News

Dec 05, 2019

Newsletter | December 2019

Get a Small Taste of our Local History Join Us for the Second Lecture in Our 1-Hour Local History Series “Punta Gorda’s Founder Isaac Trabue: The Untold Story” THIS THURSDAY, December 5th 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Free Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association 2001 Shreve Street, Punta Gorda THE BOOKS ARE HERE! Our First Mural Book has been published, celebrating our 25th Anniversary. It’s filled with pictures of all the murals over the years, a little history and lots…Read More

Oct 16, 2019

Newsletter | October 2019

FALL HISTORY CLASSES Want a Small Taste of our Local History? Join Us for the First in Our 1-Hour Local History Series “Tails from the Harbor: History of our Fishing Industry (by the Numbers)” Wednesday, October 16th 7:00 pm – 8:00 pm Free Punta Gorda Isles Civic Association 2001 Shreve Street, Punta Gorda Then Get the Full Story Sign Up for These 2 Popular History Classes Only 9 spots left for October Join us as we present the history of the area as told through the mur…Read More

Aug 15, 2019

Newsletter | August 2019

Now for a little HISTORY… Do you know what happened in Punta Gorda 60 Years ago, August 14th, 1959? The Hotel Charlotte Harbor burned to the ground! Originally the Hotel Punta Gorda, the hotel was built by a subsidiary of the Florida Southern Railroad after it arrived in town in 1886. Opening in 1888, the hotel’s early years brought the rich and famous to Punta Gorda. After 1895, success was sporadic and after closing in 1914, it sat empty for 10 years until it was sold to Barro…Read More

Jul 10, 2019

Newsletter | July 2019

“Tails from the Harbor” Mural Dedication Over 200 folks braved the heat and attended our mural dedication on June 20th. What an amazing turnout! A BIG THANK YOU to the residents, visitors, and businesses whose support made this mural happen! So What’s Our Next Mural Project? The New Punta Gorda Charlotte Library! Our next mural will be on the arched wall facing Shreve Street on the new Punta Gorda Charlotte Library at 401 Shreve Street, Punta Gorda. It will celebrate the…Read More

Jul 10, 2019

Newsletter | June 2019

“TAILS FROM THE HARBOR” The Mural is DONE! (Or is it?) The past five and a half months have included cold weather, fire ants, backaches, wet weather, lovebugs, more aches & pains, hot weather, and hundreds of interesting chats with folks who stopped to talk with artist Skip Dryda, and now the mural is finally finished!      We couldn’t be happier with the end product.  Once again Skip has created an amazing mural.  He added his signature last Friday which usually…Read More

Apr 08, 2019

Newsletter | April 2019

April Newsletter Walking Tours & History Classes are done for the Season Our Tours & Classes received Rave Reviews! Hopefully, you were able to join us for a tour or class this season and learned a little about our local history.  Our new wireless audio equipment was a great addition to our tours, significantly increasing the quality and experience.  Thanks again to the Shively Charitable Foundation and the Community Foundation of Sarasota County for providing the funds for this…Read More

Oct 12, 2018

Newsletter | October 2018

What’s Happening (and a little history) This month’s HISTORY CLASSES   “HISTORY OF PUNTA GORDA IN ITS MURALS” Join us as we present the history of the area as told through the murals throughout our beautiful City.   Visit all 30 murals from the comfort of your Air Conditioned classroom seat while we present 450 years of history using the murals as a guide.   Hear about the Mural Society and get a sneak peek of upcoming projects. Presented in 2 parts: Mo…Read More

Sep 04, 2018

Newsletter | September 2018

This month… Good News (and a little history) First the Good News… Fundraising is Complete! Thanks to a very generous charitable fund grant from Bill & Zoe Hopkins and the awarding of a Charlotte Community Foundation Investment Grant, we have secured the remaining funds needed to create the Harborwalk mural! We are thankful for all the support we receive from the Community and are excited to bring this amazing mural to our town.  The start date is set for November (w…Read More

Aug 10, 2018

Newsletter | August 2018

A little area history The original Barron Collier Bridge (Postcard from the Charlotte County History Collection)   If you’ve attended one of our history classes or a walking tour, you’ve heard us speak about Barron Collier and his influence on our area.  We have a bridge named after him, he had a major stake in one of our early banks, and he bought, renovated and renamed the old Hotel Punta Gorda into the Hotel Charlotte Harbor (seen in the background of the postcard abo…Read More

Apr 04, 2018

Harborwalk Mural | The 2018 Giving Challenge

  It’s that time of year and we are raising the remaining funds, through the Giving Challenge, to get the Harborwalk Mural up for our residences and visitors. This mural will take you deep into the waters of Punta Gorda, a historic fishing destination nestled on the Charlotte Harbor. Florida’s second largest estuary, Charlotte Harbor is beaming with eco-diversity and local fishermen have been providing some of the freshest seafood around for over 100 years. To pay homage to t…Read More