Flashback

Photo: American Legion War Memorial Dedication Ceremony, 1941

Two local sailors who were home on leave hoisted a flag dedicated by Bertha Palmer, and Sarasota’s town band played “The Star Spangled Banner” while the crowd sang along.

05/05/2026 By Megan McDonald

School Style

Architect M. Leo Elliott Designed Four Iconic Sarasota Schools in 1926 and 1927

Elliott was a well-known Tampa architect.

11/03/2025 By Jeff LaHurd

Well Platted

The Birth of Venice

Even before the land boom hit Sarasota, world-renowned orthopedic surgeon Fred Albee saw the potential for development in Nokomis and Venice.

11/03/2025 By Jeff LaHurd

The 1920s

The Land Boom Decade That Changed Sarasota Forever

Promises of paradise, get-rich-quick promotions, buying, developing and reselling are the threads that weave throughout the entirety of the Sunshine State’s history, including Sarasota’s.

11/03/2025 By Jeff LaHurd

Throwback

Photos: 125 Years of Sarasota Swimsuits

Oh, how times have changed! As we enter the dog days of summer, let's take a look back at a century of Sarasota swimwear.

07/05/2024 By Megan McDonald

Essential Intelligence

The Incredible History and Uncertain Future of the Iconic Florida Orange

The citrus industry is in trouble, but the orange continues to symbolize the Sunshine State’s allure.

11/30/2021 By Cooper Levey-Baker

Flashback

Flashback: Bandleader Rudy Bundy at the Lido Casino, 1947

Debonair clarinetist Rudy Bundy brought his 12-piece big band to Sarasota in 1940 and quickly became the musical soundtrack of the ’40s and 1950s.

04/01/2020 By Ilene Denton

Growing Up

A Glimpse Into Sarasota's Rich Agricultural History

How our region's soil has shaped our history and present day.

03/02/2020 By Sarafina Murphy-Gibson

Flashback

Flashback: Sailor Circus, 1952

Sailor Circus began as a Sarasota High School gym class in 1949.

10/30/2019 By Ilene Denton

Flashback

Flashback: Celery Fields, 1930s

The rich muckland in east Sarasota has been important agriculturally and ecologically for more than 100 years.

06/30/2019 By Kay Kipling

Lost World

Remnants of Ancient Civilizations Are Still Around Us, But They’re Vanishing Fast

There are 319 officially recognized archaeological sites in Sarasota County, and 66 of them are likely to contain human remains.

05/30/2019 By Brad Edmonson

The Giving Sea

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Jack E. Davis on the Gulf of Mexico, History and Hope

Before Davis, no one had told the story of the Gulf.

11/29/2018 By Isaac Eger

Climate Catastrophe

A Historian Looks Back at Transformative Florida Weather Events

In the Sunshine State, epic hurricanes and killer freezes have wrecked economies and changed the landscape. Here are some that stand out .

06/25/2018 By Gary R. Mormino

Sunshine Memories

We're Still Living in Paradise

Even 100 years later.

12/28/2016

Sunshine Memories

The Circus Made Us Famous

The circus' Winter Headquarters was the largest attraction in the state in the '30s and '40s.

12/28/2016