Tag: Boca Grande Historical Society

History at the heart of Boca Grande

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...

History Center reopens

October 30, 2025
Staff Report
Community History, News

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...

History: The notable pets of 20th Century Gasparilla Island

BY JAMES J. BLAHA, BOCA GRANDE HISTORICAL SOCIETY George Eliot, famous novelist, poet, and one of the leading writers of the Victorian Era, said that “Animals are such agreeable friends – they...

Letters: Boca Grande Historical Society announces Footprints exhibit

To the Editor and the community: On behalf of the Boca Grande Historical Society, we thank you for your support. We understand the impact the two recent hurricanes have had on our community and...

History: 800 years ahead for Banyan Street ‘cathedral’

BY KAREN GRACE,BOCA GRANDE HISTORICAL SOCIETY In 1915, Peter Bradley of the American agricultural Chemical Company had 26 banyan trees planted on each side of what was then Second Street. The...

History: Service and civic clubs often come the rescue

What happened to Kiwanis on island? BY JAMES J. BLAHA, DIRECTORBOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER The Boca Grande Woman’s Club has been recognized for its many charitable and community-based...

History: Tampa people, other summer Floridians in Boca Grande

From Badcock to Lykes, and so many automobile dealers, physicians Above has tournament organizer and director Dixie Hollins with Capt. Wayne Joiner and daughter Effie after winning his four...

History: The L Dock, Boca Grande’s yacht haven

Kiwanis Club challenge BY JAMES J. BLAHA, DIRECTORBOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER “Miss Lana Turner, famous movie actress and her husband, Mr. Dan Topping, who spent four days in Boca...

Memorial Day landscaping for Boca Grande Veteran’s Memorial

Editor’s Note: The flag is up! While the American flag may not be up by Memorial Day, the Boca Grande Veterans Memorial at 5th and Gilchrist is at least landscaped and ready, after help...

The Historian’s Dilemma: Nostalgia vs Fact on Gasparilla Island and Boca Grande

BY JAMES J. BLAHA, DIRECTORBOCA GRANDE HISTORY CENTER “To write history requires a whole life of observation, of inquiry, of labor, and correction,” Thomas Jefferson...