Sarasota Bradenton International Airport
Citizens from Sarasota and Bradenton began work in 1939 to create a joint airport as two earlier unpaved Sarasota airports became obsolete. With development of the project by the Works progress . . . — — Map (db m146085) HM
Built by Charles Ringling in 1925 on the site of the number one green of the Old Gillespie Golf Course, this building was originally known as the Ringling Terrace Hotel. It later became known as the Sarasota Terrace Hotel. After passing through . . . — — Map (db m146188) HM
(Front)
Sarasota County was formed in 1921, a year that coincided with the developing Florida Land Boom. Community leaders decided to call attention to the advantages of visiting and living in Sarasota by establishing a county fair and . . . — — Map (db m260670) HM
(side 1)
The first garden club. known as the Founder's Circle, was organized on May 6, 1927, with Mrs. Mable Ringling as its first president. 1931 marked the circle's first flower show, which was held at the home of Mrs. Ellen Caples. . . . — — Map (db m217059) HM
Sarasota High School, in its prior location, had become
accredited in 1915, with its first graduating class of four women.
The Class of 1928 began its senior year here in the new, large
high school building. Since then the school has graduated . . . — — Map (db m306925) HM
Sarasota Bay and its downtown bayfront have long been considered the brightest jewels in Sarasota’s crown. In 1910 Bertha Palmer, who helped put Sarasota on the international map, proclaimed Sarasota Bay more beautiful than the Bay of Naples. . . . — — Map (db m97141) HM
Sarasota County
The 97th Bomb Group, U.S. Army Air Corps arrived in Sarasota, FL on March 29, 1942 with four squadrons and all service units.
The 97th trained in Sarasota until deployed to England on
May 14, 1942. The 97th . . . — — Map (db m210625) HM WM
Sarasota War Memorial The Sarasota War Memorial was commissioned by American Legion Bay Post 30 and designed by architect Clare C. Hosmer. On November 11, 1928, it was dedicated at the city’s Five Points intersection in a ceremony observing . . . — — Map (db m148343) WM
On a bright spring morning in 1885, a surveying team from the Florida Mortgage and Investment Company cleared a ten foot area in what is today the center of Five Points. The group was led by Richard Paulson who announced: "We will lay out the . . . — — Map (db m97142) HM
Lynching in America. Racial terror lynchings between 1865 and 1950 claimed the lives of at least 6,500 Black people and terrorized millions more. Racial hierarchy persisted after the Civil War and Emancipation, resulting in . . . — — Map (db m246801) HM
Side 1
On July 1, 1921, Sarasota County came into existence. Interest in breaking away from Manatee County had led to a series of public meetings the previous summer. Lack of good roads, inadequate representation in Tallahassee, and . . . — — Map (db m146106) HM
Sarasota
VA National Cemetery
Dedicated to the memory of
all the patriotic men and women
who answered their country’s call to service.
George W. Bush
President of the United States
James B. Peake . . . — — Map (db m247712) HM
Dedicated to the memory of all the patriotic men and women who answered their country's call to service.
George W. Bush
President of the United States
James B. Peake
Secretary
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
William F. Tuerk . . . — — Map (db m241071) WM
Near this spot was Sarasota's First Post Office established in the home and store of Charles E. Abbe, appointed postmaster August 16, 1878 — — Map (db m146390) HM
(side 1)
The southern portion of Whitfield Estates was developed on land originally owned (1876-1912) by Fannie and General John Riggin Jr., an aide-de-camp of General Ulysses S. Grant during the Civil War.
