This piece by Pat MacDonald was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 18 x 26 inches. Mixed media on canvas. Near the property of the Charlotte Harbor Environmental Center is a large mound with a processional ‘way’ indicating many man-made remains of the most widespread Indian tribe in South Florida, the Calusa. The tribe had a long period of habitation at this local site, and this mixed-media piece by Pat MacDonald contains natural allegories for common scenes in wild habitats from everyday native life. Local artists were invited to submit original works of art to Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show. Pieces were based on the book 'Our Fascinating Past: Charlotte Harbor' by Lindsey Williams and U.S. Cleveland. Submissions were accepted in Fall 2020 and were displayed at the Mid-County Regional Library on February 27, 2021.

This portrait was painted by Christiane Belle as part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show. 18 x 24 inches. Oil on canvas. The subject is 'Commodore' Caldwell Hart Colt, the son of gun scion Samuel Colt, who followed in his father's footsteps as a gunmaker. In 1879 he designed the Colt double barrel rifle, one of the rarest Colt firearms that was ever made. One night in 1984, the “Oriole," a yacht belonging to Caldwell Colt, was anchored off the Hotel Punta Gorda. Suddenly, party guests cried out, “Man overboard!” Only too late they realized it was the yacht’s owner, face down and dead in the water. Caldwell’s mother commissioned Louis Tiffany to create a stained-glass window as a tribute to her son. Local artists were invited to submit original works of art to Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show. Pieces were based on the book 'Our Fascinating Past: Charlotte Harbor' by Lindsey Williams and U.S. Cleveland. Submissions were accepted in Fall 2020 and were displayed at the Mid-County Regional Library on February 27, 2021.

It's Charlotte County's 100th birthday! Our Centennial Exposition is a series of videos celebrating what life was like in Charlotte County a century ago. This is the first of several featured programs throughout the year. Join us as we bask in our fascinating past and celebrate all that Charlotte County has to offer in the present. Grab your dancing shoes and try an old trend! This video showcases one of the most well-known and popular dances of the 1920s, The Charleston, demonstrated to us by members of USA Dance. This video was produced in 2021 as part of Charlotte County Libraries & History Centennial Exposition, a series of videos celebrating what life was like in Charlotte County a century ago.

Established in 1879, the historic Charlotte Harbor Cemetery is one of the oldest marked burial sites in Charlotte County. Join special guests from the past to discover the stories of those buried in our backyard. From Civil War soldiers to Vaudeville stars, these unique individuals helped shape the earliest years of our local area. This video was produced in 2021 as part of Charlotte County Libraries & History Centennial Exposition, a series of videos celebrating what life was like in Charlotte County a century ago.

This painting by Jeanette Burke was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 16x20 inches. Acrylic on paper. An innovative and versatile type of boat that pierced the waters of Charlotte Harbor was the ‘Sharpie’, which was called that because of its long and sharp prow. Easy to build, and with a minimum of rigging, a lone fisherman could cast nets without interference, and sails could be taken down for rowing or bridges as needed. Two-masted sharpies as seen in this piece were capable of carrying four crew and mile-long nets. As a community, skippers lived together near what was known as Sharpie Town near todays’ Cooper Street in Punta Gorda. Local artists were invited to submit original works of art to Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show. Pieces were based on the book 'Our Fascinating Past: Charlotte Harbor' by Lindsey Williams and U.S. Cleveland. Submissions were accepted in Fall 2020 and were displayed at the Mid-County Regional Library on February 27, 2021.

This painting by Christiane Belle was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show. 16 x 20 inches. Oil on Canvas. This painting illustrates a famous house in Charlotte County history. Formerly known as McAdow Hall, it was built at the turn of the century as the home of Perry W. McAdow. It was to be deeded to the town upon his death, but taxes and struggles for ownership ensued for many years. McAdow contributed to the community by filling in the harbor off Harvey Park and securing franchises to build and operate kerosene street lights in Punta Gorda and the town's first telephone system. The building was converted to a lodge in the 1940s. As a lodge, the space held the largest dining room in Punta Gorda, capable of serving 300 guests. Local artists were invited to submit original works of art to Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show. Pieces were based on the book 'Our Fascinating Past: Charlotte Harbor' by Lindsey Williams and U.S. Cleveland. Submissions were accepted in Fall 2020 and were displayed at the Mid-County Regional Library on February 27, 2021.

This painting by Christiane Belle was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 16 x 20 inches. Oil on canvas. This is an imaginary portrait of Mary Leah Sandlin by Christiane Belle. Mary had a tragic end for a young girl of 14, helping with the ironing on the family porch. In those days some irons were powered by gasoline, which in Mary's case combusted and poured flames over her. Mary caught fire and ran to neighbors to try to put out the flames, but it was too late. Years later, owners of the former Sandlin home heard old timbers creak and moan, steps walking towards Mary’s former bedroom, irons turning off, and other paranormal activity. Mary, the teenage ghost, features on some walking tours of the area. Local artists were invited to submit original works of art to Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show. Pieces were based on the book 'Our Fascinating Past: Charlotte Harbor' by Lindsey Williams and U.S. Cleveland. Submissions were accepted in Fall 2020 and were displayed at the Mid-County Regional Library on February 27, 2021.

