Good Day to all! Hope everyone participating had a good Freedom Swim and 4th of July!
Did you know the historic Placida Bunkhouse is over 100 years old? The Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad (CH&N), known as the “Cold, Hungry, and Naked” to locals, constructed it about 1907 to house section workers, shortly after track was laid to transport phosphate from Arcadia to Port Boca Grande.
The CH&N was created by the American Agricultural Chemical Corporation (AACC) in reaction to the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad’s monopoly on products shipped to Tampa for distribution elsewhere. Due to high rates and the fact most of their phosphate production was shipped to eastern ports, AACC decided to build its own railroad to Boca Grande, which cut a day’s sailing time to the east coast from Tampa Bay. The CH&N line was acquired by the Seaboard Airline Railroad in 1925 and operated until 1971. I remember my Mom taking her kindergarten classes to Murdock and “catching” the train to Boca Grande.
Gasparilla Island was chosen for its deep water and “inexpensive” land. “Inexpensive” land, can you imagine that today? The plan was also to develop a resort town since by then Charlotte Harbor was well known for its sport fishing. Although the railroad is gone, its associated hotel, the Gasparilla Inn, and its bunkhouse still stand.
The bunkhouse is a two-story wood frame structure built of local materials including pine heartwood, which is the primary reason it’s still here, that and the county’s efforts to preserve it. The bunkhouse’s construction style is Florida Vernacular with board and batten siding and it initially had a large wooden cistern and outhouse.
Built in Placida at the mouth of Coral Creek near the railroad track, it has been moved twice due to the Coral Creek Bridge realignment. The historic Placida Bunkhouse is now located on State Road 771 at the north trailhead of the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail, which is built on the abandoned CH&N right-of-way. Portions of the disassembled privy are stored inside.
By the 1920’s, it was no longer needed for railroad workers, so Clara Futch’s family resided there for a few years. In the late 1930’s it housed services for the local Church of God, led by Sister Addie Owens. By the early 1940’s, Luther and Gladys Goff lived there with their family. The last private owner was John Bass, who purchased the bunkhouse and resided there during the 1970’s.
In between all that, for a time it also served as Placida’s first school and post office. On again, off again plans by the county are to have it restored for use as a trailside stop with exhibits featuring pioneer families and early railroad history. Let’s hope that the folks in charge finally make a firm decision to restore this important reminder of Charlotte County’s early history.
Visit the Charlotte County Libraries and History website to view a photograph of the bunk house. Click on “Menu” in upper left corner, scroll down and click on History Services. Once the History Services website is reached, scroll down to new interpretive signage section for a photo of the bunkhouse. Other historical marker locations can also be viewed.
“Did You Know” appears, typically, every other Wednesday, courtesy of this newspaper and the Charlotte County Historical Society. The Society’s mission is to help promote and preserve Charlotte County’s rich history. We are also always looking for volunteers and interested individuals to serve as board members. If you believe our area’s history is as important as we do, please visit Charlotte County Historical Society on-line at https://cchistoricalsociety.com/, or call 941- 769-1270 for more information
Check out History Services’ yearlong project, “Telling Your Stories: History in the Parks”. It began in January 2021 with placement of the first interpretive sign “Charlotte Harbor Spa” at South County Regional Park. The last was dedicated December 15, 2021 at Centennial Park featuring Florida postcards. All dedicated signs can be viewed at online library resources. Select “Programs and Services”, then “History Services” and “Virtual Programs”.
Visit the same site to access recently released oral histories featuring 40 local folks. Select “History Services” and scroll down, or phone 941-629-7278, to find out what history related programs and videos are available, or coming up.
July 8 column