Osprey FL Historic Spanish Point marker01

Historic Spanish Point is a museum and environmental complex located in

Osprey, Florida Osprey is a census-designated place (CDP) in Sarasota County, Florida, United States. The population was 6,100 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Bradenton–Sarasota–Venice Metropolitan Statistical Area. Geography According to the ...

at 337 North Tamiami Trail. The museum includes an archeological exhibit of a prehistoric shell mound known as a

midden A midden (also kitchen midden or shell heap) is an old dump for domestic waste which may consist of animal bone, human excrement, botanical material, mollusc shells, potsherds, lithics (especially debitage), and other artifacts and ecofact ...

, a turn-of-the-century pioneer

homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses *Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres *Homestead principle, a legal concept th ...

historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...

, a

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

packing house, a chapel, boatyard, gardens, and nature trails.

History

An archaeological record exists on the site from approximately 5,000 years of Florida prehistory. Habitation of the site spans the

Late Archaic period In the classification of the archaeological cultures of North America, the Archaic period in North America, taken to last from around 8000 to 1000 BC in the sequence of North American pre-Columbian cultural stages, is a period defined by the ''a ...

(5,900–3,200 years ago) through to the Manasota and Late

Woodland period In the classification of :category:Archaeological cultures of North America, archaeological cultures of North America, the Woodland period of North American pre-Columbian cultures spanned a period from roughly 1000 Common Era, BCE to European con ...

s (3,200–1,000 years ago.) Prehistoric people living on Tampa Bay's shoreline began using ceramics and transitioned from nomadic hunters and gatherers to settled subsistence societies. They capitalized on the abundant resources provided by the

Gulf of Mexico The Gulf of Mexico ( es, Golfo de México) is an oceanic basin, ocean basin and a marginal sea of the Atlantic Ocean, largely surrounded by the North American continent. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of ...

, marsh, woodland, and bay ecosystems; and used growing specialized tool technology to further establish the permanent and seasonal settlements. These people disappear from the archaeological record of the site sometime prior to 1100 AD. Webb and his family moved from

Utica, New York Utica () is a Administrative divisions of New York, city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The List of cities in New York, tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 ...

to establish a homestead on the shores of Little Sarasota Bay. A Spanish trader the family met in

Key West Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Island, it cons ...

told them of an elevated point of land on the bay. The Webbs named their homestead Spanish Point to honor the good advice of the trader. John Webb and his family planted citrus,

sugar cane Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with stout, jointed, fibrous stalks t ...

, and vegetables; and built a packing house to prepare their goods for market. In the early 1900s, the Webb family sold parcels of the homestead to new settlers. In 1910 a wealthy Chicago socialite named

Bertha Palmer Bertha Matilde Palmer (; May 22, 1849 – May 5, 1918) was an American businesswoman, socialite, and philanthropist. Early life Born as Bertha Matilde Honoré in Louisville, Kentucky, her father was businessman Henry Hamilton Honoré. Known wit ...

, widow of

Potter Palmer Potter Palmer (May 20, 1826 – May 4, 1902) was an American businessman who was responsible for much of the development of State Street in Chicago. Born in Albany County, New York, She preserved the pioneer buildings and connected them with lavish formal gardens and lawns. Mrs. Palmer died of breast cancer at age 68 in May 1918. Her family maintained Osprey Point and in 1959, her grandson Gordon Palmer sponsored the three-year excavation of the archaeological site by Ripley P. Bullen. The site is now home to the museum at Historic Spanish Point. Gordon's widow, Janis, along with Potter Palmer IV and other family members, encouraged the nomination of Spanish Point to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

. In 1975 it became the first site in Sarasota County to be listed in the National Register. In 1980, the Palmer heirs donated the National Register site to Gulf Coast Heritage Association. In May 2020, Historic Spanish Point became a companion campus of

Marie Selby Botanical Gardens The Marie Selby Botanical Gardens is a botanical garden located at 900 South Palm Avenue in Sarasota, Florida. The Gardens are located on the grounds of the former home of Marie and William Selby. Flora The Gardens feature preserved collections ...

Exhibits

*Visitors’ Center at Osprey School - This building was one of five schools built between 1926 and 1928 along the

Tamiami Trail The Tamiami Trail () is the southernmost of U.S. Highway 41 (US 41) from State Road 60 (SR 60) in Tampa to US 1 in Miami. A portion of the road also has the hidden designation of State Road 90 (SR 90). The north� ...

