Established in 1879, Charlotte Harbor Cemetery is the oldest known cemetery in Charlotte County and the final resting place of many local pioneers who braved a subtropical wilderness and Civil War reconstruction to build a settlement on the . . . — — Map (db m101018) HM
The Hickory Bluff Cemetery was established in the late 1800s, adjacent to land purchased on June 2, 1884 by July Roberts, an early African-American settler. Initial burials began following the Civil War when freed African-Americans settled in the . . . — — Map (db m128325) HM
After the Civil War (1861-1865), soldiers stationed in Florida decided to stay for the warm climate as well as for political and financial gain. Some became early pioneers here in Hickory Bluff, not far from the 1872 Charlotte Harbor post office. . . . — — Map (db m101021) HM
A congregation has met at Trinity United Methodist Church continuously since 1873. The first church organized in today's Charlotte County, its members have been an integral part of our history. Joel and Jesse Knight, James McKay and Jacob Summerlin . . . — — Map (db m101019) HM
During the American Civil War in late 1863, Union forces and "refugee rangers" encountered local combatants in a brief skirmish on the eastern shore of the Myakka River near today's El Jobean. It is the only recorded Civil War skirmish within the . . . — — Map (db m151053) HM
The Bass Biological Laboratory and Zoological Research Supply Facility Company was established on this site c. 1931 by John Foster Bass, Jr. (1897-1939) and his wife Else Bass (1898-1973). As the first full-time marine station on the Florida . . . — — Map (db m151045) HM
1891: Colonel James M. Lewis built a hunting lodge near here on Deer Creek and named it "New Point Comfort" after his boyhood home, Old Point Comfort. in Virginia.
1893: The Gottfried family from Milwaukee settled on Deer Creek, now named . . . — — Map (db m255693) HM
The unique "Cookie House" was built c. 1931 by John Foster Bass, Jr. (1897-1939) founder of the Bass Biological Laboratory and Zoological Research Supply Company, to serve as his personal office and laboratory near the Bass home on New Point Comfort . . . — — Map (db m151050) HM
In 1905, Clarence Bloomfield Moore (1852-1936), a wealthy, amateur archaeologist from Philadelphia excavated a mound located on the northern bank of the Peace River about one half mile north of this site. Moore found the sand burial mound containing . . . — — Map (db m152615) HM
Inspired by the completion of the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad (CH&N) in 1907, land speculator John Milton Murdock (1867-1925) platted the village of Murdock in 1914. Located at the southwest intersection of US 41 (Tamiami Trail) and the . . . — — Map (db m152660) HM
The Placida Bunk House was built about 1907 by the Charlotte Harbor & Northern Railroad to house their employees. The line was laid to transport phosphate to docks at South Boca Grande on Gasparilla Island. Several families called the building home, . . . — — Map (db m152668) HM
The Southland Trail Cemetery, believed to be a non-white cemetery, serves as the final resting place for an undisclosed number of leased convict laborers, blacks and possibly 18th century Spanish-Indian fishermen. The age of the cemetery is unknown; . . . — — Map (db m151056) HM
Arthur C. and Patti Frizzell were ranchers and entrepreneurs who brought in the first Brahman (or Brahma) cattle to the area to improve their herd. They owned over 80,000 acres of land for cattle, turpentine, lumber, and various businesses in . . . — — Map (db m256035) HM
In 1905, the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad (CH&N) built a depot and section house along its rail line from the phosphate mines at Mulberry to the port of Boca Grande. The CH&N Railroad platted the town of McCall in 1909 and named it for . . . — — Map (db m152664) HM
Dedicated to the men of the
83rd Inf Division
WWII
Co F. 329th 2nd Bat.
Fl. Charter organized in
Punta Gorda 1978
by Bill Nickell & Lola Keller — — Map (db m243969) WM
A founder of Punta Gorda, he was a resident until his death. Served as a member of the Florida House of Representatives in 1893, 1895, 1903 and was House Speaker in 1905. He resigned as Brig. Gen. of the Florida Militia and enlisted as a Private in . . . — — Map (db m167300) HM
American Merchant
Marine Veterans
Suncoast Chapter
Dedicated to the
six thousand eight hundred
and thirty-four
Merchant Seamen who lost
their lives in World War II — — Map (db m243905) WM
Charlotte Harbor has provided food, industry, leisure, and transportation since pre-historic times. The first bridge connecting the towns of Charlotte Harbor and Punta Gorda opened in 1921, but was barely wide enough for two cars to pass.
