tienda de Barcos (approx. 2 miles away); Pillsbury Boatshop (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Longboat Key.

Also see . . .
1. Longboat Pass Bascule Bridge. (Submitted on November 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)
2. A Rich History. (Submitted on November 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida.)

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

2. The Abutments Of The Old Longboat Pass Bridge Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on May 1, 2026. It was originally submitted on November 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. This page has been viewed 251 times since then and 26 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 16, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • J. J. Prats was the editor who published this page.