604 W. Perry Street, Englewood, FL
Using the Power of History to Transform Lives
FUN FACTS AND PHOTOS OF ENGLEWOOD's HISTORY
Lampp family picnic at the Perry Street house: Doris, Pat, Edith, Earl, Buster and Lottie
ABOUT THE LAMPP HOUSE
The house was built in 1928 by Jesse “Pat” Lampp (1883 – 1960). He was one of “the fabulous four” Lampp brothers. Back in 1899 when Henry S.Kelley became Sarah L. Lampp’s second husband he most likely never dreamt that today Englewood would owe much of its growth and development to her four sons: Wade, Wilbur, Jesse and Stanley.
Lampp House builder Jesse “Pat” (we’ll call him Pat from now on) devoted much of his time to commercial fishing but also became very active in clearing land and building houses. With the occasional help of his brother-in-law Bert Anger, Pat constructed homes for several Englewood residents including Stuart Anderson, Lester Darling and Mayor John P. Rampe (for a short time during the land boom in the 1920s, Englewood incorporated as a town and had a mayor). In 1909 Pat married Edith Mae Anger, a daughter of another early Englewood family, and built a small home for them on Perry Street. They had four children: Lottie Alma (1909–2009), Jesse Alston “Buster” (1911-1999), Doris Mae (1916–2009) and Earl Clinton (1918–1947). (Lottie, the oldest, was instrumental in keeping Englewood’s prized Green Street Church going through the lean years of the 1920s and 30s.)
In 1925, Pat worked on the construction of the Lemon Bay Woman’s Club’s new building, donating his services for free. Today the club house on Cocoanut Street has the distinction of being on the National Register of Historical Places. In 1928 he built a larger home next door to his original house on Perry Street. This is today’s “Lampp House” at 604 W. Perry Street (and the new home of the Englewood Museum). Interestingly, the 1930 U.S. Census for Englewood lists the Perry Street household as follows: Jesse “Pat”, age 45 is a fisherman for a wholesale fish company; Edith, age 41 is unemployed and was born in California; Jesse Alston “Buster,” age 19 is a fisherman for a wholesale fish company; Lottie, age 20 is a laundress for a private family; Doris is 13; Earl is 11; Grandma Sarah Kelley is 71. The house is valued at $1000. They do not have a “radio set.”
THE OTHER BROTHERS
In 1916, when Pete Buchan opened his store at Buchan’s Landing (then Englewood’s only store) there were no roads leading into town. Supplies had to be brought in by boat. The main schooner at the time was the J. W. Booth, captained by T. Wade Hampton “Hamp” Lampp (1877–1947). He brought supplies into Englewood once a month from Tampa. Since the town relied so heavily on those supplies, the captain of the J.W. Booth was indeed a very prominent and well-known person about town.
Wilbur Ashley Lampp (1879–1969) was one of the area’s earliest mail carriers. The mail came from Punta Gorda by boat to a landing just south of today’s El Jobean. Wilbur carried the mail to post offices in the Englewood area by horseback. Later in life he was a boat builder. Many of the fishing boats in Englewood were the product of his skill. He also experimented in hydroponic growing, one of the first to do so in Florida.
Wait ‘til you hear about the youngest brother, A. Stanley Lampp (1888-1960). In 1914 he had the first car in town (a Model T) and, with his first wife Winifred, opened a hotel in town called the Tamiami Lodge. Here, with his brother Wilber, he installed a Delco Light Plant and brought the first electric lights to town. Stanley also developed the first “operating” plumbing system at the hotel with hot and cold water. Branching out into real estate, Mr. A. Stanley Lampp started the first sub-division in the area (near today’s Cherokee Street). He called it “Englewood Park.” In 1922 he paid $9000 to buy New Point Comfort, comprising 90 acres. In 1957 he sold one acre of that land for $12,500! We mentioned Mayor John P. Rampe when Englewood incorporated as a town, well Stanley Lampp also served as a mayor. Later in life Stanley operated the “Lazy L Ranch” and raised Red Angus cattle.
As far as we know, only brother Jesse “Pat” and his family lived at the Perry Street house.
