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

Palma Sola

Photographed by PaulwC3/Cosmos Mariner, March 2014

1. Palma Sola Marker

Inscription.

Palma Sola. . , Marker Front: , In 1868, firearms manufacturer James Warner moved his family from Springfield, Massachusetts, to Manatee County, where he hoped to regain his health. He built a home on the shore of the Manatee River about half a mile east of this marker. The Warners were among the earliest northern families to settle in this area after the Civil War: Warner's Bayou bears their name. James Warner died about a year after his arrival, leaving his wife, Eleanor, and several children. In 1884, a son, Warburton S. Warner, founded a town, Palma Sola, on a portion of the family homestead. He promoted it as “the youngest and largest town in Florida made up largely of New England people, where no liquor is sold.” The name "Palma Sola” commemorated a single tall date palm that dominated the skyline on Snead Island, directly across the river from McNeil Point. The central section of town, which consisted of a huge sawmill and the homes of the men who operated it, was located on the point. The town also boasted the two-story Palma Sola Hotel, a general store said to be the largest between Cedar Keys and Key West, a long wharf, and an ice house large enough to hold a schooner-load of New England pond ice. Large quantities of, Marker Reverse: , pine and cypress lumber were shipped to New England, and the Palma Sola area also achieved some note as a shipping point for produce and livestock. Warburton Warner's hopes for Palma Sola were never completely fulfilled. He sought to sell land in an area extending from the Manatee River southward to Sarasota Bay, and from the range line starting at Shaw's Point, eastward to today's 34th Street, at prices ranging from five to twenty dollars per acre. Palma Sola grew and prospered for a time but began a gradual decline after the sawmill was destroyed by fire. Palma Sola's former central section is now a residential area. Warburton Warner's home, “Sans Terre,” still stands on the shore of the Manatee River a short distance to the east, a reminder of Manatee County's pioneer days.

Marker Front:
In 1868, firearms manufacturer James Warner moved his family from Springfield, Massachusetts, to Manatee County, where he hoped to regain his health. He built a home on the shore of the Manatee River about half a mile east of this marker. The Warners were among the earliest northern families to settle in this area after the Civil War: Warner's Bayou bears their name. James Warner died about a year after his arrival, leaving his wife, Eleanor, and several children. In 1884, a son, Warburton S. Warner, founded a town, Palma Sola, on a portion of the family homestead. He promoted it as “the youngest and largest town in Florida made up largely of New England people, where no liquor is sold.” The name "Palma Sola” commemorated a single tall date palm that dominated the skyline on Snead Island, directly across the river from McNeil Point. The central section of town, which consisted of a huge sawmill and the homes of the men who operated it, was located on the point. The town also boasted the two-story Palma Sola Hotel, a general store said to be the largest between Cedar Keys and Key West, a long wharf, and an ice house large enough to hold a schooner-load of New England pond ice. Large quantities of

Marker Reverse:
pine and cypress lumber were shipped to New England, and

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the Palma Sola area also achieved some note as a shipping point for produce and livestock. Warburton Warner's hopes for Palma Sola were never completely fulfilled. He sought to sell land in an area extending from the Manatee River southward to Sarasota Bay, and from the range line starting at Shaw's Point, eastward to today's 34th Street, at prices ranging from five to twenty dollars per acre. Palma Sola grew and prospered for a time but began a gradual decline after the sawmill was destroyed by fire. Palma Sola's former central section is now a residential area. Warburton Warner's home, “Sans Terre,” still stands on the shore of the Manatee River a short distance to the east, a reminder of Manatee County's pioneer days.

Erected 1980 by Manatee County Historical Dociety in cooperation with Department of State. (Marker Number F-294.)

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Settlements & Settlers. A significant historical year for this entry is 1868.

