From Dilapidated Fishing Dock to Major Southwest Florida Tourist Attraction

Forty years ago the dilapidated dock at the edge of the historic area of Punta Gorda was an eyesore for the City.  On top of that, Florida visitors who had stopped by the town and residents seeking places to shop either soon found or already knew that they had to keep going, either to Fort Myers to Sarasota.  That ended, with a vision of three gentlemen who saw the opportunity to turn the old dock into a shopping/tourist attraction with a New England fishing village theme.  Don Donelsen, a local developer, radio personality Earl Nightingale and publisher Bob Anderson imagined a complex with a fine dining restaurant, shops, apartments, a marina, a total entertainment complex for families.  Fishermen's Village was born.  Forty years later, as the Village expands and improves, the 2nd largest tourist attraction in Southwest Florida has come a long way.

Four Days to the Giving Challenge PGHC - Triple your Donation impact on Tuesday to Save Punta Gorda History

Punta Gorda History Center featured in Charlotte Sun today

The Hibiscus King's Historic Fisherman's Cottage Built in a Day has stood on Retta Esplanade over 115 Years

The original fisherman's cottage built in 1900 at 621 Retta Esplanade has been remodeled and expanded over the years.   "The Goulding Cottage," which was for many years the home of Harry "Pete" Goulding,  Punta Gorda's  Hibiscus King,  who created over 60 varieties of our town's favorite bloom, is a prime  example of one of the many “fishermen’s cottages” that once overlooked the harbor.  They have been referred to as  “dark to dark” houses because two men could  build one in one day's light-time hours.

Remarkably the cottage withstood hurricanes and time, and remains on Retta among the stately Victorians that now grace the Esplanade.  

For Easter - Punta Gorda's First Church Sanctuary Building

This First Baptist Church pictured here was, as best can be determined, the first Christian sanctuary to be built in Punta Gorda as a church.  (The first church was in a community building that served as both a school and a church for Methodists and Baptists).  The Baptists were the second group to organize a congregation here in the 1880s.  The original congregation consisted of nine members. Among the original congregation were James L. and Mary L. (nee Seward) Sandlin, James M. and Martha (nee Sandlin) Morgan, and Mrs. Nancy Linquish. 

This church  structure built between 1891 and 1895 was on the corner of Marion and Cross (41 South).  It was sold by the church to the Rebekah's for a lodge in the 1960s and later became a bridal store.  Then on August 13, 2004 the winds of Hurricane Charley took it down in minutes.