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Community History


November 6, 2025
FIVE YEARS AGO Voters weighed in at the polls with mail-in ballots almost equal to the number of voters that came to the polls on Election Day.  TEN YEARS AGO The Halloween Carnival an…

November 6, 2025
To stand in the new exhibit room at the Crowninshield House, with its completed exhibits, is a wonder – especially considering where the Boca Grande Historical Society was after Hurricane Helene…

October 30, 2025
BY KAREN GRACE, BOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER Whether hauntings are real or not, Gasparilla Island and its surroundings have a history of ghost stories. The earliest involve Cayo Pelau, an island to…

October 30, 2025
FIVE YEARS AGO Lee County was called out for not informing residents in a timely manner regarding a Historic District Public Information meeting. TEN YEARS AGO Two Southwest Florida develop…

October 30, 2025
The Boca Grande Historical Society & History Center is opening up on Wednesday, Nov. 12 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with a new exhibit “Footprints from the Past” at the  Crowninshield Community Cente…

October 23, 2025
Charlotte County commissioners voiced unanimous support for preserving the historic Placida Bunkhouse and ultimately returning it to Placida during their Sept. 16 workshop. Built in 1906 or 1907 by…

October 23, 2025
An engineering firm has applied for preliminary permitting for conversion and construction of Amory Chapel in the Gasparilla Island State Park at the south end of the island. The goal is to convert…

October 23, 2025
FIVE YEARS AGO The north end of the island and town were undergoing road construction and detours as sidewalk improvement, sewer improvement and a manual bridge lift was being tested. TEN YEAR…

October 16, 2025
The original sheriff house is believed to have been moved from the block at 1st Street and Gilchrist Avenue, donated by the Hammond family for the benefit of the island. There are two similar houses…

October 16, 2025
Each week the Boca Beacon looks back at news from previous years. FIVE YEARS AGO The Gasparilla Island Conservation and Improvement Association announced that the restoration of Sam Murphy Par…