Stanley & Wilbur Lampp in the late 1950s
Lemon Bay Woman's Club Through the Years:
1918: The Lemon Bay Woman's Club was organized by Dr. Mary Green as the “Lemon Bay Mother's Club.” Plans were made to meet every second Friday of the month at a school house located between Harvard and Stewart on today’s Old Englewood Road.
In the remaining months of World War I, the new organization concentrated on Red Cross work and became a leading force in the civic life of Englewood.
1922: The Mother’s Club Library Committee covered and indexed over 200 books for a new library they created at the same schoolhouse where they met.
1923: The Club provided funds for a fence, flag and flagpole and a barrel for drinking water and cups for the Englewood school.
1924: In April, members voted to change the name to “Lemon Bay Woman's Club.” They also agreed to build their own clubhouse. To facilitate this, A. Stanley and Winifred E. Lampp donated 2 lots at the corner of Cocoanut & Maple Streets. A building committee was appointed, with Mrs. Lampp as chairman.
1925: Money for the new building was raised. Thomas Reed Martin and Clare Hosmer, architects in Sarasota, offered to provide plans for the building free of charge.
Carpenters, Pat Lampp, Frank Clark and LeRoy Basstedo began construction in September and finished in 1926. The cost was $3,120.
1926: The new clubhouse opened on February 19th with a housewarming attended by 200 people including Town of Englewood Mayor John P. Rampe, Chamber of Commerce President H. L. Horton and Architect Clare Hosmer.
The structure, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, contained elements of the Prairie style in the exposed rafter tails, bracketed gable ends and wide overhanging eaves. This style made famous by fellow Chicago architect, Frank Lloyd Wright.
1927: During the months of February and March, 47 meetings were held in the new clubhouse. In addition to the Woman's Club meetings were held by The International Order of Odd Fellows, the Rebecca Lodge, the Community Presbyterian Church and the Englewood Community Church.
The Woman's Club arranged nature study classes, posted bird sanctuary signs, hosted school plays and other forms of drama, provided lectures of educational and entertainment value in addition to card parties, dances and dinners.
1929: During the Great Depression the Lemon Bay Woman's Club's continued support of civic and social functions became all the more important. There was a concerted effort on the part of the community to maintain as much of the quality of life of the past decade as was possible. The clubhouse, being the only public building, became the center for the civic and social lives of the residents of Englewood.
Due to a leak on the north side, repair work was necessary. Contractor Lou Longbucco did the repairs according to Historical Society's specifications. All wood had to be as the original. After several months of extensive work, the repairs were completed and the house painted inside and out.
1936: The club house became a polling place for Englewood and remained so for the next 27 years.
1939: A kitchen was added to the rear of the structure.
1940s: During World War II the Lemon Bay Woman's Club was again involved with Red Cross work. By 1944, the Club had provided a total of 29,914 surgical dressings to the hospital that served the Venice Air Base.
1950s: Because of the small size of the community, small local churches were without a meeting place, and in this decade more than ten churches were using the clubhouse for social gatherings.
1972: Due to changes in Florida Tax Law the Woman's Club was forced to discontinue the practice of allowing other organization to use the clubhouse in order to maintain their tax-free status. This was as great a loss to the community as it was to the Lemon Bay Woman's Club.
1989: The Lemon Bay Woman's Club clubhouse was put on the National Register of Historic Places, making it the first structure to be so honored. Every year there is an open house inviting everyone in the community to visit this beautifully restored building.
(Compiled and edited by Don Bayley.)
Bertha Honoré Palmer
(FROM OUR CURRENT EXHIBIT: "RANCHES TO HOUSES") --
A LEGENDARY HOSTESS
Bertha Honoré Palmer was renowned for her hospitality. Throughout the late 1800s she hosted American presidents, royalty and important people from many walks of life. In 1891, her fame grew to an international level. She contributed her charm and intelligence to the planning of a World’s Fair in Chicago to commemorate the four hundredth anniversary of the discovery of America: The Columbian Exposition.
A NEWSPAPER AD
Bertha’s husband, department store tycoon Potter Palmer, best known for the famed Palmer House hotel in Chicago died in 1902 and left his wife a hefty inheritance of $8 million. After seeing an advertisement about the Sarasota Bay area in the newspaper, Bertha first came to Sarasota in 1910. She fell in love with the area and declared it was “The most beautiful place in Florida.”
