Good Day to all! Did you know that although three men, George Battersby, Dick Windham, and Isaiah Cooper, were arrested for the murder of Marshal John Bowman and one even convicted, the killer’s true identity remains a mystery? When the marshal was shot, a group of boys were playing around a stable near the Bowman house and one,…
Good Day to all! What a stressful three weeks! Hope everyone is doing okay. I’ve lived here almost 73 years and have never experienced anything like it. Sorry I was unable to get a column out two weeks ago. Did you know Punta Gorda has not always been the peaceful town folks see today? Around 1900, just 13…
Good Day to all! Since I mentioned the Calusa in my “Ponce” columns, thought I’d provide a bit more information on them in this and my next column. Did you know that in the early 16th century, this area’s indigenous people were the most powerful in all of south Florida? When Juan Ponce de Leon’s fleet entered the Charlotte…
Good Day to all! Did you know that over 500 years ago this past March 3, an expedition sailed from San Juan Bautista (Puerto Rico) eventually reaching the shores of what we know today as Florida? Juan Ponce de Leon was born, it’s believed in the early 1470’s, in the Kingdom of Castile and Leon. His home village, Santervas…
Good Day to all! Did you know Charlotte Harbor was the site of a military skirmish during the Civil War? With the fall of Vicksburg, Mississippi and Port Hudson, Louisiana in July 1863, Union control of the Mississippi River became uncontested. Consequently, cut off from its western states, the Confederacy came to rely even more heavily on Florida to…
Good Day to all! The 33rd Freedom Swim is tomorrow! Start time, 1:30, Charlotte Harbor end of the bridge. See you there! Did you know that although tales abound, there is scant evidence pirates actually frequented Charlotte Harbor? The most celebrated account, that of Jose Gaspar, first appeared in print in the early 1900’s in a Charlotte Harbor…
Good Day to all! The 33rd Freedom Swim is coming up July 4. Start time is 1:30, Charlotte Harbor end of the bridge. See you there! Did you know the first “named” hurricane to strike this area was Donna? As stated in my previous column, the United States didn’t begin naming tropical storms and hurricanes, using only female…
Good Day to all! A huge THANK YOU to everyone making the Society’s annual Florida Frontier Days festival last weekend a success, especially our sponsors and volunteers!! We couldn’t do it without you! Here is the final installment of Gussie Baker’s Punta Gorda during World War II recollections. Did you know, although everyone in Punta Gorda was understandably…
Good Day to all! For three consecutive years now, our region has not gotten an early start to hurricane season. Hopefully, that portends a better year than the predictions! The Atlantic hurricane season began June 1, so, since it is upon us, this and the next are my annual hurricane columns. Did you know that since 1830, Florida…
Good Day to all! Since I used columns, in her honor, reflecting Gussie Baker’s Punta Gorda Airfield memories for the past several weeks I was unable to recognize African-American folks contributing to local history during Black History month, as I typically would. Consequently, my next two columns rectify that. Did you know that George Brown, a prominent businessman…
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