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Florida
Public Archaeology Network
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Lee
County Page 6 of 6 |
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Useppa
Island |
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The
history of this island goes back some 6,000 years, to when the first
estuaries were formed, and the area’s first inhabitants lived
here and created the earliest shell middens. Archaeologists have documented
numerous habitation sites here, and many of the findings can be seen
in the Barbara Sumwalt Museum on the island. |
Useppa
Island |
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Useppa also has reported connections to pirates, Spanish maidens,
and old Hollywood, as well as to several presidents. These links
cannot all be substantiated by historians, but clearly the most
influential figure in the development of Useppa as a go-to place
was Barron Collier, who made such a major impact on southwest Florida
history.
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Useppa
Island |
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In
the early years of the 20th Century, the waters around Useppa and
Gasparilla Islands became world famous for tarpon fishing, attracting
many wealthy sportsmen. Publisher, advertising entrepreneur, and land-owner
Barron Gift Collier built a vacation estate here, after vacationing
in Fort Myers with his wife Juliet. The couple fell in love with the
area, and for the sum of $100,000 they bought nearby Useppa Island.
The island was reputed to be the place where Jose Gaspar, the Spanish
pirate (now thought to be a mythical figure) had held one of his favorite
female captives - - a Spanish maiden named Josefa, or Useppa - - a
century earlier. As the story goes, when Gaspar was spurned by Josefa,
he beheaded her, and her ghost wanders the area to this day (also
unlikely to be true, but this too is a favorite story!). |
Useppa
Island |
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Collier's
guests on Useppa included Mae West, Theodore Roosevelt, Herbert Hoover,
Gloria Swanson, the Rockefellers, and Zane Grey.
Collier’s original home is now the Collier Inn, which sits atop
the island's highest point (37 feet above sea level), also the highest
in south Florida.
Collier became the largest landowner and developer in the State of
Florida (as well as the owner of a steamship line, a telephone company,
a chain of hotels, bus lines, several banks, and newspapers), and
by age twenty-six, he was worth a million dollars. |
Useppa
Island |
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Today, Useppa is home to many homes and to the Barbara Sumwalt
Museum, and is accessible only by boat, and by arrangement. Archaeological
research still occurs here on a semi-regular basis, directed by
Bill Marquardt of the Florida Museum of Natural History in Gainesville.
Area residents are very loyal supporters of this research, and also
have contributed a lot of time and effort to drawing attention to
the history of this interesting area.
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Bonita
Springs Historical Society |
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Bonita
Springs; They operate a museum in the former Liles Hotel,
located along the Imperial River along Old 41 in downtown Bonita Springs.
This building also houses offices for some city employees. Some rooms
in the building are used for displays. Information about historic
tourism paper the walls, and features such as the Everglades Wonder
Gardens, and other historic attractions, are described on nice displays.
Future plans include more traveling exhibits, as well as displays
of some local artifacts. The society also has an unofficial record
of historic sites in the area, since according to the comp plan only
owners can designate properties historic (this is a key distinction
between the Bonita Springs ordinance and that of Lee County, where
a review process exists outside of the property owner and the Historic
Preservation Board or the city council can nominate properties as
historic.
The Bonita Springs Historical Society is planning a research library
that will focus on information about southwest Florida archaeology
and history. Some materials will be for sale, but for the most part
this facility will serve as a research center, and a place to consult
with knowledgeable area historians. Contact Charlie Strader with any
questions, or to get involved. Sometimes they have a speakers series
sponsored by the Florida Humanities Council
explorationsinc.com/historical/index.html |
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Thanks
to M. C. Bob Leonard, Professor of History, Hillsborough Community
College for information from unofficial websites. |
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