In 1924 a corporation led by . . . — — Map (db m100919) HM
(Front)
Franklin Field
When Tony Jannus landed his airboat on Sarasota Bay near the Sarasota Yacht Club on North Gulfstream Avenue in April 1914, the local newspaper expressed hope that his arrival would spawn the . . . — — Map (db m260636) HM
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. . . . — — Map (db m41293) HM
Owen Burns (1869-1937)
Owen Burns was one of Sarasota's most distinguished citizens and connected with virtually every early development of the city. He first came to Sarasota on vacation from Chicago in 1910 and decided to make it his . . . — — Map (db m277723) HM
Judah P. Benjamin, later considered "the Brains of the Confederacy," was an American lawyer and statesman. He was born on Saint Croix Island in 1811, grew up in South Carolina, and was educated at Yale College. He practiced law in New Orleans, . . . — — Map (db m65418) HM
L'Aria della Figlia Muta, known as The Mermaid Fountain, was created by Nancy Goodheart Matthews in 1993. In 1995 the Smithsonian Institution chose to register this artwork as a sculpture in their inventory of American artists in public and private . . . — — Map (db m277827) HM
Rosemary Cemetery is burial place for many early Sarasota citizens, civic leaders, and entrepreneurs including Scotsman John Hamilton Gillespie, first mayor and local manager for Florida Mortgage & Investment Co., British land developers of the . . . — — Map (db m148054) HM
The railroad came to Venice in 1911 at the request of Mrs. Potter (Bertha) Palmer. The Seaboard Air Line (SAL) Railway extended its line from Fruitville through Bee Ridge, where the Palmer's Sarasota-Venice Company was developing land, to the . . . — — Map (db m124900) HM
Laurel Turpentine Company
As the turpentine industry spread through southwest Florida, landowners leased turpentine rights to contractors who hired operators for camps that would harvest gum from thousands of acres of pine woods. The Laurel . . . — — Map (db m125006) HM
(side 1)
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 . . . — — Map (db m60327) HM
The Lemon Bay Woman's Club was organized in 1918 by Dr. Mary Green who was a school teacher in Englewood. Originally named the Lemon Bay Mother's Club, a name retained until April 1924, the club played an important role in the development of the . . . — — Map (db m261081) HM
A Place for Remembrance
Rosemary Cemetery has been established place within the community since 1886, when it was included in Sarasota’s original town plan. The following year, an English settler named Tom Booth marked the first . . . — — Map (db m148068) HM
(side 1)
John Hamilton Gillespie, the father of Sarasota, arrived here in 1886 at the age of 34. His mission was to rejuvenate the failed Ormiston Colony, a group of 60 Scottish settlers who had come in 1885 expecting to find a "Little . . . — — Map (db m277451) HM
Side 1
Riverview High School originally consisted of modern steel and glass structures set among tall native pines in Sarasota's developing suburbs. When the school opened in 1958, it became known internationally for its innovative architecture, . . . — — Map (db m156534) HM
Individual Variation
As you walk through Rosemary Cemetery, examine each of the markers carefully. They offer clues about the former lives of the deceased and the thoughts of those who buried them.
(sidebar)
Rosemary . . . — — Map (db m148071) HM
In 1882 this "handsome residence" was under construction for Alfred and Mary Bidwell on land Mary purchased from the State of Florida for one dollar an acre. Before construction the Bidwell's apparently occupied the detached kitchen-dining room . . . — — Map (db m97086) HM
(side 1)
Peter Crocker
Peter Crocker was born in Wheeler, Stuben County, New York, on July 16, 1843. When he was 18 years of age he enlisted as a private in the Volunteer Union Army and served two three-year terms. During the Civil . . . — — Map (db m260761) HM
(side 1)
In 1936, the City of Sarasota acquired approximately 40 acres of land for a bayfront civic center. It was located just south of (now) 10th Street and between (now) North Tamiami Trail and the bay. Mayor E. A. Smith announced . . . — — Map (db m217065) HM
Siesta
Present Siesta Key appeared on early maps as Clam Island, "Muscle" Island, and Palm Island. Fishery Point lay along the prominent channel of Big Sarasota Pass, called Boca Sarazota in the 1770s, the entrance to Sarasota Bay. The site . . . — — Map (db m170470) HM
Side 1
This island has had various names. During the 1800s and early 1900s it was known as Little Sarasota Key and Sarasota Key. Common usage of the name Siesta, taken from a residential development at the islands north side, began . . . — — Map (db m146239) HM
Side 1
Otto Schmidt Zoldan, a pioneer, settled on the southern tip of this key and in 1904 applied for a homestead. His claim, granted in 1910, included much of the land which became South Lido Park. Once known as Sarasota Key, the . . . — — Map (db m146367) HM
The Wilson House is significant as an example of early Sarasota architecture and as the home and medical office of C.B. Wilson.
