Written by Boca Beacon Reader on . Posted in Letters to the Editor, News.
To the Editor: The Boca Grande Historical Society (BGHS) understands the frustration of watching the landmarks we identify as home being lost to time. While history benchmarks itself on safeguarding the stories, items and buildings of the past, it is also built upon by the changes and growth of communities. As a part of this […]
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Obituaries.
Patricia Bowler Leggat, longtime Cohasset, Mass. resident, died peacefully on April 20, 2023, surrounded by her loving family. She was 93 years old. Patricia was born to Dr. John Pollard Bowler and Madelaine Gile Bowler on August 19, 1929, Patsy grew up in Hanover, NH. Her father was a surgeon at the Mary Hitchcock Hospital, […]
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Profiles.
If Marty McFadden refers to someone as “kind of an odd duck,” you know he really enjoys being around them. He always has his ear tuned to hearing the previously untold story and the inside details that bring the real color and flavor to an area, especially if the area is Boca Grande, which he treasures.
Marty recently retired as president of the Boca Grande Historical Society, serving in that role for seven years. The Historical Society is a mecca for “odd ducks” who love history, enjoy a good retelling of an event, and don’t mind sharing little known details. Marty feels at home among them and privileged to be part of the history inner circle.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in Community History, News.
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 around and did their best to protest it. Some tried to block the way of the equipment. Others tried to climb on the equipment. There were epithets thrown, as well as more than one projectile.
Someone in the crowd was heard to say, “They just started a war.”
It’s not as much about the bench as it is about the mentality of those who are moving here. Many of these are people who don’t know or care about the island’s rich history and, more to the point, they don’t know about how things have been done around here for almost 150 years.
But it didn’t matter in the end; the job was done.
Written by Marcy Shortuse on . Posted in News.
Island beachgoer finds something a bit unusual Here’s something that doesn’t happen every day. It was on Tuesday last week that Artist Lisa McQueen was kicked back at her favorite beach spot, watching the dolphins play and the waves roll in. The Port Charlotte resident comes here frequently, sometimes to relax, sometimes to sell her […]
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.
If there had been any concerns that the 2023 Strawberry Festival would suffer as a result of Hurricane Ian, they vanished quickly when members of the United Methodist Women’s board met recently to distribute $140,000 to local charities that serve women and children in need.
“It was a record year,” said Gloria Mitchell, who along with her daughter, Amy Mitchell, chaired this year’s Festival, held on March 4. “To say that we were surprised is an understatement. But we couldn’t be happier that we had this much money to distribute when there is so much need.”
Written by Sheila Evans on . Posted in Community, News.
Flooding on the Gasparilla Island Causeway after Hurricane Ian was the main topic of discussion for the spring meeting of the Gasparilla Island Bridge Authority (GIBA), held Thursday, April 22. The long duration of the flooding has had many people wondering why, and what can be done to prevent a recurrence.
There was agreement that the flooding was a highly unusual happening, with the volume of rain generated by the storm a major factor. Nevertheless, if reasonable steps can be taken to prevent a recurrence of the situation in future storms, the Board is determined to take those steps.
Written by Guest Columnist on . Posted in News.
On Friday, April 14, 2023, under the cover of dappled light and surrounded by latticed brick walls and lush greenery, an intimate crowd of current and former board members of the Johann Fust Library Foundation, its Literary Advisors, and the live poets of Boca Grande gathered just beyond the children’s library in a magical space that has been christened Alice’s Secret Garden. They were there to dedicate the space to Alice Gorman and to express gratitude for her support of the Johann Fust Library Foundation’s mission: “To preserve the buildings and gardens of the library while providing a literary and cultural center for the residents and visitors of Boca Grande.”
Alice was first elected to the Board of Directors in 2006, when the Johann Fust was a private library. Cotton Hanley was president, Rosemary Bowler was vice president, and Board members included Paul Csank, Tim Dumas, Sue Fuller, Sandy Hemm, Bill Morton, Sue Shaffer, Charles Tyler and Daly Walker.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in Community History, News.
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 arriving on Gasparilla Island in 1906 to work on the railroad trestle at the north end of the island, the Knight family members ranched cattle and had a store on the Peace River. In Boca Grande, several generations of the family have been caretakers, sheriff, boat designers, builders and salvagers, librarians and marina managers. Currently Johns is a realtor.
Written by Staff Report on . Posted in News.
It was a sad farewell on Sunday, April 23 at the Lighthouse United Methodist Church of Boca Grande, as Rev. Martyn Atkins took his leave of us and heads back over the pond to England.
Rev. Martyn started at the church as the interim pastor on July 1 of last year. He and his wife, Helen, were sent here after he put in his resignation with the British Methodist Church system. His prestigious career includes appointment to Cliff College for postgraduate studies, being pastor in Methodist churches in the north of England for almost 10 years, as well as earning a Ph.D. from the University of Manchester.