Sarasota County Sarasota County is a county located in Southwest Florida. At the 2020 US census, the population was 434,006. Its county seat is Sarasota and its largest city is North Port. Sarasota County is part of the North Port–Sarasota–Bradenton, FL m ...

to serve a growing population due to the 1920s real-estate boom. Designed by

Tampa Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and the seat of Hillsborough County ...

architect

M. Leo Elliott M. Leo Elliott (April 4, 1886 – August 1967) was an architect known for his work in Tampa, Temple Terrace and Sarasota, Florida.

in the

Spanish Colonial Revival style The Spanish Colonial Revival Style ( es, Arquitectura neocolonial española) is an architectural stylistic movement arising in the early 20th century based on the Spanish Colonial architecture of the Spanish colonization of the Americas. In the ...

, the building is listed in the

. It served as the Historic Spanish Point Visitors' Center housing an orientation program, administrative offices, and a museum store. It now houses the Osprey Public Library. Osprey FL school01

*Entrance Cottage - The Entrance Cottage is located at the entrance to the

historic site A historic site or heritage site is an official location where pieces of political, military, cultural, or social history have been preserved due to their cultural heritage value. Historic sites are usually protected by law, and many have been rec ...

. *The Gazebo - The

Gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. Etymology The etymology given by Oxford Dictionaries (website), Oxford D ...

is similar to one that was part of Mrs. Palmers' Osprey Point estate, 1910–1918. Although not fully restored, it features many native

fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes except t ...

trees In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are u ...

and

epiphytes An epiphyte is an organism that grows on the surface of a plant and derives its moisture and nutrients from the air, rain, water (in marine environments) or from debris accumulating around it. The plants on which epiphytes grow are called phoroph ...

(air plants). *Palmer Water Garden - The Water Garden, or Ornamental Pond, was created by Mrs. Potter Palmer as part of her Osprey Point estate. *Burial Mound - The Burial Mound was built by many generations of

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

native Native may refer to: People * Jus soli, citizenship by right of birth * Indigenous peoples, peoples with a set of specific rights based on their historical ties to a particular territory ** Native Americans (disambiguation) In arts and entert ...

North Americans who lived along the Shell Ridge Midden from about 300 to 1000. Human bones and ceremonial offerings of

shark teeth Sharks continually shed their teeth; some Carcharhiniformes shed approximately 35,000 teeth in a lifetime, replacing those that fall out. There are four basic types of shark teeth: dense flattened, needle-like, pointed lower with triangular upp ...

, smashed

pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other ceramic materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. Major types include earthenware, stoneware and por ...

and other materials were periodically placed on the mound, then covered with

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class of s ...

. *Webb Packing House -

Citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Lemon, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and lim ...

fruit was washed, cured, sorted and crated in the Packing House for shipment to

Key West, Florida Key West ( es, Cayo Hueso) is an island in the Straits of Florida, within the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Isla ...

Cedar Key, Florida Cedar Key is a city in Levy County, Florida, United States. The population was 702 at the 2010 census. The Cedar Keys are a cluster of islands near the mainland. Most of the developed area of the city has been on Way Key since the end of the 19th ...

, where it then was shipped to northern markets. The building is an

authentic Authenticity or authentic may refer to: * Authentication, the act of confirming the truth of an attribute Arts and entertainment * Authenticity in art, ways in which a work of art or an artistic performance may be considered authentic Music * A ...

reconstruction of the original. *''Magic'' - When not out cruising the bay, ''Magic'', a

replica A 1:1 replica is an exact copy of an object, made out of the same raw materials, whether a molecule, a work of art, or a commercial product. The term is also used for copies that closely resemble the original, without claiming to be identical. Al ...

of what was originally a

sailboat A sailboat or sailing boat is a boat propelled partly or entirely by sails and is smaller than a sailing ship. Distinctions in what constitutes a sailing boat and ship vary by region and maritime culture. Types Although sailboat terminology ...

that was

retrofitted Retrofitting is the addition of new technology or features to older systems. Retrofits can happen for a number of reasons, for example with big capital expenditures like naval vessels, military equipment or manufacturing plants, businesses or go ...

as a

motor launch A Motor Launch (ML) is a small military vessel in Royal Navy service. It was designed for harbour defence and submarine chasing or for armed high-speed air-sea rescue. Some vessels for water police service are also known as motor launches. ...

by John Webb around 1900 is moored near the Packing House

pier image:Brighton Pier, Brighton, East Sussex, England-2Oct2011 (1).jpg, Seaside pleasure pier in Brighton, England. The first seaside piers were built in England in the early 19th century. A pier is a raised structure that rises above a body of ...