This painting by Karen Wood was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 18 x 28 inches, oval. Oil on canvas. Chess and Pineapples on Charlotte Harbor brings together several themes from the first volume of Williams and Cleveland's Our Fascinating Past. Punta Gorda founding father Colonel Isaac Trabue, who bought 30 acres on the south shore of Charlotte Harbor and filed a town plat in 1885, recognized the agricultural potential of the area. He set aside Block 28 in trust for the growing of pineapples, lemons, oranges, and “other profitable fruits”—the profits of which would go toward the first and second place winners of an annual chess tournament. Trabue himself was an avid chess player and one of the most well-known photographs of him depicts Trabue and his wife Virginia playing chess in front of their cabin. The pineapple boom in 1902–1917 coincided with the beginning of the area's commercial fishing industry, in which Trabue also played a part. His construction of an ice factory in 1893, combined with a Florida Southern Railway terminal in Punta Gorda, allowed for the shipment of fresh fish and heralded the beginning of the modern fishing industry in what is now Charlotte County. Local artists were invited to submit original works of art to Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show. Pieces were based on the book 'Our Fascinating Past: Charlotte Harbor' by Lindsey Williams and U.S. Cleveland. Submissions were accepted in Fall 2020 and were displayed at the Mid-County Regional Library on February 27, 2021.

This painting by Richard Simpson was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 8 x 10 inches. Acrylic on canvas board. Plumage is one of a collection of paintings by Richard Simpson that illustrates the egrets and flamingos that were once hunted in our region. Demand for ladies’ hat feathers was so great in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that several species of birds were brought to the brink of extinction. Conservationists, aided by Audubon societies, pushed to ban the killing of wild birds for food and fashion and used deputized wardens to protect the rookeries in Florida. Several wardens were killed, possibly murdered, while guarding the birds shown in Mr. Simpson’s works. Fortunately, the introduction of laws to formally protect Florida’s birds and the end of the hat feather industry allowed egrets and flamingos to make a comeback. The birds are enjoyed today by the many tourists who visit the state. Local artists were invited to submit original works of art to Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show. Pieces were based on the book 'Our Fascinating Past: Charlotte Harbor' by Lindsey Williams and U.S. Cleveland. Submissions were accepted in Fall 2020 and were displayed at the Mid-County Regional Library on February 27, 2021.

This painting by Richard Simpson was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 16 x 20 inches. Acrylic on canvas. Morning Glory is one of a collection of paintings by Richard Simpson that illustrates the egrets and flamingos that were once hunted in our region. Demand for ladies’ hat feathers was so great in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that several species of birds were brought to the brink of extinction. Conservationists, aided by Audubon societies, pushed to ban the killing of wild birds for food and fashion and used deputized wardens to protect the rookeries in Florida. Several wardens were killed, possibly murdered, while guarding the birds shown in Mr. Simpson’s works. Fortunately, the introduction of laws to formally protect Florida’s birds and the end of the hat feather industry allowed egrets and flamingos to make a comeback. The birds are enjoyed today by the many tourists who visit the state. Local artists were invited to submit original works of art to Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show. Pieces were based on the book 'Our Fascinating Past: Charlotte Harbor' by Lindsey Williams and U.S. Cleveland. Submissions were accepted in Fall 2020 and were displayed at the Mid-County Regional Library on February 27, 2021.

This painting by Richard Simpson was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 7 x 14 inches. Acrylic on canvas. Resting is one of a collection of paintings by Richard Simpson that illustrates the egrets and flamingos that were once hunted in our region. Demand for ladies’ hat feathers was so great in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that several species of birds were brought to the brink of extinction. Conservationists, aided by Audubon societies, pushed to ban the killing of wild birds for food and fashion and used deputized wardens to protect the rookeries in Florida. Several wardens were killed, possibly murdered, while guarding the birds shown in Mr. Simpson’s works. Fortunately, the introduction of laws to formally protect Florida’s birds and the end of the hat feather industry allowed egrets and flamingos to make a comeback. The birds are enjoyed today by the many tourists who visit the state. Local artists were invited to submit original works of art to Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show. Pieces were based on the book 'Our Fascinating Past: Charlotte Harbor' by Lindsey Williams and U.S. Cleveland. Submissions were accepted in Fall 2020 and were displayed at the Mid-County Regional Library on February 27, 2021.

This painting by Richard Simpson was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 10 x 20 inches. Acrylic on canvas. Resting Time is one of a collection of paintings by Richard Simpson that illustrates the egrets and flamingos that were once hunted in our region. Demand for ladies’ hat feathers was so great in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century that several species of birds were brought to the brink of extinction. Conservationists, aided by Audubon societies, pushed to ban the killing of wild birds for food and fashion and used deputized wardens to protect the rookeries in Florida. Several wardens were killed, possibly murdered, while guarding the birds shown in Mr. Simpson’s works. Fortunately, the introduction of laws to formally protect Florida’s birds and the end of the hat feather industry allowed egrets and flamingos to make a comeback. The birds are enjoyed today by the many tourists who visit the state. Local artists were invited to submit original works of art to Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show. Pieces were based on the book 'Our Fascinating Past: Charlotte Harbor' by Lindsey Williams and U.S. Cleveland. Submissions were accepted in Fall 2020 and were displayed at the Mid-County Regional Library on February 27, 2021.