Sarasota in Sarasota County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)
Yellow Bluffs
Photographed by Mike Stroud, 2011
1. Yellow Bluffs Marker
This area, so named for its outcroppings of yellow limestone, was the home of Sarasota's first inhabitants-the pre-historic and Calusa Indians. Yellow Bluffs later became the homesite of William H. Whitaker, Sarasota's first known white settler. It was also the embarkation point of Judah P. Benjamin, member of the Confederate Cabinet, who fled America at the end of the War Between The States in 1865.
Erected 1963 by Sarasota County Historical Commission and Sarasota County Historical Society. (Marker Number F-103.)
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Natural Features • Settlements & Settlers • War, US Civil. A significant historical year for this entry is 1865.
Location. 27° 20.88′ N, 82° 32.825′ W. Marker is in Sarasota, Florida, in Sarasota County. It is on North Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41) near 11th Street, on the right when traveling south. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1161 North Tamiami Trail, Sarasota FL 34236, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Florida’s Gulf
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Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Whitaker Cemetery (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Mary Wyatt Whitaker (about 400 feet away); Crocker Memorial Church (about 500 feet away); Bidwell-Wood House (about 500 feet away); Whitaker Family/Gateway 2000 Executive Committee (approx. Ό mile away); Municipal Auditorium Recreation Center and Hazzard Fountain (approx. 0.3 miles away); A Resting Place of Pioneer Families and Hidden Histories (approx. 0.4 miles away); Rosemary Cemetery (approx. 0.4 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sarasota.
Other markers no longer nearby. Judah P. Benjamin Monument (was approx. Ό mile away but has been permanently removed);
Photographed by Wikipedia
2. William H. Whitaker, Sarasota's first known European settler.
Also see . . . William Whitaker (pioneer),From Wikipedia. Whitaker was an eighth-generation descendant of Jabez Whitaker, brother of Alexander Whitaker, the Jamestown colonist and theologian who baptized and performed the marriage of Pocahontas to John Rolfe.
... The path he struck from Yellow Bluffs northward would become part of Tamiami Trail.... (Submitted on March 30, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.)
Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 19, 2011
3. Yellow Bluffs Marker, looking south along North Tamiami Trail (U.S. 41)
Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 19, 2011
4. Yellow Bluffs Marker, looking north
Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 19, 2011
5. Yellow Bluffs, eastern shore of Sarasota Bay
Photographed by Mike Stroud, March 19, 2011
6. Yellow Bluffs
Photographed by Gamble Plantation Mansion, Ellenton, Florida
7. Judah P. Benjamin, member of the Confederate Cabinet, as mentioned
Left Florida for London, England, while making his escape from Federal troops following defeat of the Confederacy.
Credits. This page was last revised on February 9, 2026. It was originally submitted on March 30, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina. This page has been viewed 2,263 times since then and 119 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on March 30, 2011, by Mike Stroud of Bluffton, South Carolina.
