This Week Newsletter - May 27, 2009
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This Weeks Video
Memorial Day was celebrated this past Monday with parades and reflection for our war-time heros. Traditionally, it occurs on May 31st, so we are presenting our video history of Sarasota's War Memorial monument this week as our video of choice. If you have never been to see it up close, it is worth your time. It is a great place to contemplate and appreciate what our soldiers have sacrificed for our freedoms. Click here to view the video.
Tales of Sarasota
This week, Diane is going to enlighten us about "animals" at the hardware store. Huh? These animals were chained up outside the store during the day (unless someone bought one) with no water or food, and only taken in at night. And, still, they weren't fed or watered! We know that sounds cruel and illegal, but rest assured, it is not what you think. Diane has a way of taking us down memory lane and Pete always has a prank at hand to make life more entertaining. See what the mystery is all about. Click here to read Diane's blog.
The Survey ResultsThe survey we conducted last week has been tallied and we would like to extend our thanks to all who participated. Your input is a significant factor in helping us move forward and improve our website and weekly e-Newsletter. Results: 100% said we are an asset to the community 84% agreed that Cell Phone Tours will be important to our community for promoting Heritage Tourism (see sample at www.sarasotahistoryalive.com/tbc) 84% thought that supporting us through contributions, paid memberships, adversting or sponsorship was a good idea and they would be willing to do so. 31% wanted to see more interesting features added to our newsletter or website 84% of you visit us weekly, and 16% monthly The Winners for Favorite Feature are as follows; 1. Journals of Yesteryear 2. It's a tie: Videos and Historical Markers 3. Designated homes and buildings 4. Another tie: The Tales of Sarasota blog and Community Founders We listen to our viewers and will be ramping-up to fulfill your requests, and follow through on your comments to make our service even better. Please note one additon we are starting in this issue, which is explained in the top right article, "Announcing New Feature". We hope you enjoy the improvements we are developing and you come back regularly and check them out. Editor...
The Main Street Reporter
(photo credit: Sarasota County History Center) July 1, 1947 (SHT) Dashing Fisherman...is R.B. Mattison who has been trying his hand at tarpon fishing for sometime with only one small catch. "So out in his 11-foot skip with its one horsepower motor he was all agog when he felt a tug on his light tackle," says a pal of his down at Five Points the following morn."It was in the Gulf right outside his home too, at Point O'Rocks. All alone, he had to run the engine to keep the boat from heading out to sea. Then right in the middle of playing the fish, he ran out of gas and had to fill up his tank. He dashed to and fro like mad and managed to land his tarpon willie-nillie. Durned if I ever saw a guy run a motor, play a fish and refill and engine all at the same time!" laughed his friend. That tarpon weighed 63 pounds was caught very lightly and R.B. slipped him back in the water, and says he will go out again soon to try to catch him again. (Editors note: If you have any great memories of encounters with Helen, please contact us and we will be delighted to print them in our newsletter.)
Edson and Nettie Keith
The materials for this elaborate Italianate home had to be delivered by barge. When it was completed the home had hot and cold running water in each of its many luxurious bathrooms - at a time when many Americans were still using outhouses. Even the dock had electricity. Edson Keith was a Renaissance man. He read Latin and Greek and was fluent in French. He had an engineering degree from Yale and a law degree from Columbia, but his first love was music. He studied in Paris, performed with the Paris Opera and composed music. After he and Nettie married, Edson and his brother took over operation of the hat and glove factory their father had built in Chicago. He and Nettie enjoyed the social life of Chicago that included Bertha Palmer and Marshall Field and their families. After 25 years in Chicago, the Keiths retired full-time to Sarasota. They kept chickens, a cow, a vegetable garden and citrus trees. They also had a butler, cook, at least one maid at any given time, a laundress and a farmer. A chauffer looked after the farm equipment and pump house, as well as the boats and cars. After Edson died in 1939, Nettie sold their home and moved to a smaller one in Sarasota. Another Chicagoan, Mae Hansen, bought the property; the mansion later became a restaurant. In 1986, Sarasota County voters approved a referendum that included the purchase of the 60-acre estate for $5.2 million. Today it is Phillippi Estate Park. To learn more about the Keiths and other topics in Sarasota County history, visit the Sarasota County History Center, 6062 Porter Way, Sarasota, visit the County's website at www.scgov.net or call 941-861-5000. (photo credit: Sarasota County History Center) |
Announcing New FeatureSarasota History Alive! will now begin to enrich your viewing experience by providing slide shows of photos for select stories, and when more than one photo exists to represent the story. Our first slide show follows and coincides with the Cora Heywood story below. We were fortunate to locate her photo album, that she assembled in the early 1920s, while in Sarasota representing the American Red Cross. Providing multiple photos exist, when a story is released it will have a link to the photos at the end of the article. We hope you enjoy this new feature, and it is just one way we are responding to your suggestions that you submitted in our survey last week. Good reading, good shots, and good times at Sarasota History Alive!
Cora Heywood Embarked on a Health Campaign In the spring of 1921, several months before Sarasota County was formed, the local Red Cross chapter sponsored Cora Heywood as a public health nurse to focus on the health of children in the southern part of Manatee County. She had graduated from the nursing school at Heywood Hospital in Gardner, Massachusetts, in 1911, and was sent to Sarasota by the Red Cross headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia.
