The church bell rings from miles away. It is ringing in a crucial part of Florida's past. This is Historic Spanish Point. Here you will find 30 acres of history on the coastline of little Sarasota Bay.
Marketing Director Laura Dean said, "This is Mrs. Palmer’s pergola and sunken garden built by Bertha Potter Palmer between 1910 and 1918."
Located on the shores of Little Sarasota Bay in Osprey, Florida, Historic Spanish Point is an archaeological, historical and environmental site museum.
The year 2007 marks the 25th anniversary of the museum being open to the public, but the history of the site goes back 5,000 years to Florida’s first people.
The shell middens built by them cover much of the 30-acre site. Florida’s pioneer past is also evident at Historic Spanish Point through the legacy of the Webb family from New York, who traveled to Florida in 1867.
Settling on the bay at the high point of land recommended to them by a Spanish trader they met in Key West, they named the homestead Spanish Point in honor of that trader.
Turn of the century Sarasota was a place of growth and Spanish Point became a part of the winter estate of Chicago socialite Mrs. Potter Palmer. She added her own touches to the landscape in the form of gardens and garden architecture.
Historic Spanish Point is a destination point for a couple of reasons. There is the history and the plants you will see along the way. There is also the wildlife that calls this place home. If you stop and listen you could be surprised at what you'll hear."
This area got the name Spanish Point from the Webb family back in the 1800’s. The Webb’s moved here after spending some harsh winters in New York. Some of the buildings you see are buildings they used during their lifetime.
“Even now, the Webb’s have never left the property. The Webb family is buried here near the church they built. This [bell] is a replica but the bell and stained glass mark that actual time. A window to the past that helps make Historic Spanish Point so special,” Dean said.
Admission is $9 Adults, $8 Florida Residents, $8 seniors, $3 for children ages 6-12, children under six are admitted free.
The Visitor's Center is located at 337 North Tamiami Trail in Osprey. For more information about all the historic park has to offer, log onto their Web site at http://www.historicspanishpoint.org/
With a Florida on a Tankful,
Dalia Dangerfield, Central Florida News 13.