Manatee Village Historical Park (Tour)

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1. 1903 Wiggins General Store

Imagine this spot over a century ago. You’re in the Village of Manatee. Remember, before electricity, cars, and busy roads, Florida was a frontier. The pioneers in this small but growing settlement on the Manatee River, had to carve out a center of commerce in the Florida wilds. At the turn of the century, if you wanted the best selection of groceries and gadgets in Manatee County, you made the trek to the Wiggins Store in the village. Unlike today, a trip to the store could mean a journey of several days. King Wiggins, an entrepreneur in business and agriculture, built his store on this spot in 1903. It’s five blocks from the Manatee River, the village’s lifeline before the railroad came to town. Wiggins' store stood on the main street--easy to spot as you entered the town. Doubtless it would have caught your eye, as it was one of the first brick buildings in the area. Brick was expensive and King Wiggins used it to make a grand impression on arriving travelers. But brick could also be hot, so Wiggins built the walls with two layers of brick and an air pocket in between to keep the building cool. As weary travelers walked into town, the store’s large windows and spacious porches, invited them to enter. Wiggins designed his store for several uses. Customers would enter the general store on the ground floor, which also housed a large storage area. If you traveled far, you might choose to spend the night on the store’s second floor, where Wiggins rented out rooms. As you can imagine, the Wiggins Store soon became a gathering spot for the Manatee community. Customers lingered there to catch up on village news, listen to Wiggins’s phonograph, or play a friendly game of checkers.

2. Bat Fogarty Boat Works

The Fogarty Brothers, fisherman from Key West, settled in Manatee County in 1866, marking the start of Manatee County's boat-building industry. The brothers established Fogartyville on the banks of the Manatee River. It was a small town with a general store, churches, cemetery, bakery, and more. The heart of the town were wharves and buildings for the construction of boats. Bat Fogarty was the son of one of the Fogarty Brothers. This building once housed Captain Bat Fogarty’s last boat works (boat-building workshop). This boat works was originally constructed on the bank of the Manatee River. Capt. Bat built vessels for many years after the close of the Fogarty Shipyards. His boat works closed with his death in 1944. In 1993 his grandson, Charles Fogarty died and the family gave the building to the South Florida Museum (now the Bishop Museum). Inside was a time capsule: wood patterns and molds, tools, and belt driven machinery were all left where Capt. Bat last placed them. Through the efforts of the Manatee County Historical Commission, the Florida Historical Society, and the Fogarty Family, the boat works was preserved, moved to Manatee Village Historical Park, restored and opened to the public in 1995. Additional equipment from the boat works is on display at The Bishop.

3. Blacksmith Shop

Blacksmiths were important to the settlement of our area. The pioneer Blacksmith made settlement possible in any new area by providing farm tools and various architectural and functional objects. Even settlers who already owned these items brought them to the Blacksmith for repairs or sharpening. This Blacksmith shop is a reproduction of the type that might have been used in this area.

4. Turpentine Still

During the 1800s, naval stores were Florida's second largest industry. Pine tar and oil of turpentine were vital to the caulking of sailing vessels. Turpentine camps were abundant across Florida, including Manatee County. Smaller turpentine stills such as this one once were scattered throughout Florida’s pinewood forests. These turpentine stills processed the rosin or gum, which had been extracted from the trees. A turpentine still included a kettle like the one seen here and a condenser, as well as troughs which would have been used for refining the resin. The kettle seen here was part of a larger process. When in use, it would have been surrounded by a brick wall. Fire did not touch the kettle, but instead, heated the air in the cavity around it.

5. 1912 Stephens Family Home

Will and Roxie Stephens built this home in 1912 from pine trees on the family homestead in what was then eastern Manatee County (now Hardee County). This house shows off how early Floridians lived without air-conditioning. The high ceilings and open air hallways allowed for a nice breeze to blow through the house, while the large porches provided breezy, shady places to sit. This house was moved here in 1982. While renovations were made, the flooring is original and the fireplace is made of the original bricks. The furnishings were not the ones used by the family, but are representative of the time period.

6. Potter Barn and Maintenance Shop

The Potter Barn and the Maintenance Shop sit side-by-side at Manatee Village Historical Park. One demonstrates the closed-in architectural style of a northern barn, while the other demonstrates the open porches of a Florida barn. The Potter Barn is a rough-cut pine barn typical of those built by Florida farmers in the late 1800s and early 1900s. It is a copy of Peter S. Harllee's barn, built ca. 1885, which once stood a few miles north of Palmetto. The Harllee Barn is now located at the Manatee River Fair Grounds in Palmetto and can be visited during public events such as the Manatee County Fair. The Harllee barn was used as a model for Manatee Village's barn not only because of its classic style, but also because the Harllee family has ties to the Village of Manatee. Peter's brother J.W. Harllee was the Village's leading merchant. Peter's son John was born in the Village and took over the family farming business. The name Potter Barn honors Rodney Potter, an avid supporter of preservation at Manatee Village Historical Park.

