Above, playing the bait shrimp with Sammy Jay Steyer.
BY NIC MOSTYN
Editor’s Note: In 2012, Nicholas Mostyn wrote this essay for the Beacon, which won a Gasparilla Island Kids Classic essay c…
Above, Paul Martin sent in this photo of friends at ‘Sity Hall,’ with ‘Sears Roebuck air conditioning for your comfort.’
Some memories from readers and friends of the Beacon:
A Place Where Me…
One hundred years of Whidden’s. I’ve been lucky to be a small part of that time
BY JAKE POEPL
Where do I begin?
Whidden’s is a true treasure. It’s where I first stepped on a boat in Boca G…
Whidden’s Marina has given more to our traditions and heritage than we can ever repay. It provided the home port for generations of guides and clients. It’s the center of our local fishing community…
We have been fortunate enough to know four generations of this true southern fisher family. A family full of heart, tradition, laughter, tears, resilience and deep island roots. The memories and hug…
Old Red Gill lives on as a museum
BY BETSY JOINER
The Gasparilla Island Maritime Museum this year celebrates 25 years inside the Red Gill Fish House at Whidden’s.
The Red Gill Fish House wa…
BY BETSY JOINER
Whidden’s Marina is the longest-running family-owned business on Gasparilla Island. Its story began with founder Sam Whidden in the early 1920s, his home and the marina building c…
What began as a writing project between a grandmother and her transgender grandson has become a published young adult mystery. “Leo, Detective,” written by award-winning former journalist and myster…
World War I veteran created a legacy on Gasparilla Island
Above, the Red Gill Fish House, c 1935
BY KAREN GRACE, BOCA GRANDE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Wini Smart begins her book, “Whidden’s and Ol…
A notable place is not just a physical building. It is a building connected to a community and a group of people.
Whidden’s Marina is a rare location, as most of the other institutions like it ac…