In 1877, A.M. “Gus” Wilson settled in Miakka, then part of Manatee County. He served the community as . . . — — Map (db m136015) HM
Turpentine
Early in the 20th Century, turpentine camps were established in Nokomis and Venice. Typically black laborers cut a V-shaped “cat face” in the bark of pine trees, from which gum oozed into a clay or tin pot nailed to the tree. . . . — — Map (db m124982) HM
Side 1
The Robert L. Taylor Community Complex grew out of the "Colored Service Men's Club" building that had served black soldiers during World War II. Newtown resident John Floyd supervised construction of the wood frame structure. . . . — — Map (db m146086) HM
Side 1
Payne Park was host to many of Major League Baseball's most renowned figures from 1924, when the reigning champion New York Giants of the National League opened spring training, until 1988, when the Chicago White Sox of the American . . . — — Map (db m146026) HM
Cedar Point/Sunset Park
Cedar Point, a hook of land on Sarasota Bay, was platted in 1899 and recorded as an addition to the Town of Sarasota in 1900. Split into north and south sections by North Gulf Stream Avenue, Cedar Point was home to . . . — — Map (db m97107) HM
“Never do less than your best.”
Dorothye Smith
First African-American
principal post segregation
Served Southside Elementary School
from 1972 til 1983 — — Map (db m264463) HM
De Sota Park
During the Florida Land Boom of the 1920's, many new subdivision were platted, both within the City of Sarasota and within expanded city limits. On September 10, 1924, Lewis Combs (1892-1943), a native of Illinois who came to . . . — — Map (db m146044) HM
De Sota Park
During the Florida Land Boom of the 1920's, many new subdivision were platted, both within the City of Sarasota and within expanded city limits. On September 10, 1924, Lewis Combs (1892-1943), a native of Illinois who came to . . . — — Map (db m146045) HM
(side 1)
“The Father of Sarasota,” John Hamilton Gillespie, was born in 1852 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He arrived here in 1886 to assist the failing Florida Mortgage and Investment Company, a development company partially owned . . . — — Map (db m146104) HM
The Florida Mortgage and Investment Company deeded five acres in 1905 to Trustees John Mays, Willis G.P. Washington, Lewis Colson, Campbell Mitchell and J.P. Carter for a "colored" cemetery. The land was platted in 1910 as Oaklands Cemetery. For . . . — — Map (db m92862) HM
Lido Beach Casino
For nearly thirty years the Lido Beach Casino attracted residents and tourist for pool and gulf swimming, dining, dancing, shopping, and enjoying the beach. Activities such as swim meets, beauty pageants, and school and . . . — — Map (db m146244) HM
Side 1
Mable Ringling Memorial Fountain
Mable Ringling, born Armilda Burton on March 4, 1875, married John Ringling on 1905 and became a Sarasota winter resident in 1911. Mable, an avid gardener, created the formal Ca'd'Zan rose garden. . . . — — Map (db m121011) HM
Bobby Jones' name already was linked to Sarasota when he attended the dedication ceremony February 13, 1927, for Bobby Jones Municipal Course, which had opened the previous June. The course, 2-1/2 miles east of downtown, replaced one just south . . . — — Map (db m218407) HM
Tourism has long been important to Sarasota's history and economy. Winter visitors began coming to the area in the 1880s with some staying in Sarasota's first hotel, The DeSoto Hotel, which was completed in 1887. Tourism increased in the 1920s as . . . — — Map (db m217051) HM
The Edwards Theatre was the dream of Sarasota County’s native son and early notable mayor, Arthur B. Edwards, who dedicated himself to the proposition that a modern city be built on the shores of Sarasota Bay. He was born October 2, 1874, and . . . — — Map (db m146140) HM
Whitaker Family
William Henry Whitaker arrived in Sarasota Bay in the early 1840s. He built a cedar log cabin at “Yellow Bluffs,” part of nearly 200 acres he would acquire along the bay between Hog Creek and today’s Indian Beach . . . — — Map (db m97093) HM
After her visit to Sarasota in 1910, Mrs. Potter (Bertha) Palmer and family began buying thousands of acres in the region. One large segment extended from their Sarasota-Venice Company's Bee Ridge development south to Laurel. The present 10,000-acre . . . — — Map (db m125021) HM
(Side 1)
Charles Ringling, along with his wife Edith and their children, helped Sarasota become a dynamic, thriving West Coast community. Born in 1864, he was actively involved in the operation of the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey . . . — — Map (db m145879) HM
