A View of the Past

An editorial in today's SHT commented on the educational and fund raising effort held by the The Historical Society of Sarasota County:

In a downtown where newness announces itself with the roar of bulldozers, old Sarasota spoke quietly but eloquently Saturday.

In the shadow of construction cranes, on a green and sleepy patch of property that's scheduled for redevelopment, a crowd listened raptly to the story of Sarasota's oldest surviving home and the people who built it.

The 1880s structure, known as the Bidwell-Wood house, stands next to the Crocker church, a turn-of-the-century charmer that so far has withstood the march of time and termites. The Historical Society of Sarasota County is trying to raise money to move and restore both buildings, which are in the way of a planned condo/retail project along Cocoanut Avenue.

The Crocker Church and the Bidwell-Wood house are reminders of our past. Linkages to a simpler day, yet complicated in a different way.













The structures survive, the stories are still told. But they need our help to live for the next generation.

Contact the Historical Society.