. John Webb's grandson, Charles Webb, used ''Magic'' to transport and entertain guests at Webb's Winter Resort. It has been told for years by the docents at Spanish Point that the demise of the ''Magic'' was not known. Recently it was discovered that Charles Webb had left a handwritten journal and in that handwritten Journal he told of the demise of the ''Magic''. A hurricane hit the Osprey area in 1921. Before the hurricane arrived Charles Webb dragged the ''Magic'' as far up on land as he could. Further than he had ever seen the waterline rise to previously. However, the Hurricane was a fierce storm and worse than was expected. After the storm had died down Charles Webb went to check on the ''Magic'' and found that it had been totally destroyed by the sea. *Mary's Chapel - Mary's Chapel is named for Mary Sherrill, a young woman who died while staying at Webbs' Winter Resort, operated by the Webb family. The 1986 reconstruction contains the six

stained-glass windows Stained glass is coloured glass as a material or works created from it. Throughout its thousand-year history, the term has been applied almost exclusively to the windows of churches and other significant religious buildings. Although tradition ...

that were salvaged from the original building by Mabel Webb Johnson Sims. The chapel is a popular place for small country weddings. *Pioneer Cemetery - Next to Mary's Chapel is the family graveyard where members of the Webb family and other area pioneers are

interred Burial, also known as interment or inhumation, is a method of final disposition whereby a dead body is placed into the ground, sometimes with objects. This is usually accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing the deceased and objec ...

. *Duchene Lawn and Classic Portal - Mrs. Palmer's formal Duchene Lawn features two rows of

queen palm ''Syagrus romanzoffiana'', the queen palm or cocos palm, is a palm native to South America, introduced throughout the world as a popular ornamental garden tree. ''S. romanzoffiana'' is a medium-sized palm, quickly reaching maturity at a height o ...

s, ''

Phoenix reclinata ''Phoenix reclinata'' (''reclinata'' - Latin, reclining), the wild date palm, Arabian date palm or Senegal date palm, is a species of flowering plant in the palm family native to tropical Africa, the Levant, the Arabian Peninsula, Madagascar and ...

''s and a Washington palms. The Classic Portal framed a view of Webb's Cove during Mrs. Palmer's era. *Lychee Field - Now a grassy field with a few lychee trees, the field was once a large grove of lychee trees, a fruit-producing evergreen imported from the Far East. The Lychee Field was part of Gordon Palmer's nursery in the 1950s. *Butterfly Garden - The garden was designed to provide for the complete life cycle of

butterflies Butterflies are insects in the macrolepidopteran clade Rhopalocera from the Order (biology), order Lepidoptera, which also includes moths. Adult butterflies have large, often brightly coloured wings, and conspicuous, fluttering flight. The ...

. This area showcases

larval A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The l ...

and

nectar Nectar is a sugar-rich liquid produced by plants in glands called nectaries or nectarines, either within the flowers with which it attracts pollinating animals, or by extrafloral nectaries, which provide a nutrient source to animal mutualists ...

plants for

monarchs A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power in ...

, swallowtails, zebra longwings, and other

. The

flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s in the garden are

plants. Milkweed is both a larval and nectar plant. *Fern Walk - The entrance to Mrs. Palmer's Fern Walk is under the aqueduct. In a natural hollow created by the archaic

, beautiful ferns and palms are featured. *Guptill House - Frank and Lizzie Webb Guptill built their home on the prehistoric Archaic Midden in 1901. They rented rooms to winter boarders. Ten years later, the home was acquired by Mrs. Potter Palmer and called Hill Cottage. The Guptill House is furnished to depict the Florida

pioneer Pioneer commonly refers to a settler who migrates to previously uninhabited or sparsely inhabited land. In the United States pioneer commonly refers to an American pioneer, a person in American history who migrated west to join in settling and dev ...

era. *Pioneer Boat Yard - For early settlers along Florida's coast, local

estuaries An estuary is a partially enclosed coastal body of brackish water with one or more rivers or streams flowing into it, and with a free connection to the open sea. Estuaries form a transition zone between river environments and maritime environment ...

and the Gulf of Mexico were central to life. The Webb family

was dependent on aquatic resources, boats and

maritime Maritime may refer to: Geography * Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps * Maritime Region, a region in Togo * Maritime Southeast Asia * The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Princ ...