Location. 27° 30.562′ N, 82° 37.041′ W. Marker is in Bradenton, Florida, in Manatee County. It is on Riverview Boulevard 0.1 miles east of 59th Street West, on the left when traveling east. Marker is located on Riverview Boulevard, near the entrance to Warner's Bayou Boat Ramp facility.

Restored Palma Sola Marker-Side 1 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, April 27, 2019

2. Restored Palma Sola Marker-Side 1

Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 5900 Riverview Boulevard, Bradenton FL 34209, 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: Adams and Rogers Cemeteries (approx. one mile away); Veterans Memorial (approx. one mile away); Snead Island / Seventh Day Adventist School (approx. 1.2 miles away); A Bountiful Harvest (approx. 1.6 miles away); Glimpse into Prehistory (approx. 1.6 miles away); Pioneer Life in the Wilds (approx. 1.6 miles away); Bartholomew Fogarty Home 1871 (approx. 1.6 miles away); Adapting to Island Living (approx. 1.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bradenton.

Also see . . . Palma Sola - Ghost Town. Originally referred to as the Village of Palma Sola, the town was platted in 1886 and for a time was the largest city in Manatee County. As the story goes, a solitary palm tree at the edge of the Manatee River guided sailors to safe harbor and drew seamen to settle in the area. (Submitted on March 20, 2014, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Restored Palma Sola Marker-Side 2 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Fillmon, April 27, 2019

3. Restored Palma Sola Marker-Side 2

Wide view of the Palma Sola Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, March 20, 2014

4. Wide view of the Palma Sola Marker

Warner's East Bayou Then image. Click for full size.

Manatee County Public Library Historical Image Digital Collection

5. Warner's East Bayou Then

Warner's East Bayou looking west toward Palma Sola Point. That may be the Warner Hotel in the distance at Palma Sola. A small wooden or tin-roofed boathouse is at center, jutting out from an overgrown riverbank.

Warner's Bayou East Today image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, March 20, 2014

6. Warner's Bayou East Today

The approximate point of view of the historical image.

"Sans Terre" in Palma Sola image. Click for full size.

Manatee County Public Library Historical Image Digital Collection

7. "Sans Terre" in Palma Sola

"Sans Terre", the home built by Curtis Gilbert between the Manatee River and Warner's Bayou. Warburton Warner, aged 22, married Curtis Gilbert's daughter Helen in 1872. They lived with her father in this house. It was Warburton who developmed Palma Sola as "The Youngest and Largest Town in Florida." By 1881, he built a wharf, a warehouse and large hotel, the Palma Sola Hotel. "Sans Terre" was later owned by Janet Barney Hampton, Warner's granddaughter. The home was sold and demolished upon her death in the late 1990s.

The old Palma Sola Hotel image. Click for full size.

Manatee County Public Library Historical Image Digital Collection

8. The old Palma Sola Hotel

The Palma Sola Hotel seen from the dock.

Palma Sola: the youngest and largest town in Florida image. Click for full size.

Manatee County Public Library Historical Image Digital Collection, January 1884

9. Palma Sola: the youngest and largest town in Florida

Advertisement and title page from the Palma Sola: the youngest and largest town in Florida. The company advertised is W.S. Warner & Co. The publisher is Broun & Green Stationers at 49 Beaver Street in New York.

Palm Tree & Manatee River image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, March 20, 2014

10. Palm Tree & Manatee River

Looking north across the Manatee River from Warner's Bayou Boat Ramp. Snead Island is visible on the north side of the river.

Credits. This page was last revised on April 29, 2019. It was originally submitted on March 19, 2014, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia. This page has been viewed 2,006 times since then and 48 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on March 20, 2014, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia. 2, 3. submitted on April 27, 2019, by Tim Fillmon of Webster, Florida. 4. submitted on March 20, 2014, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 5. submitted on March 21, 2014, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia. 6. submitted on March 20, 2014, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 7, 8, 9. submitted on March 21, 2014, by PaulwC3 of Northern, Virginia. 10. submitted on March 20, 2014, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.