The Mound House is the oldest remaining structure on Estero Island dating back to 1898 when Robert Gilbert filed his homesteading claim. The structure has undergone many changes since 1906 when it was known as the “Mound Villa” and later as the “Bungalow by the Banyan.” After a remodeling in 1921, the bungalow was renamed “Bayview Lodge.” In 1958, William and Florence Long purchased the property and the Mound House was known as “The Long Estate.” When the town of Fort Myers Beach was incorporated in 1995, the Mound House was preserved and the Mound House Cultural and Environmental Center was created.
The Mound House has always had a fascination for me. As a kid, we all had heard stories about a grave that was discovered on the property. A skeleton was discovered during one of the excavations of the shell mound. As the story goes, the placement of the bones with the skull detached indicated that the body had been beheaded by the pirates that hung out around Estero, Sanibel, and Captiva islands during the 1600s.
Back in the 1970s we would spend every weekend skiing in the back bay. We would start at the end of Mango Street and ski to what was then Mid Island Marina (where Snook’s Byte and Bayfront Bistro are now). We would turn around at the marina and ski back to Mango Street. My favorite part of the route was passing the Mound House where I would imagine what it might be like to live in that house surrounded by over two acres of lush vegetation overlooking the bay.
I remember sitting home one afternoon and getting a phone call from one of my friends. “You’ll never guess where I am?” was his opening line. I didn’t have a clue, but when he told me he was having drinks at the Mound House, my interest was immediately piqued. Apparently, his wife’s aunt was good friends with Florence Long and had invited them over for cocktails. Needless to say, I was quite jealous.
I did, however, finally get my chance to visit the house shortly after the town took it over in the mid 1990’s. At this time, no renovations had been complete and the home pretty much the same as it was when the Longs lived there.
Today, the Mound House is preserved as an important Cultural and Environmental Center celebrating the history of the Calusa Indians and the part they played in the history of our island.
