These posts are related to the history of Fort Myers Beach
Each day as I travel off the island, I notice more and more beach landmarks being demolished to make way for the Margaritaville resort. So far, the old Surf Club (Mermaid), the Pierview Hotel, Beach Bums, and Helmerich Plaza have been razed. For the past decade, the old plaza has been deteriorating as the lawsuits […]
End of an Era: Changing Face of Fort Myers Beach Read More »
What’s in a name? According to Shakespeare, “That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” It wasn’t that easy for the early developers of Fort Myers Beach. In the 1920s, Estero Island was known as “Crescent Beach.” The name was a logical choice because the island is, indeed, shaped
What’s In a Name? From Crescent Beach to Fort Myers Beach Read More »
This is the first in a series of stories I plan to publish celebrating the individuals that have shaped our island’s history over the past 200 years. For the most part, in the late 1800s, Fort Myers Beach was uninhabited except for a few brave souls who decided to take advantage of the Homestead Act
Fort Myers Beach History Spotlight: Hugh McPhie Read More »
On September 2, 1953, Ted “Carl” Smiddy was hitchhiking near Atlanta, Georgia shortly after being released from jail in Tennessee for breaking and entering and larceny. Smiddy was only 16 years old when he was picked up by Ernest Walter Moore, a convicted murderer who served ten years in an Ohio State prison before being
The Galloway Murders Shocked the Beach in 1953 Read More »
This week, the Mermaid Club is closing for good. This iconic beach bar has been a staple in the community since the 1950s. The history of the bar, however, dates back a few decades earlier. Originally located on the beach at the end of what is now Palermo Drive, Nettie’s was a popular place for