Side 1
Emma E. Booker, a pioneer Black educator was teaching in Sarasota's public school for Negro children in the 1910s. By 1918 she was principal of "Sarasota Grammar School" which held classes in rented halls. The Julius Rosenwald Fund helped . . . — — Map (db m121010) HM
In December 1913, Oscar and Alice Burton joined real estate developer and future Sarasota mayor Arthur B. Edwards (1914-1915 and 1920-1921) and his wife Fannie in selling the land south of Hudson Bayou to the Sarasota Improvement Company. In . . . — — Map (db m92861) HM
Don Smally was instrumental to the restoration of Mable Ringling Fountain. The restoration was one of his of his many projects as a respected leader of Sarasota who championed its progress and preserved its heritage. In 1956 Don founded Smally, . . . — — Map (db m148167) HM
The Edson Keith estate on the south bank of Phillippi Creek, typical of the grand estate houses erected by the extensive Chicago coterie of friends in Sarasota, reflects much of Sarasota's most venerable history. The estate encompasses . . . — — Map (db m151034) HM
On June 17, 1955, a fire "of undetermined origin" raced through several of the attractive, 1949 Spanish-style buildings, including the gift shop, café, and offices. Victor A. Lundy, an architect from Sarasota, was selected to design the new . . . — — Map (db m132198) HM
(side 1)
A 41-mile Tampa Southern line, "The Fort Ogden Extension," was constructed in 1925-1926 from Sarasota southeasterly to a junction at Southfort on the Lakeland-Naples line of the Atlantic Coast Line. A pair of daily passenger . . . — — Map (db m146103) HM
On January 12, 1929, Sarasota dedicated its first municipal airport located on 160 acres just west of Oriente Avenue, now Beneva Road, and north of Fruitville Rd. Pilots performed aerial maneuvers and stunts for the crowd, many of whom felt an . . . — — Map (db m218405) HM
The first successful railroad into what is now Sarasota County came when the United States and West Indies Railroad and Steamship Company, a subsidiary of the Seaboard Air Line Railway (SAL), brought its first train into Sarasota in 1903. Two . . . — — Map (db m4876) HM
Side 1
Beaches, a cherished asset to Sarasota County, were not always welcoming to Sarasota’s African–American communities. Prior to Brown vs. the Board of Education and Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat to a white . . . — — Map (db m146250) HM
Side 1
Sarasota's population was soaring by the early 1920s, the homes were needed to accommodate those moving into the area. The two parcels of land that would become the nucleus of San Remo Estates were originally purchased by business . . . — — Map (db m146023) HM
On this site in 1903, the U.S. and West Indies Railroad and Steamship Company built a depot. This railroad, subsequently incorporated into the Seaboard Air Line Railway, provided great impetus to the town's turn-of-the-century progress. Trains . . . — — Map (db m41350) HM
Side 1
Bay Haven School is one of two elementary schools built in Sarasota from identical plans to accommodate population growth resulting from the 1920s real estate boom. Bay Haven and Southside Elementary were designed by architect M. Leo . . . — — Map (db m146087) HM
Side 1
After World War II, Sarasota experienced an influx of new residents, creating a housing boom. Martin Paver, retired from his business in New York, was on a pleasure cruise in 1949 when he and his wife Mildred docked in Sarasota to buy . . . — — Map (db m170464) HM
The incomparable Black American saddle bred mare, Starless Night, owned and trained by Capt. William Heyer, appeared in numerous circuses and other venues throughout her stellar career, including the Ed Sullivan Show. Always in demand and . . . — — Map (db m147144) HM
High energy bicycling French family, they were the first European act brought to the U.S. by Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey after World War II. The fast pace of their act, their acrobatic tricks, flashy costumes and comedy antics of Mauris . . . — — Map (db m147362) HM
Among the number of circuses that have called Sarasota County home, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus (RBBB) is the largest and the one that has had the longest association with Venice. Its roots go back to a small show the five . . . — — Map (db m211950) HM
Side 1
Built by 1950, the Gulf Beach Motel was part of the post World War II motel construction boom that addressed the needs of a growing number of tourists to the area. With the end of war-time gas rationing and the resumption o auto . . . — — Map (db m146331) HM
