INUSA Tour Guide

Historic Spanish Point

Osprey, Florida

See Evidence of Prehistoric Life
Over 4,000 years ago, people lived at what is now Historic Spanish Point. Here these early Floridians fished and hunted, made tools from shell, bone and wood, mended their fishing nets, cooked their food and buried their dead. At Historic Spanish Point you will a burial mound and two middens or shell mound, which contain the evidence of lives of these early people. The middens were created from shell, bones and other day-to-day accumulations. The unique archaeological exhibition, A Window to the Past located inside the midden, presents what archaeologists have discovered about these early inhabitants.

Experience the Lives of Pioneer Homesteaders
Seeking to escape the harsh winters of New York, John and Eliza Webb and their 5 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 the elevated land extending into the bay. The Webbs settled here, naming their new home Spanish Point for their friendly adviser and for the land's prominent extension into Little Sarasota Bay. Over the next 40 years the family farmed more than 10 acres on this site, shipping their crops to the market in Key West on their own schooners. On your tour, you can visit the citrus packing house and Frank and Lizzie Webb Guptill's home, which has been restored to its pioneer era beginnings. You will also see Mary's Chapel and the Pioneer Cemetary where the Webb family and other early settlers are buried.

Stroll Through the Gracious Palmer Era
Bertha Matilde Honore Palmer was a visionary who in 1910 recognized the subtropical paradise of Sarasota as one of the world's choicest locations. Purchasing a large portion of present-day Sarasota County, this widow of Chicago magnate Potter Palmer set about planning her acreage for real estate development, cattle ranching and citrus groves, At Spanish Point, sit of her winter estate Osprey Point, she designed elaborate gardens while also preserving the pioneer dwellings and Indian remains. Here you can enjoy the restored formal lawns and plantings, including the Sunken Garden and Pergola, the Duchene Lawn and the Fern and Jungle Walk with the scenic aqueduct. Although Mrs Palmer died in 1918, Historic Spanish Point remained in the Palmer family until 1980 when the site was donated to Gulf Coast Heritage Association, Inc.

Observe our Natural Environment
At Historic Spanish Point you step into a quiet oasis in the midst of bustling Sarasota County. The 30 acre site is bordered by mangroves on its western rim (Little Sarasota Bay) and pine flatlands to the east. Here, bamboo and creeping fig combine with the vines and air plants to create an impression of serenity. You will see live oaks, mastics and gumbo-limbo trees carpeting the coastal hardwood hammocks. Historic Spanish Point's rich plant life showcases a host of native Florida species as well as the (non-native) exotic plants introduced by the Palmer family. The major plant communities and many plants are identified thoughout the site.

LOCATION: 337 North Tamiami Trail (PO Box 846), Osprey, FL 34229. Phone 941-966-5214.

HOURS: 9 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday, 12 PM to 5 PM Sunday.

ADMISSION: Adults $5.00, children (6-12) $3.00, members free.

DIRECTIONS: Exit I-41 south of Sarasota, north of Venice. Look for signs.