In 1931, . . . — — Map (db m280927) HM
Charlotte County was created in 1921, after citizens had pushed for 34 years to divide DeSoto County, and Punta Gorda was the new county seat. After meeting in rented quarters, the Board of County Commissioners voted in 1927 to plan a new building . . . — — Map (db m189589) HM
Flag Pole and U.S. Flag donated to all
veterans of Charlotte County by
Charlotte Detachment #756
Marine Corps League
4 July 1996 — — Map (db m256233) WM
Originally named the Punta Gorda High School, this building was the first dedicated high school for the newly created Charlotte County (1921), replacing the previous 1907 Punta Gorda Grammar and High School. Construction of the school began in 1926 . . . — — Map (db m215977) HM
Spanish fishermen from Cuba first gave the name "Punta Gorda" to this area in the early 1800's. The City was originally platted as "Trabue" by Isaac H. Trabue on February 24, 1885. The City of Punta Gorda came into being when a group of men met in a . . . — — Map (db m167299) HM
Many wading birds can be seen here, largely due to the sacrifice of men like Columbus G. McLeod (1848-1908), who gave his life trying to protect them from plume hunters. Ladies' hats with exotic bird feathers were high fashion for the late 1800's, . . . — — Map (db m167589) HM
Dedicated to the memory of P.F.C. Robert L. Cochran
U.S.M.C. Killed in action on the Island of Saipan,
1944, and to all Combat Wounded Veterans
My stone is red for the blood they shed.
The medal I bear is my countrys way to show . . . — — Map (db m244062) WM
This block of concrete is a foundation remnant of the Consolidated Ice Manufacturing, Refrigeration and Fish Co., which once occupied two full city blocks. Built in 1903 to supply cooling for fish products, the ice plant was the second largest in . . . — — Map (db m249202) HM
April 2 - Discovery of "La Florida"
April 20 - Punta de Arracifes (Cape Kennedy)
April 21 - The Gulf Stream currents
May 8 - Cabo de Corrientes (Palm Beach)
May 13 - Bahia Chequescha (Biscayne Bay)
May 15 - Los Martires (The Florida Keys) . . . — — Map (db m167681) HM
On June 22, 1876, James A. Lockhart and his wife Josephine chose this location to build their new home, which was described as the lowest location in the area, near the only pine trees on the clearing and adjacent to a shell mound. The couple camped . . . — — Map (db m167303) HM
On this day, May 24, ships were sent to seek a mainland colony site and to sound and chart the newly found “Bay of the Holy Spirit” (Charlotte Harbor). For three weeks explorations continued, seldom by land. There were at least three . . . — — Map (db m95500) HM
On December 3, 1887, 34 men in the "Town of Trabue" met here in a two-story building, built in 1887, owned by Tom Hector. The diverse group of landlords, tenants, merchants and workers, some white and some black, were all qualified voters. At the . . . — — Map (db m167271) HM
This anchor was discovered by Out Island Divers & Salvage Company July 11, 1979 in Boca Grande Pass, Florida, in 60 feet of water, resting on a flat rock. Weighing approximately 2000 pounds, this anchor is believed to be made prior to 1815 based on . . . — — Map (db m249210) HM
Frederick William Howard of Kinderhook, New York, first settled near this site in November 1873. After their marriage, Frederick and his wife Anna established residence here in January 1874, along with their two nephews. Frederick hired men and an . . . — — Map (db m167522) HM
Indian Spring Cemetery, also called Indian Springs, was created in 1886 on land donated by James L. Sandlin (1858-1903), who settled on Alligator Creek in 1884. Additions were recorded in 1891, 1931, 1974 and 1975. The name "Indian Spring" came from . . . — — Map (db m189588) HM
This plaque honors Isaac H. Trabue, the founder of the town of Trabue which became the City of Punta Gorda.
