The most famous prostitute of Punta Gorda was Miss Ollie Brackett. Ollie ran a “disorderly, bawdy house of ill repute” at the west end of Marion Avenue – in those days it was known as the bad part of town. Miss Ollie served a few […]
Juan Ponce de León Juan Ponce de León came to what is now Punta Gorda on his second expedition in 1521 with 200 colonists. The Calusa attacked, and Juan took an arrow to his hip. His men tried to pull it out but only got […]
Max and Mary Price, first cousins, married in 1946 when Max was 73 and Mary was 79. Max has been credited with many accomplishments in Punta Gorda, including the design of the brown u-shaped House in History Park, but the research concludes it was actually […]
Marian McAdow and her best friend Sadie Farrington were known as The Lady Seers.
Perry McAdow was one of the founding citizens of Punta Gorda. He arrived in Punta Gorda in 1897 with his young new bride Marian. Another Perry McAdow of the same era was a Thoroughbred race horse. Perry McAdow, the horse, is listed in the racing […]
According to authors U.S. Cleveland and Lindsey Williams, Isaiah E. Cooper was convicted of Marshal Bowman’s assassination, but enough doubt existed that his scheduled execution was postponed three times, and ultimately when former Punta Gorda resident Albert Gilchrist was elected governor of Florida in 1908, […]
The exact location of the Bowman family home has been a source of speculation for years. Some have claimed the family lived on Taylor St. in either 321 Taylor St (formerly Two Thrifty Girls) or Pizza Gorda buildings. We cannot find any evidence to support […]
Laura Bowman has been snubbed by other local historians. According to Lindsey Williams and U.S. Cleveland, after the assassination of her husband, Marshal John Bowman on January 29, 1903, “Mrs. Bowman moved to her mother’s home at Charlotte Harbor town and died two years later. […]
The Dick family’s short presence in Punta Gorda’s early history is a mystery. Angie Larkin tellls of the Dick family arrival in her book In Old Punta Gorda. The Dick family came to Punta Gorda in 1884 by covered wagon from Texas. They spent their […]
Mary Leah Sandlin’s story is legendary in Punta Gorda. The 14-year-old was ironing clothes on the front porch of her family home when she caught on fire. She leapt off the porch and ran down the street engulfed in propellant-fueled flames. Neighbors put out the […]