The local Red Cross chapter began during World War I when members of the Sarasota Woman's Club organized to support American troops in military hospitals. Although later organizationally separate, the chapter continued its association with the Woman's Club. While in Sarasota, Cora Heywood reported to the Woman's Club of her work and was given honorary membership in that organization. She received some funding from the club for her work and for a car to facilitate her traveling to the far-reaches of the new county. In contrast to today's public health concern about increasing obesity in school children, Heywood targeted underweight with its associated malnutrition. She embarked on an educational program for the children and their parents, with the goal of bringing the children's weight up to the standard for their height. In a report carried by the Sarasota Times in July, Heywood told of children proudly calling to her on the street, "Miss Heywood, I have gained a whole pound since school closed." Read more... Be sure and click through to see her photo album on this link Cora Heywood Slide Show... (photo credit: Sarasota County History Center) Yesterday's Sarasota Calendar
Also, be sure and check out Whit's website at: www.ChickenHillNC.com. This Saturday in 1866, John Ringling was born in MacGregor, Iowa. One of seven brothers, he was the route agent of the famous circus, traveling throughout the world wherever the circus toured. He spent the last twenty-six years of his life based in Sarasota, where he built the fabulous Ca'd' Zan for he and his wife, Mable. Some ten years after his death in 1936, the estate, and art collection housed there was turned over to the state of Florida. The mansion and museum remain open to the public today as one of Sarasota's favorite attractions. (photo credit: Sarasota County History Center)
History Locator
It reads: In 1903 what later became the Sarasota Woman's Club was founded the (Sarasota) Town Improvement Society. Members were active Sarasota Women who successfully lobbied town leaders to install streetlights and sidewalks, and undertook horticultural projects to beautify the area. In 1913, they began raising funds to build a clubhouse to accommodate the club's social activities and to serve as the town's first library, which remained there until 1941. In 1914, this site was purchased for $2,000 and members and the community raised the funds to begin constructing a clubhouse, designed by local architect H.N. Hall and built by local contractor George Lysat, was completed. For 61 years, the clubhouse was a focal point for the group's varied activities and was the scene of numerous social, literary and entertainment gatherings. In 1976, the Sarasota Woman's Club moved to new quarters. Nevertheless, the former clubhouse continued its use as a center of Sarasota culture and entertainment for many more years until 1977, when it was placed in use as the home of Florida Studio Theatre, a non-profit regional theater company.
Oh My, Roger...
We have mentioned Roger Flory in some of our history videos, as he was quite the promoter of Sarasota from the 1920s onward. He was a Chicago attorney who fell in love with Sarasota and moved here to become a successful Realtor. Karl Grismer, in his book, The Story of Sarasota, says of Flory, "In 1928 he produced the Sarasota Visitors' Guide, which was an annual publication designed to attract visitors to Sarasota through illustration and intimate description". We are all indepted to Roger Flory for his dedication to making Sarasota a better place to live. He was very active in the American Legion, and was always ready to do all sorts of publicity to draw tourists here. With that in mind, I could not resist showing you a lighter side of his humor. Love the bow, Roger! (photo credits: Sarasota County History Center)
Where was I?Our winner for last week's contest was Robert Scheb. Many participants guessed the correct answer (must have been too easy) though the winner is determined by the first person to guess correctly. Your answers are time-stamped when they are submitted to us. Click here to review the photo, question and the correct answer of last week's challenge. This Week's Clues:
Too bad this mid-century modern building was demolished, and only a blank field and shell parking lot remains. Wouldn't it be great to have a place for our youth to go and have a place of their own to enjoy? It would be better than hanging out in front of movie theaters, and in beach and mall parking lots. Enough of my soapbox opinion. So the question is, where was I located? No address is needed and you can say either what buildings still stand in front of it, or to its north side. So, give it your best guess and submit your answer below. After all, you have a chance at winning superior customer service by our sponsor, Tommy Calloway. Please submit the form that allows you to guess the answer. Click here to fill it out, and next week we will announce the winner, and give the solution to the question. Answer early, since the first person with the correct answer, claims the prize. Contestants may win only once per month. Our sponsor this week is Calloway European Automotive, Inc. The owner, Thomas J. Calloway, is very fond of Sarasota's history and would like to offer the winner of this week's contest a choice of two very generous services.
Mr. Calloway is ASE Master Certified for both foreign and domestic automobiles, and has 34 years experience. |
We would like to extend our thanks to the Sarasota Herald-Tribune for permitting Sarasota History Alive! to reprint excerpts of Helen Griffith's Main Street Reporter column from the 1940s and beyond. Please visit them online at, 
Edson Keith and his wife Nettie built the mansion at Phillippi Estate Park in 1916. The road from Sarasota was not yet paved.
Every day of the year we highlight what took place in Sarasota's history, thanks to Whit Rylee and Tom Payne's extensive research and sense of humor. Frequently check our website's 
This week we are honoring the Sarasota Woman's Club historical marker.
Believe it or not, this is a photo of Roger V. Flory that your editor came across while researching at the History Center. I never expected to see Mr. Flory posing in drag, but admittedly he sure made a cute one.
Ahh...great times were had at this place designed especially for our youth. This was the place to hang out in the 60's and in fact this is where your editor first heard "The Twist" by Chubby Checker! Friday nights this center was the dancing and gaming spot in town for teens.
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