commerce. Frank Guptill operated his boatyard on the shores of Little Sarasota Bay very near to the place where this working boatyard is built. *Archaic Midden - Known as Palmer site 8s02, this is the oldest midden at Historic Spanish Point, dating to before 3000 BC. The site is thought to have been built by the Calusa Indian tribe. The Archaic Midden is made up of layers of

shellfish Shellfish is a colloquial and fisheries term for exoskeleton-bearing aquatic invertebrates used as food, including various species of molluscs, crustaceans, and echinoderms. Although most kinds of shellfish are harvested from saltwater envir ...

, shell tools, pottery, and other early artifacts built up through the Late Archaic (5,900-3,200 years ago), Manasota, and Late Woodland (3,200–1,000 years ago) periods. It is the only archaeological exhibit in the United States that is built inside an archaic midden. The occupation would have been by the

Calusa The Calusa ( ) were a Native American people of Florida's southwest coast. Calusa society developed from that of archaic peoples of the Everglades region. Previous indigenous cultures had lived in the area for thousands of years. At the time of ...

people, a band of complex

hunter-gatherer A traditional hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living an ancestrally derived lifestyle in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local sources, especially edible wild plants but also insects, fungi, ...

s who inhabited the Southwest Coast of Florida. *Jungle Walk and Aqueduct - The Jungle Walk was created by Mrs. Bertha Palmer with shell paths meandering past classical urns and tropical vegetation. A miniature aqueduct features water flowing over a shell cascade. To the north was once the Blue Garden and Mrs. Palmer's house, ''The Oaks''. *Cock's Footbridge - The original Footbridge was constructed in the late 1890s by Daniel Cock, whose boarding house, "Fiddler's Lodge", once stood at its northern end. Today, it provides an excellent view of the

mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...

shoreline A shore or a shoreline is the fringe of land at the edge of a large body of water, such as an ocean, sea, or lake. In physical oceanography, a shore is the wider fringe that is geologically modified by the action of the body of water past a ...

and the mooring of ''Lizzie G.'' and other wooden boats. *''Lizzie G.'' - This sharpie sailboat is an operational replica of an 1890s boat and was designed by master boatbuilder Stan Lowe & built under his direction by volunteers at Historic Spanish Point using traditional tools, techniques, and materials. The wood was harvested from local trees, cut down and shaped by hand. No power tools were used in the construction of the ''Lizzie G.'' The sails are hand-stitched cotton. *Point Cottage - Also known as "Bertha's Cottage", the house was constructed in 1931 for Potter Palmer III and his wife, Rose. It was later occupied by Potter's sister, Bertha, and her husband, Oakleigh Thorne. Today, it serves as a center for educational programs. *A Window to the Past - This archaeological exhibition is located inside a prehistoric shell midden. It features an audiovisual program about Historic Spanish Point's first inhabitants, a

diorama A diorama is a replica of a scene, typically a three-dimensional full-size or miniature model, sometimes enclosed in a glass showcase for a museum. Dioramas are often built by hobbyists as part of related hobbies such as military vehicle mode ...

that depicts a prehistoric dwelling, exhibits, and interactive displays. *Shell Ridge Midden - The highest point on the Shell Ridge Midden was created by the early inhabitants, perhaps to serve as a platform for the chief's residence or temple. It is also the site where the Webbs built their home, in 1867. *Sunken Garden and Pergola - The Sunken Garden was created by Mrs. Bertha Palmer between 1912 and 1915 as a formal garden area within the native Florida environment. The adjacent Pergola was constructed to provide views of the bay. Today, it is a popular wedding venue. *White Cottage - Originally built by Jack Webb in 1884, this building became "The Dormitory" in the 1890s for the Webbs' Winter Resort. The first floor features exhibit galleries. The second floor houses a research center that is open by appointment only.

References

External links

Oral History Slideshow: Historic Spanish Point Director Linda Mansperger Discusses Early Settlers

Video: ''Visit Historic Spanish Point''
{{authority control Archaeological museums in Florida Museums in Sarasota County, Florida Historic house museums in Florida Houses on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida Institutions accredited by the American Alliance of Museums Open-air museums in Florida Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in Florida Shell middens in Florida Archaeological sites in Florida Florida Native American Heritage Trail Houses in Sarasota County, Florida National Register of Historic Places in Sarasota County, Florida