Trabue, born on March 25, 1829 was a lawyer, coal mine operator, Union soldier during the Civil War, and land developer. He was . . . — — Map (db m249134) HM
Born - San Tierra de Campos, Palencia, Spain - 1460
Died - Havana, Cuba - (probably Mid-June) - 1522
Interred - Entombment beneath the high altar of the Dominican Cathedral of San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Epitaph to Ponce de Leon
"Beneath . . . — — Map (db m95486) HM
Juan Ponce de Leon was the first Spanish explorer to arrive in Florida. Early Spanish explorers were known as Conquistadors or conquerors. While there are no official records, it is believed that Ponce de Leon was born the year of 1460 in Santervas . . . — — Map (db m280907) HM
Lt. Carl Bailey Cemetery has served this areas African-American community as a final resting place for over 120 years. The cemetery was called the Cleveland Cemetery, established in the 1880s on land owned by New York investor W. Irving Scott. The . . . — — Map (db m151119) HM
In Charlotte Harbor Ponce de Leon came upon an urban Indian culture over 200 years old! The Caloosas were "City dwellers" whose sea-oriented high, dry, airy rectangular dwelling mounds made pleasant and secure homesites. Skillful engineers, the . . . — — Map (db m167684) HM
On his first voyage to Florida in 1513, Juan Ponce de Leon spent several weeks at or near the mouth of Charlotte Harbor. When attacked by Indians he returned to Puerto Rico. In 1521, Ponce de Leon, with two shiploads of colonists, returned to . . . — — Map (db m167594) HM
The first European settlement in what is now the United States was established on the shores of Charlotte Harbor by explorer Juan Ponce de Leon and a band of more than 200 soldiers, priests, farmers, artisans and monks. The colony lasted for about . . . — — Map (db m167676) HM
In May 1942, the Army Air Corps chose this site for the Punta Gorda Army Air Field (PGAAF). Construction began that October at a project cost of $700,000.
The Army Air Corps activated PGAAF on December 11, 1943 with a mission to train pilots . . . — — Map (db m146927) HM
On June 11, 1996, the Punta Gorda Atlantic Coast Line Depot was donated by Fred Babcock, Babcock Enterprises, Inc. to Old Punta Gorda, Inc. dba Punta Gorda Historical Society. Local historian and descendant of original African American settlers to . . . — — Map (db m256036) HM
Plans to build the railroad depot in Punta Gorda began in 1928. Although the trains carried passengers, the main purpose was for shipping fish to northern markets. The Punta Gorda depot is the only remaining one of this style built by the Atlantic . . . — — Map (db m167353) HM
The first Spanish fishermen sailed their smacks into Charlotte Harbor in the 18th century marking the beginning of a commercial fishing industry. Cuban fishermen controlled the business for over 200 years until the United States took possession of . . . — — Map (db m249131) HM
Schoolhouse Square Shopping Center
Developed by Lewis Property Investors, Inc.
Tampa, Florida
1988
Dedicated in Commemoration of the Charlotte Harbor
School Which Stood on this Site and Operated from 1917
to 1950, Honoring . . . — — Map (db m280060) HM
Hotel Punta Gorda, one the first buildings of any kind constructed in Punta Gorda, opened in January 1888 and served over 3300 guests within its first season. The three story building contained 150 rooms, all with a view of the waters of Charlotte . . . — — Map (db m216054) HM
On this site, in 1887, ended the southernmost railroad trackage in the U.S. Florida Southern Railway's narrow-gauge tracks ran out on a 4,000 foot "Long Dock," where connections were made to New Orleans, Key West, and Havana steamers of the Morgan . . . — — Map (db m167520) HM
"And believing that this land was an island, they named it La Florida, because it had a very beautiful view of many and cool woodlands, and because, moreover, they discovered it in the time of the Feast of the Flowers (Pascua Florida) Juan Ponce . . . — — Map (db m167588) HM
In 1902 town founder, Isaac Trabue, convinced a group of Philadelphia investors to build the towns third ice factory, the Consolidated Ice Manufacturing, Refrigerating and Fish Company. Their plan was to furnish cheaper ice to fishermen and also . . . — — Map (db m249130) HM
The Punta Gorda Bank was operating by June 1894 as a branch of the State Bank of Fort Meade. It was chartered by the state as a separate bank in July 1899, with a capital of $15,000 and Perry Wadsworth McAdow as president. McAdow had earned a . . . — — Map (db m167301) HM
In 1885 Isaac Trabue registered the land that he had purchased and platted in 1884 in Manatee County as the town of Trabue. In 1887, it would become Punta Gorda. He named some twenty streets in the new town after relatives, including Retta . . . — — Map (db m249138) HM
In honor of
the men and women
who served.
