Community History


A sad but necessary goodbye

May 4, 2023
You’re not going to like what we’re about to say, but you knew it was coming. The Community Tree across from Hudson’s Grocery will be coming down soon, as Hurricane Ian apparently put a final nail…

IT’S GONE

April 27, 2023
Whispering Bench demolished The Whispering Bench is gone. Early Saturday morning heavy equipment operators came and began to gouge it out of the earth, while Boca Grande residents gathered aro…

Knight named new BGHS president, Blaha to serve as vice president

April 27, 2023
Johns Knight is the newly-elected president of the Boca Grande Historical Society. The Knight family came to Florida in 1840, settling first in Manatee County and later in Charlotte County. Before…

THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

April 27, 2023
FIVE YEARS AGO The roster was filling up for Ladies Day, and the Boca Grande Historical Society elected Karen Grace to her second term as president. TEN YEARS AGO Capt. Charlie Coleman’s …

IT’S GONE

April 22, 2023
The Whispering Bench has been demolished as of this morning at 10:45 a.m. People started making phone calls at about 7 a.m. this Saturday morning, April 22. “It’s gone,” they …

THIS DATE IN THE BOCA BEACON

April 6, 2023
FIVE YEARS AGO Boca Grande Causeway history was made after a massive Spring Break party a one-day car crossing record was set – 4,989 to be exact. TEN YEARS AGO Andy Ireland presided over…

The Spadero family returns to Boca Grande …

March 30, 2023
By Karen Grace, Boca Grande Historical Society Joseph Spadero came to Boca Grande in the 1920s. On Sunday, March 26, 2023, his great niece, Celeste Markle, came to the Boca Grande History Cente…

History Bytes: The Boca Grande Hotel, post mortem

February 23, 2023
The final History Bytes session of the season was a rousing success as dozens of people gathered in the Fust loggia to hear James Blaha, Trisha Lowe and Peg Kapustiak share the inside stories of t…

History Bytes continues with the always-lively Futch family tales

February 16, 2023
The Boca Grande Historical Society’s History Bytes presentation on Wednesday, Feb. 15, was provocatively titled “Island Love Stories,” with an overflow crowd looking to hear some lurid tales from …

Gary Mormino shares history of Florida’s growth

February 16, 2023
SUBMITTED BY THE BOCA GRANDE HISTORICAL SOCIETY At this month’s “Let’s Talk About Florida” book discussion, author Gary Mormino shared comments on his book, “Land of Sunshine, State of Dreams.”…