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.

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 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 photograph by Kinga Cook was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 5x7 inches. Whidden's on First Street East in Boca Grande was founded by Sam Whidden in 1926 and has been run by the family ever since. Whidden's was also a well-known Boca Grande night spot, dance hall and restaurant. To the millionaires who tried to buy the Whidden’s marina property, in an interview with the Boca Beacon in 1999, Sam's daughter Isabelle Joiner said, “I wouldn’t put a paint brush to this wood. I like it this way.” The simple weathered construction has been well-captured by Kinga Cook. 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 photograph by Kinga Cook was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 5 x 7 inches. The ‘Cookie House’ figures prominently in the annals of marine biology and Florida architecture. It was built by John Foster Bass, Jr., the founder of the Bass Biological Laboratory, a facility recognized as the world wide center of marine research in the 1930s pre-dating all university marine stations in Florida. The building's log "stovewood" construction technique and architectural style is rare. Once popular among rural Wisconsin immigrant populations, no other examples of this architecture are known in Florida. Log disks cut from lighter knot pine logs were stacked on edge in cement mortar mixed with beach sand, leading to an appearance resembling brown cookies on a white plate. 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 photograph by Kinga Cook was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 5 x 7 inches. Boca Grande Lighthouse, built in 1890, was originally used to safely guide ships into Charlotte Harbor. The lighthouse is an iron screw pile design with a wood frame. When lit, it is visible from up to 12 miles away. It is one of only six lighthouses in Florida to be open to the public, and the only one on the west coast. The Port Boca Grande Lighthouse is managed and operated with the help of the Barrier Island Parks Society. 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 photograph by Kinga Cook was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 5 x 7 inches. Pictured is one of Charlotte County's oldest homes, built in 1899 by prominent businessman John Hagan. Hagan served as Charlotte County's tax assessor when the county was created in 1921. He did well in the role and was re-elected to his post several times. Hagan was also involved in promoting the Tamiami Trail road and the first bridge to span the harbor. 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 photograph by Kinga Cook was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 3.5 x 4 inches. The hibiscus has long been a ubiquitous flower in Florida. Harry "Pete" Goulding, one of Punta Gorda's leading citizens, once grew hibiscus to prize-winning perfection. Goulding was born in 1908 and liked to tell tall tales of fishermen, Chinese immigrant-smuggling, and rum-running on Charlotte Harbor. Goulding's parents had initially come to the area as "bird scalpers" hunting egret feathers, but when this hunting was made illegal, they returned to Punta Gorda where they were fascinated by the abundant wildlife. 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 photograph by Kinga Cook was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 5 x 7 inches. Punta Gorda's Colonel Isaac Trabue had many business interests, including ice houses like the one pictured. These buildings transformed the local fishing industry because fish no longer needed to be sold on the day it was caught but could be transported to customers further away. 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 photograph by Kinga Cook was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 5 x 7 inches. Among the first settlers of the Charlotte Harbor area was Matthew F. Giddens, who raised cattle and oranges and sold land. Around 1873, Giddens contributed land for a school, Trinity Church, and Charlotte Harbor Cemetery. Early pioneers and their descendants are buried here. 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 dual-color photograph by Kinga Cook was part of Charlotte County's Centennial Art Show in 2021. 5 x 7 inches. Hickory Bluff Cemetery was established in the late 1800s as a burial place for African-American settlers. While the hickory trees were cut down for use by an axe-handle factory, the cemetery remains. It was established adjacent to land purchased in 1884 by July roberts, an early Adrican-American settler. Many of those buried here were freed African Americans who farmed and fished in the area following the Civil War. Burials prior to 1908 are undocumented, but fourteen interments were recorded between 1908 and 1947. 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.