Jewish War Veterans of America
Oskar Schindler Post #404
Port Charlotte, Florida
100th Anniversary 1896-1996
— — Map (db m244052) WM
Vietnam Veterans
of America #665
Honors all past
present and past
men and women veterans
of Charlotte County
Never Forget Our MIA-POWs — — Map (db m243997) WM
Womens Overseas
Service League
We were there because we cared.
We continued in order to
keep alive the spirit that prompted
our overseas service.
League founded in 1921 — — Map (db m256285) WM
After the last of the old fish companies on the Maud Street Dock, the Punta Gorda Fish Company, ceased operation in the late 1970s, the dock fell into ruin. Earl Nightingale, a famous radio personality of the day, discovered the rundown pier with . . . — — Map (db m249111) HM
What was said to have been the first big game fish, a silver tarpon, was taken by ordinary rod and reel in 1885 by W.H. Wood. Articles about the feat in the London Observer and Scientific American launched the new sport of big game fishing and . . . — — Map (db m249110) HM
Between 1889 and the early 1900s, the primary means of transportation south and west of Punta Gorda was by boat.
During the winters at the turn of the 20th century, many yachts could be seen anchored near the shores of Punta Gorda. Naphtha . . . — — Map (db m249113) HM
The Railroad Dock at the foot of King Street (now U.S. 41 North) was the hub of Punta Gordas commercial activity from 1897 until 1928. In addition to being the commercial seafood center, it was the port for steamers connecting with the railroad. . . . — — Map (db m249108) HM
In 1886, after Isaac Trabue persuaded the Florida Southern Railroad directors to locate their railroad down the east side of the Peach River, track was extended along what is now the linear park to beyond the original town of Trabue. There, a . . . — — Map (db m249112) HM
Fishermens Village is located on the site of the former Maud Street Dock. The Dock was built in 1928 to replace the King Street Pier, home to t the Punta Gorda fishing industry. The old pier had been removed to make way for the new Barron Collier . . . — — Map (db m249128) HM
On March 26, 1917, an enthusiastic crowd of over a thousand people gathered to welcome the former President of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, to Punta Gorda. He had come to conquer the devil fish.
Roosevelt had been drawn to Punta . . . — — Map (db m249125) HM
The Bailey Brothers served the United States of America honorably World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War
Archie and Josephine Bailey were married in 1905 and made Punta Gorda their home. They raised their large family in their . . . — — Map (db m249137) HM
Dedicated to all those living or dead who served their country in time of conflict In memory of those who made the Supreme Sacrifice. — — Map (db m239990) WM
Main Burial Complex (Mounds C-F)
Have you ever visited a cemetery? The mounds and raised features here are a graveyard for Native Americans who buried their dead at this site 1,000 to 3,000 years ago. The large, central mound contains . . . — — Map (db m267590) HM
Midden Area
In this area more than a thousand years ago, people built their homes, raised their families, made tools, and prepared meals. All this human activity created a midden, or built-up area made of the bits and pieces of their . . . — — Map (db m268160) HM
Sand Burial Mound (Mound G)
The burials located here shared little in common with those from the Main Burial Complex on the other side of the plaza. The people buried here had no elaborate grave goods, but were laid to rest with shells, . . . — — Map (db m267585) HM
A View from the Top
Much like an arena or stadium in a big city, Mound A served as a symbol of grandeur that would impress visitors to this site.
From the flat top of the mound, public performances, speakers, or ceremonies would . . . — — Map (db m268143) HM
On July 3, 2023, the 100th anniversary of the City of Crystal River's incorporation as a City, at this location, the Mayor convened a special meeting of the City Council. The Mayor issued a proclamation formally dedicating the City, Home of the . . . — — Map (db m267568) HM
The ancient Native peoples who built these mounds lived at Crystal River for more than a thousand years from around AD 50 to AD 1050.
