History
"Pinecraft" became the new name in 1925 or 1926 of what had been the Sarasota National Tourist Camp, consisting at the time of 466 campsites, most of them in size, with a small public park at the present site of Pinecraft Park, a community house, and a water tank. At that time Pinecraft was about in size, bounded on the north by Bahia Vista Street (Bay Vista Street), on the west by Phillippi Creek, on the south by Second Avenue South (roughly parallel with the current Schrock Street), and on the east by Yoder Street (at the time Eleventh Street, later Lee Drive). This book's main sources are letters to the Sugarcreek, Ohio ''Budget'', a newspaper that for many years has contained both local news about Sugarcreek and letters submitted by Amish from around the country relating personal and social news (in the "national edition.") Sometime after 1926, another tourist camp called Homecroft was laid out on adjacent property west and north of Pinecraft, which sometime after 1946 was incorporated into Pinecraft. Homecroft, about 1/4 mile by 1/2 mile in size, was bounded by Hacienda Street on the north, Yoder Street (then Lee Drive) on the west, Schrock Street (then Acacia Street) on the south, and Beneva Road (then Beneva Drive) on the east. The transition from camps to residential areas occurred gradually, with major housing construction beginning in the early 1940s, continuing briskly through the 1940s and into the 1950s. The roads were paved around 1949–1950. In 1949 single lots at Pinecraft sold for $200, corner lots for $225.Mennonite and Amish churches
The Mennonite Tourist Church at 3340 Bahia Vista Avenue has been a landmark from the time it was purchased by Mennonites in 1946 for $7,500, . Prior to the purchase, the Kruppa bakery occupied the land. The church had attendance at the first Sunday services of 531 people. It was used by both Mennonites and Amish in separate services for a period of time. Starting in 1947 it was also used as a school for children vacationing in Florida, though by 1949 or 1950 the county built a school for Pinecraft children at the corner of Beneva Road and Bahia Vista Street. The Amish have a separate church located at 1325 Hines Avenue.Transportation from the north
Amish from Indiana and Ohio travel to Pinecraft on buses of the Crossroad Tours company ofMedia
Season 2 of Breaking Amish, Breaking Amish: Brave New World, was filmed in Pinecraft. It was received with overall backlash from the community. In fact, one of the restaurant staples in Pinecraft, Der Dutchman, released a statement emphasizing that the corporate office didn't support the production. This release was given after Der Dutchman already allowed filming within the restaurant.See also
* Sarasota Christian School, a Mennonite school in SarasotaReferences
External links
Literature
* * {{cite book , first1=John A. , last1=Hostetler , title=Amish Society , location=Baltimore , year=1993 , pages=358-360 Amish in the United States Mennonitism in the United States Sarasota, Florida Neighborhoods in Florida Pennsylvania German culture Census-designated places in Sarasota County, Florida