Graced with timeless beauty and nature's bounty, it's easy to see why Historic Spanish Point has been inhabited for more than 4,000 years. A quiet oasis overlooking Little Sarasota Bay, the scenic 30-acre peninsula is the site of the most well preserved Indian village in Florida.

Journey through time from prehistory to present; see burial mounds and pioneer homesteads; stroll elaborate gardens borne of prosperity and generosity; connect with people and events from the distant past. Listen carefully … you might hear Indians weep as they bury the dead, a young pioneer woman sing as she goes about her daily chores or society ladies chatter at an elegant garden party.

One of the first things you'll discover is that you are standing on a midden or shell mound. Built by generations of prehistoric Indians from about 300 to 1000 AD, the mounds are composed of shark teeth, smashed pottery, shell and bones. They tell us about the natives, the kind of homes they lived

The Guptill House Courtesy of Historic Spanish Point

in and the life forms with which they shared the land and sea … that they fished and hunted, made tools from shell, bone and wood, mended their fishing nets, cooked their food and buried their dead.

A unique exhibition, A Window to the Past, presents what archaeologists have discovered about these early inhabitants. This is the only place in the country where you can enter a prehistoric shell mound, as the exhibition is actually inside a midden.

As you continue to stroll along the shadowy paths, you'll sense the pioneer spirit of the Webb family who settled here. Seeking to escape the harsh winters of New York, John and Eliza Webb and their five children traveled to Florida in 1867 in search of the ideal location for a homestead. A Spanish trader they met in Key West recommended this location because of the elevated land extending into the bay. The Webbs settled here and named it "Spanish Point" for their friendly adviser and for the land's prominent extension into the bay. Over the next 40 years, the family farmed more than ten acres on this site, shipping their crops to the market in Key West on their own schooners.

You'll see the citrus packing house where John Webb and his family packed and shipped oranges, Frank and Lizzie Webb Guptill's home, restored to its pioneer era beginnings, the family graveyard and pioneer cemetery and Mary's Chapel… a quaint and popular spot today for small, informal weddings.

Next, enter the gracious world of Mrs. Bertha Potter Palmer, one of the country's most influential women in the early 1900s. Realizing she had found a subtropical paradise, this widow of Chicago magnate Potter Palmer purchased a vast portion of land for real estate development, cattle ranching and citrus groves. She designed elaborate gardens to surround her winter estate, while taking special care to preserve the pioneer dwellings and remains of prehistoric life.

See her formal lawns and plantings, including her Water Garden, Sunken Garden and Pergola, Duchene Lawn and Fern Walk. Along the Jungle Walk you'll hear the trickling sounds of a waterfall made of shells, where an aqueduct meanders past classical urns and exotic vegetation. A dramatic backdrop of wild Florida foliage only enhances the meticulously maintained gardens. Bamboo and creeping fig mingle with vines and air plants, and live oaks, mastics and gumbo-limbo trees carpet the coastal hardwood hammocks.

In these tranquil surroundings, natural beauty abounds and history is preserved for posterity. And fortunately, thanks to visionaries like Mrs. Palmer, some things never change.

Historic Spanish Point is located at 337 N. Tamiami Trail in Osprey. Open 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon - 5 p.m. Sundays. Admission is $9 for adults and $3 for children six to 12. Call 941-966-5214 or visit www.historicspanishpoint.org.

The Big Picture
Links to the past add depth to the present… experience the connection at other Sarasota landmarks, such as the John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art, Circus Museum and Cà d'Zan mansion (www.ringling.org) and the beautiful Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (www.selby.org), one of the top ten in America.

Originally posted 5/24/04