After the Civil War, many Georgians moved their families to Southern Florida. Joseph Daniel "Jody" Anderson, born in Georgia in 1867, was a child when his father moved to the Tampa/Sara Sota area. In 1884, Joseph became the head of the Anderson . . . — — Map (db m156335) HM
Understanding the importance of early education for the young children of their community, several African-American women organized and founded the Newtown Day Nursery. This grassroots organization, established around 1930, included . . . — — Map (db m146223) HM
A Ringling Bros. superstar of the 1920s, he was undisputed “King of the Flying Trapeze.” At a time when few had attempted it and even fewer had succeeded, he made the difficult triple back somersault a highlight of every performance, . . . — — Map (db m147667) HM
(side 1)
Cherokee Park
It Started with a Wall
The founder of Cherokee Park, James C. Brown, commissioned master builder Leadley Ogden to erect the walls, gateposts and corner markers. They were constructed in the . . . — — Map (db m260936) HM
On December 23, 1885 a number of Scottish families came ashore on or near this spot to settle land they had purchased for their homes in a new country. They met wilderness and hardship instead of the established town promised them; causing many to . . . — — Map (db m97100) HM
In 1973, Sir Frank Taylor of Taylor Woodrow
Construction purchased the Newburn Ranch in
unincorporated Sarasota County. On November 14,
1974, Sarasota County approved the development
plan for The Meadows. The Meadows was one of the
first . . . — — Map (db m305962) HM
Selby Gardens is the legacy of Sarasota resident Marie Selby, who left her home and property to the local community with the aim of forming a botanical garden "for the enjoyment of the general public." Since its establishment in 1973, Selby . . . — — Map (db m240801) HM
Clyde Beatty, master trainer of wild animals presented the largest group of jungle beasts ever seen in the circus – 40 lions and tigers in one cage. His spectacular showmanship won him center ring stardom with Ringling and other major . . . — — Map (db m147052) HM
Franz Unus, an equilibrist of unequaled skill. Originated and perfected the spectacular one-finger stand in which he balanced his body on his right index finger atop a large electric light bulb. He was a center ring star with Ringling for 13 . . . — — Map (db m147217) HM
Historic
Palm Tower
From livery stable, fish house and pool hall in the 1800’s to
Sarasota’s First “Skyscraper”
Construction began in 1924, was completed in 1925, expanding upwards from a 2-story boarding . . . — — Map (db m148205) HM
With the guiding hand of Pablo Rodriguez, he and his family formed what became one of the most accomplished family aerial acts of the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Their aerial bar act and double and triple-wide flying trapeze-wide acts were among the . . . — — Map (db m147375) HM
Green Street Church and Museum
The Green Street Church Museum began as Englewood's first church building, which was initially on Magnolia near Green Street. Community Methodists began holding Sunday School classes in Josie Quimby . . . — — Map (db m268483) HM
From 1877 to 1891, Isaac Alderman Redd was pastor of the Friendship Baptist Church chartered by ten area families. The growing Bee Ridge community included Redd's oldest daughter Laura FeDonia, who with her first husband S.C. Rawls first settled . . . — — Map (db m290631) HM
(side 1)
This Black community grew as businessmen, fishermen, physicians, nurses, teachers, farmers, contractors, carpenters, laborers, drivers, masons, blacksmiths, laundry workers and railroad workers made this area their home. Along . . . — — Map (db m146209) HM
(Side 1)
Fruitville Elementary School, the largest elementary school in Sarasota County in 1989, began as a converted corn crib in the late 1880's. Charles L. Reaves, a pioneer of the Fruitville area with his wife Martha Tatum of Tatum . . . — — Map (db m150432) HM
Hungary’s Richter Family and Germany’s Casselly Family represent two multi-generational circus dynasties dating from 1821. Both families embrace the concept of humans and animals or king side by side in the circus arts, for which they have won . . . — — Map (db m244492) HM
One of the area's oldest educational institutions, the Nokomis School, was built in 1924 on Nippino Trail. The photo shows the two-room Mediterranean Revival style school.
