Sometimes you look for a history mystery and sometimes, like in this case, the mystery finds you. In preparing for our next presentation (History Under the Stars on July 16 - be there!), I needed a photo of Ben Stickney’s grave. This is his headstone: Headstone of Joseph Leach and Benjamin Stickney Well, that’s different. I have not seen a shared grave marker for two [...]
Rose Wilson's Obituary, Sarasota Herald Tribune, October 24, 1964 Fair warning, this is a DENSE blog post, but I think it is important for three reasons: 1) I love Rose Wilson and want people to know more about her. 2) It illustrates the dedication that Mimi and I give to our research. We look for multiple primary sources and pride ourselves in creating a [...]
There's no doubt that Sarasota has changed. Anyone that has lived here in the last 10 years has seen rapid growth and development, and I must say that there are parts of this town that feel like foreign lands compared to how they looked in my childhood. These changes intrigue me because I know that people remarked how different Sarasota was from their own childhoods when I [...]
In preparation for an upcoming presentation, I am researching Rose Phillips Wilson. Rose took on the role of editor of the Sarasota Times when her husband C.V.S passed away in 1910 and continued to publish the paper until she sold it in 1923. At that time simply being a woman newspaper publisher is impressive enough, but Rose used her intellect, skill, and platform to become a force [...]
It's nearing graduation season and my niece is soon to be walking across the stage at Riverview High School, and off to join the ranks of college freshmen this Fall. It's an exciting time, and she's making her final choices on which university she will be attending. This time of year always has me thinking about college majors, and how rarely they intersect with actual long-term career [...]
Demolition of Sea Breeze Inn My daily commute includes the North Trail. Everyday I watch as the iconic mid-century motels meet their demise. I understand that these buildings are dilapidated, but it still hurts my history nerd heart to see them go. I had been attempting to write a blog post to honor the era of the motels, but I was having a difficult time [...]
With my Nancy Drew mystery themed blog posts, it was only a matter of time before I addressed one of the most infamous unsolved mysteries in Sarasota history, the murder of Harry Higel (which leads us to the legend of Rube Allyn). Left Rube Allyn, Right Harry Higel The Murder Harry Higel served as mayor of Sarasota, was a beloved local businessman, and was the [...]
A while back, I was perusing Florida Memory (a service of the state's Division of Library and Information Services), and a bubbly blonde woman in a 1950s Barbie-esque bathing suit was gleaming at me. Her name: Barbara Bowers. Barbara Bowers poses with a beach ball on Lido Beach - Sarasota, Florida. 1954. (Photo courtesy of Florida Memory.) Maybe it was her impeccably coiffed hair. Maybe [...]
This mystery begins with a map (as many good mysteries do). A 1925 Sanborn Map courtesy of Sarasota County Historical Resources to be exact. In case you were wondering (which I am sure you were) Sanborn maps were created in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for fire insurance, Mimi and I were using them to plan an historical tour. Before we begin this mystery, it [...]
In 2000, the Florida Department of State and the Florida League of Cities created the Great Floridians Program to celebrate the people who made a significant contribution to the culture of Florida through philanthropy, public service, or personal or professional service. Nominations were accepted in 1999 and put to a committee of state historians. In Sarasota, there are 14 people who were given the accolade of Great [...]
