Just one more thing...

One last tidbit from Anna Maria Island, a photo of Ginny's & Jane E's at the Old IGA, an internet cafe / antique store / bakery / florist in what used to be a grocery store.

Mr. Roser

One of the original developers of Anna Maria Island was Charles Roser. Roser is generally credited with being the inventor of Fig Newtons, although some of the details are lost in the murky depths of time. After selling the Fig Newton to National Biscuit Company (Nabisco), Roser moved down to Florida and tried his hand at real estate development. In addition to Anna Maria Island, he promoted Roser Park in St. Petersburg.

On Pine Street, near the Anna Maria City Pier, are two buildings with historical connections to the cookie maker: Roser Cottage and the Roser Community Memorial Church. The church was built by Charles' father John Roser, in memory of his wife.

It Was Nice, Even Though It Was Closed...

Well, what did I expect for the afternoon of the 4th of July! But I stopped by the Anna Maria Island Museum anyhow, and had a fine time. The museum itself is in one of those types of historic buildings I like, the ones that don't look like anything in particular, until you know the back-story. According to the historical marker, it was built in 1920 as an ice house, the "was subsequently used as city hall, the police department, a firehouse and the Turtle House" before being renovated in 1992 as the historical society's museum.

Here's the view from inside:

Again, the historical marker was helpful here, reporting that the jail was built in 1927 to handle overly happy guests of a local tavern. At the time, the jail did have bars, but no window glass, and it seems the mosquitoes had a "sobering effect." A fire in 1940 burned the wooden parts of the jail building, leaving the concrete/tabby parts to become a local tourist attraction.

Another historic building at the museum is the Belle Haven Cottage, built in 1920 in the bay next to the City Pier (click here for a historic postcard showing the cottage in its original location). Evidently the house's piers rotted and it fell into the water after just six years. Lyman Christy bought the cottage and had it barged around tot he other side of the island. He fixed it up and it was home for him and his wife Wanda for nearly 50 years. Then in 2001, the house was moved again, this time to the museum site. So say the historic markers. I like the flower bed border of mismatched plates.

For more information about the Anna Maria Island Historical Society and their museum, here's a link to their website. Do as I say, and not as I do, and go visit them when they're open!

Anna Maria Island City Pier

In the early 1890s, George Emerson Bean of Connecticut set up a homestead on the northern end of Anna Maria Island, looking across salt water to Egmont Key, at the mouth of Tampa Bay. In 1911 George's son George started the Anna Maria Beach Company along with John Roser (more about him later), beginning commercial development of the island. One of the first steps was to build a city pier on the bay side of the island, where excursion steamers from Tampa could unload passengers.

The City Pier is still a popular spot for tourists, day trippers, and local fishermen.

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Further Reading

Visiting Small-Town Florida (Revised Edition) by Bruce Hunt (Pineapple Press, 2003)

A Historical Geography of Southwest Florida Waterways: Volume One, Anna Maria Sound to Lemon Bay (Sea Grant Florida, 2000)

Anna Maria Island Bridge

From a recent trip to the beach (in the rain), here's a photograph of the raised draw of the Anna Maria Island Bridge. In September, this 50-year-old bridge will be closed for a few weeks for repairs. The bridge is on State Road 64 (Manatee Avenue) and takes cars and trucks over Sarasota Bay between Anna Maria and Bradenton.