7. 1887 Church

This lovely church symbolizes the tenacity of the pioneers in the old Village of Manatee. The congregation that built this church was the first Christian congregation south of Tampa on the Florida mainland. The church, called a meeting house at the time, was the third building occupied by the congregation. Due to the small population, it was bi-denominational: Methodist and Episcopalian. Before building the meeting house, the congregation used the 1860 courthouse now also preserved at Manatee Village Historical Park. Construction began on the meeting house in 1887, but was halted when a yellow fever epidemic claimed the lives of the pastor and a large portion of the congregation. Those remaining persevered, however, and construction was completed in 1889. Manatee United Methodist Church donated the building to Manatee Village in 1974 . The building had been renovated and so volunteers restored the Church to as close to its original layout and appearance as possible while maintaining modern conveniences like electricity and air conditioning. Many elements of the Church are original, like the pews. The brass plates on the pews name the donors and volunteers who contributed to restoring the Church. The turnbuckles in the ceiling were added in 1889. They were required to keep the walls from spreading due to the height and weight of the vaulted ceiling. Many elements are also handmade replicas. The stained glass windows at the altar, for example, are replicas. The originals were retained by Manatee United Methodist. The altar rails, the flower tables, the pulpit and the altar table are all replicas handcrafted by a volunteer named George Fincken.

8. 1860 Courthouse

This courthouse was built in 1860. It is the oldest courthouse specifically built as a courthouse still standing in the state of Florida. Josiah and Mary Gates, the first white settlers in the Village of Manatee, donated the land to build it. At the time, the Village of Manatee was the seat of Manatee County. The 1860 courthouse only served as a courthouse for a few years. It was sold to the Methodist-Episcopal Church (now Manatee United Methodist) in 1866 when the county seat was moved to Pine Level. The courthouse served as a sanctuary for the church until the new building was completed in 1889. A tower and bell were added to the courthouse while it was serving as a church. After the new meeting house was completed in 1889, the courthouse briefly served as the Church’s social hall. The courthouse was then renovated around 1890 and served as a parsonage from 1891-1906. Then it became a private residence. In 1975, the courthouse was donated along with the church by Manatee United Methodist to create Manatee Village Historical Park. The two buildings were moved from their original location across the street to what is now the museum.

9. 1908 Bunker Hill Schoolhouse

This one-room schoolhouse was originally located in Bunker Hill in the northeast corner of Manatee County. The building served as a one room schoolhouse from 1908-1929. In 1929, B.D. Gullet bought the building and moved it to his property near Duette (a little further east than Bunker Hill). Mr. Gullet was a teacher and Supervisor of Education for a total of thirty-seven years. He and his wife, and then later his daughter, Sallie Gullet Bradley, lived in the house for 60 years. The Manatee County Historical Commission accepted the offer to move the former schoolhouse to Manatee Village Historical Park in 1989. Volunteers worked tirelessly to restore the building to its original condition. This meant removing additions and modern plumbing. The building was completed and dedicated in 1990.

10. Cow Hunter's Bunkhouse

The Cow Hunter's Bunkhouse is a part of Manatee Village Historical Park, but it is not currently open to the public. The bunkhouse serves as a reminder of the days when “Cattle was King” in Florida. Florida’s cattlemen preferred to be called “cow hunters” rather than cowboys because of the amount of work that went into tending cattle while Florida was a still a free-range state. This bunkhouse is typical of the small shelters once scattered throughout the Florida wilderness. It provided lodging for the cow hunters as they crossed the state rounding up cattle.

This Tour is a Virtual Museum or Site Tour.

Manatee Village Historical Park

Created by Manatee Village Historical Park on April 17th 2020, 3:33:50 pm.

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Description

Step back in time at Manatee Village Historical Park. Visit this collection of restored buildings from Manatee County's settlement history and experience life in Manatee County before the arrival of modern conveniences such as automobiles and electricity. Manatee Village Historical Park's mission is to preserve and share the heritage of Manatee County's founding period (1840-1918). The museum does this through a collection of historical buildings including the: Bunker Hill Schoolhouse (1908); Manatee County's First Courthouse (1860); Old Meeting House Church (1887); Wiggins General Store (1903); and more! The museum also offers exhibits and educational programs. Visit www.manateevillage.org to learn more.

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Manatee Village Historical Park

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