Originally, children in grades one through eight attended the . . . — — Map (db m38372) HM
This 30-acre preserve includes prehistoric shell middens and a burial mound dating from 3,000 B.C. to 1,000 A.D., buildings from the homestead of John Greene Webb, and gardens from the winter estate of Mrs. Potter Palmer. In 1975, it became the . . . — — Map (db m60326) HM
Side 1
The Bee Ridge Woman's Club has been an integral part of the growth and development of the Bee Ridge community, providing social outlet, community pride, and staunch support for many public interest projects since the early 1900s. Organized . . . — — Map (db m136014) HM
Beginning in 1889, circuit-riding Jesuit priests served the pastoral needs of Sarasota's small, but devoted Catholic community. In 1912, after years of meeting in various homes, the congregation built a small wooden mission church at Adelia and . . . — — Map (db m97105) HM
Whitaker Cemetery
1232 12th Street
The Oldest Cemetery
In Sarasota
First Internment 1879
Maintained By The
Sara De Soto Chapter, NSDAR
Historically Designated
January 20, 2004
By The City Of Sarasota, . . . — — Map (db m148169) HM
American National Bank
Built 1926
Francis Palmer Smith - Architect
Adair & Sentor – Builder
Has been placed in the
National Register of Historic Places
&
Designated A Historic Structure By
The City Of Sarasota, . . . — — Map (db m148224) HM
Jackson and Katherine Bispham started a dairy in 1922 north of Sarasota with Sarasota County Dairy Permit No. 2. Later that year Bispham moved his operation to the area of present South Tamiami Trail and Fiesta Street, named it Bayside Dairy, and . . . — — Map (db m101064) HM
A spectacular aerial performer, he cofounded Circus Sarasota and became the driving force behind its emergence as one of the country’s elite circuses. By presenting top quality performances and conducting a highly regarded community outreach . . . — — Map (db m147501) HM
Side 1
In 1915, Bee Ridge, then part of Manatee County, supported a train station, post office, hotel, general store, and school. A second wave of settlers who moved into Bee Ridge desired a church in their community. In January, 1917, the . . . — — Map (db m135978) HM
The Wallenda circus troupe originated in Germany, where its members developed a daring highwire act. Early in their careers they achieved some fame touring with different circuses in Europe, but Karl Wallenda became convinced that circus . . . — — Map (db m92848) HM
Worth’s Block
Built 1913
H.B. Westbrook
Builder
Has been placed in the
National Register Of Historic Places
&
Designated A Historic Structure By
The City Of Sarasota, Florida — — Map (db m148218) HM
You are walking on 2,400 years of garbage. This archaeological midden is the açcumulation of trash from the people who lived here through the centuries. The midden contains pottery, stone tools, shell tools, and personal items like beads. Although . . . — — Map (db m264690) HM
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