Sarasota in Sarasota County, Florida — The American South (South Atlantic)

Indian Beach

April 2011

1. Indian Beach Marker

Inscription. 5,000 years ago, prehistoric Indians seasonally came to these shore, drawn by freshwater springs, bays teeming with fish and shellfish, and woods rich with game. By 1000 A.D. their middens, ceremonial mounds, and a village plaza stood nearby. European diseases and war eventually decimated these Floridians. Centuries later Seminoles and Spanish fishermen worked at ranchos or fish camps often built on old Indian sites. The rancho industry supplied mullet, roe, and other seafood to Cuban markets. One rancho near here became the site of Fort Armistead (1840-1841), a Second Seminole War post.

Extensive land purchases occurred during the 1880s. Recognizing the nature of the shell heaps, Dr. F.H. Williams of Connecticut named this area Indian Beach. With others in 1891 he platted a subdivision. The new residents built homes and docks along the bay, established a winter colony, and in 1906 operated a post office serving fewer than a hundred residents. In 1913 the Indian Beach Land Company was formed to sell upland lots as DeSoto Terrace, advertised as an “ultra-exclusive residential section.” The Town of Indian Beach was incorporated in 1919 and annexed into the City of Sarasota in 1925.

Erected by Sarasota County Historical Commission.

Location. 27° 22.035′ N, 82° 33.303′ W. Marker is in Sarasota, Florida, in Sarasota County. Marker is at the intersection of Bay Shore Road and Myrtle Street, on the left when traveling north on Bay Shore Road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3701 Bay Shore Road, Sarasota FL 34234, United States of America.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. The Twin Motel and Tourism (approx. 1.1 miles away); Whitaker Family/Gateway 2000 Executive Committee (approx. 1.2 miles away); Mary Wyatt Whitaker (approx. 1.4 miles away); Yellow Bluffs (approx. 1.4 miles away); Bidwell-Wood House (approx. 1.4 miles away); Judah Philip Benjamin (approx. 1.8 miles away); Judah P. Benjamin Monument (approx. 1.8 miles away); Oaklands/Woodlawn Cemetery (approx. 2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Sarasota.

Categories. • Anthropology • Native Americans •

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. This page originally submitted on October 15, 2012, by Max Feldbaum of Sarasota, Florida. This page has been viewed 320 times since then and 10 times this year. Photo 1. submitted on October 15, 2012, by Max Feldbaum of Sarasota, Florida. • Bernard Fisher was the editor who published this page.

Editor’s want-list for this marker. Photo of other side of marker. Wide shot of marker and its surroundings. • Can you help?