Archaeologists think of this as a village where people lived, but also as a place where visitors came to . . . — — Map (db m267354) HM
At one time, and for many years until the 1950's, Crystal Street was the main thoroughfare into Crystal River for travelers coming from Lecanto and Inverness. In 1907, because of its role as the gateway into Crystal River, a group of ladies from the . . . — — Map (db m121120) HM
A Man-made Lake Felburn Park was once a mine. Workers mined dolomite rock, which was added to soil on farms. As they dug, miners hit a reservoir of groundwater, and the spring water started to fill the pit. They pumped out the water as it . . . — — Map (db m167344) HM
The first railroad depot in Citrus County was located on this site soon after the completion of the county's first rail line from Dunnellon in 1887. Constructed by the Silver Springs, Ocala and Gulf Railroad, the spur line would be continued to . . . — — Map (db m121118) HM
Edwin and Mary King moved to Crystal River in 1863. They built a home nearby on the bay which came to bear their name. In 1879, a canal on the north side of the property was dug so that smaller boats could unload supplies from larger ships at the . . . — — Map (db m237202) HM
In the early 1920s, Frederick VanRoy, a successful Crystal River businessman, encouraged residents from his home state of Michigan to spend their winters in the growing town where he settled over a decade before.
Most of the early residents . . . — — Map (db m295504) HM
Flat-Top Mound and Plaza (Mound H)
Imagine watching a sermon, speech, or performance atop the mound in front of you as you stand among members of your family and community in the flat, open plaza. Native peoples used this 12-foot-high . . . — — Map (db m267608) HM
In the early 1920's, people from Michigan began spending winters in Crystal River, encouraged by local businessman Frederick Van Roy. Many built homes in a two-block area which became known as Michigan Town.
In 1924, a group of these folks . . . — — Map (db m295501) HM
Lagoon
As you listen to the sound of the Crystal River as it flows by, imagine yourself here a thousand years ago when Native Americans once called this place home. Native peoples utilized a natural lagoon located where you are standing . . . — — Map (db m267613) HM
The Price of Progress Picture massive barges, tugboats and trawlers clogging the bay. This was to be the west end of the Cross Florida Barge Canal, where the water enters the Gulf of Mexico. The canal would have impacted Florida's fresh and . . . — — Map (db m167343) HM
A Rocky Past Today, the old railroad bed beneath the Dunnellon Trail carries walkers and bicyclists. In the late 1800s, it moved train cars laden with phosphate rock. Prospectors discovered the valuable mineral here in 1889, sparking an . . . — — Map (db m167502) HM
[north-facing kiosk panel] Introduction Records of colonial explorers reveal a well-developed Native American trail linking the Tampa Bay area to the village of Alachua, 150 miles to the north. A Timucuan village existed along this . . . — — Map (db m168617) HM
(Side 1)
The area containing present day Floral City has been inhabited by
humans for thousands of years. When Hernando De Soto came through
the area in 1539, he found the Indian village of Tocaste. From the late
1700s until the Second . . . — — Map (db m104967) HM
Three-sided concrete posts were placed every mile along the railroad as points of reference for the trainmen. This post tells us that it is 800 miles via rail to Richmond, Virginia, the railroad companys headquarters.
Funding for . . . — — Map (db m125492) HM
You are standing on the site of one of the worst train disasters in Florida history. The tragedy occurred October 18, 1956, on a dark and foggy morning in Pineola. At 5:12 a.m., people from five miles around were awakened when two freight trains . . . — — Map (db m101820) HM
This house is the oldest surviving residential structure
in Citrus County. It was purchased in 2012 by the
Duval Preservation Trust, a non-profit institution
organized for the purpose of restoration and
preservation of this historic gem.
Tax . . . — — Map (db m104980) HM
In 1863 John Paul Formy-Duval and his wife Elizabeth Ann Trantham bought land from Allen Munden and began building their home. During the process of construction, the Duvals discovered that they had been building their house a few hundred yards . . . — — Map (db m119137) HM
Its July 24, 1539
Hernando de Sotos army has set up camp at a nearby Indian village, Tocaste -
I moved ahead with a small scouting party. Just north of the village, we discovered a broad road, which I believe may be the entrance . . . — — Map (db m126576) HM
Whistle markers were placed along the track Ό mile before every road crossing, in both directions. They alerted the engineer to blow his train whistle. The horizontal bars on this concrete whistle marker two wide, one narrow, one wide tell the . . . — — Map (db m156006) HM
(side 1)
Church of the Nazarene Hernando
Hernando, named for Spanish explorer Hernando de Soto, was founded in 1881 by the Croft and Van Ness families. Beside the Tsala Apopka lakes their citrus groves thrived. Development followed . . . — — Map (db m112147) HM
The Hernando Elementary School is a one-story masonry building erected between 1941 and 1942 through county and state cooperation with the Works Progress Administration (WPA). This red brick school is situated on land that was acquired through a . . . — — Map (db m236678) HM
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