Good Day to all! For a few years now, our region has not gotten an early start to hurricane season. Hopefully, that portends a better year than the predictions, although, unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case two of the past three years! The Atlantic hurricane season began June 1, so, since it is upon us, this and the next…
Day to all! Did you know there are 29 streets on Isaac Trabue’s original town plat? The seven angular perimeter streets were discussed in my last column. The twenty-two remaining, with more familiar names, are the subject of this column. Beginning at the town of Trabue’s easterly end and moving west, first is Milot, likely a misspelling of Milus,…
Good Day to all! Except for the stormy weather a week ago Sunday, the Hibiscus Festival was a great time. Thank you to all that made it so! Did you know the names of many thoroughfares in Punta Gorda memorialize friends and family of founder Isaac Trabue? Thanks for asking Eileen! Trabue purchased about 30 acres, records indicate for…
Good Day to all! Did you know the 21st Annual Hibiscus Festival, presented by the Charlotte County Historical Society and the Shively Charitable Foundation is coming up May 2, 3, and 4, in Gilchrist Park? Visit thehibiscusfestival.com for details. Consequently, here is my associated column on one of Punta Gorda’s and Charlotte County’s most colorful “favorite sons”. I also…
Good Day to all! Charlotte County Historical Society’s annual Hibiscus Festival is coming up May 2, 3, and 4th at Gilchrist Park. Hope to see you there for a great time! As you know from my previous column, 1902 was not shaping up as a good year for Captain Albert Dewey. In July he’d lost the Mary Blue,…
Good Day to all! Did you know Captain Albert Dewey, one of early Punta Gorda’s leading citizens, was the victim of an attempted assassination? Born in Granby, Connecticut in 1857, Dewey operated a steamship and lighterage company in Savannah, Georgia, where he met and married Mary Fannie Rogers in 1884 when she was 15. In 1892, they arrived in…
Good Day to all! Did you know that during the mid-1800’s Thomas P. Kennedy was likely the most important trader on Florida’s west coast? Born in Philadelphia in 1812, he was raised by an aunt who placed him with a hardware merchant to learn the trade. As a young adult, he joined the Texas revolt against Mexico, where he…
Good Day to all! Unfortunately, the Charlotte County Historical Society’s annual Florida Frontier Days festival has been cancelled for this year. Hope to see you there in 2026! Did you know that in addition to seven sons of a well-known Punta Gorda family serving their country in several branches of the armed forces during World War II and the…
Good Day to all! This column fulfills a recent request. Did you know, of the two rivers emptying into Charlotte Harbor, it took the most time to settle on a name for the longest? The more westerly Myakka flows south from near the Hardee-Manatee County line for 68 miles and drains 235 square miles. The Peace begins northeast of…
Good Day to all, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Happy Holidays! Did you know the first record of Christmas celebrated locally can be found in Jarvis Howard’s journal? Howard arrived from New York with his wife Brenda and their three children in January 1874, along with his brother Frederick and family. Their intent was to homestead land on…
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