SARASOTA COUNTY WOULD NEVER BE THE SAME
Bertha Palmer’s impressions of Southwest Florida were published throughout the country, causing a local real estate boom. She bought over 80,000 acres in the Sarasota area. She became involved in agriculture, livestock, real estate, banking and tourism. Her social standing helped put the community of 840 people on the map, and once she put down roots, Sarasota would never be the same.
MEADOW SWEET PASTURES
One day after Bertha had bought up all the best land Sarasota had to offer, her real estate friend Arthur B. Edwards brought her in his horse-drawn buggy all the way out to a ridge that overlooked the Myakka River. She fell in love with the beauty of the spot and wanted to buy it. Edwards told her it was part of a cattle ranch owned by “Dink” Murphy. She declared that if he would sell her the ranch, she would buy up all his cattle too! An agreement was reached and she promptly wrote out a check for $93,000. This is how Mrs. Palmer became a cattle rancher.
Bertha called her ranch “Meadow Sweet Pastures.” She added to her herd by bringing in 1,000 cattle by rail from Texas and importing 17 Brahma bulls. Brahmas are heat tolerant and insect resistant. By 1917, the entire tract supported 2,200 head of range cattle, sixty grade Hereford, Angus, and Brahman bulls in fenced pastures. Mrs. Palmer’s fences broke the tradition of open ranges free to all cattlemen, and prompted episodes of night riders and wire cutters. Meadow Sweet was equipped with mules, a Chicago-built International Harvester gasoline tractor, a road grader, wagons, harnesses, harrows, two feeding pens, scales, two stables, four homes, and a silo.
CATTLE DIPPING
Because the Hereford bulls Mrs. Palmer brought in all died of cattle tick fever, she was one of the first ranchers in the state to use large concrete vats where the animals were “dipped” in medicines and insect repellants to eliminate the ticks. Her pioneering preventative measure became mandatory by 1932, part of a statewide cattle dipping program funded by federal and state funds. Florida would be declared free of cattle ticks in the 1940s.
EXPERIMENTAL FARMS
Palmer corresponded with state agricultural agencies and university agricultural departments and launched pasture improvement programs. In addition to the ranch, she had 1,300 acres of citrus groves and produced honey. Her experimental farms had crops that included celery and watermelon.
“THE OAKS” at SPANISH POINT
At one point Bertha owned about one third of Sarasota County. She built a house (no longer standing) on her 350-acre estate at Spanish Point and named it “The Oaks.” The Palmer estate featured its own electrical plant and water system and had citrus groves, livestock and poultry sheds. Today Mrs. Palmer’s “Oaks” legacy lives on. A bay-front sub-division in Osprey has been named “The Oaks.”
Bertha Honoré Palmer died of breast cancer in 1918, only eight years after that first visit to Sarasota. She left her vast estate in the hands of her two sons, Honoré and Potter Palmer, Jr. and her brother Adrian C. Honoré.
MYAKKA RIVER STATE PARK
In 1934 Mrs. Palmer’s real estate friend Arthur B. Edwards negotiated the purchase of Meadow Sweet Pastures from the Palmer estate along with a land donation in the memory of Bertha Palmer to help create Myakka River State Park. The State of Florida bought the ranch, adding to 12,000 acres of surrounding forest reserve already state-owned. Afterward, the state gradually took in more land until the park in its present site was opened to the public in 1942.
Myakka River State Park, a 29,000-acre nature reserve and wildlife refuge, is a microcosm of a subtropical South Florida landscape preserved with little change from what it was centuries ago. Visitors may see wild turkeys, many varieties of land birds, 9-banded armadillos from Mexico, alligators, otter, foxes, white-tailed deer and feral pigs.
''The wild pigs are descendants of domestic escapees from the Palmer ranch,'' boat tour guide Robert Hember says. ''We've got too many. They uproot and devour food plants for desirable wild animals. Hunting is prohibited here, so the rangers trap and remove what excess pigs they can. Sometimes a fierce boar will tree a ranger.''
PALMER RANCH TODAY
Today much of the Palmer Ranch land, that is not part of Myakka River State Park, has been developed into a master-planned community of over 30 neighborhoods with 3 country clubs. Parts of the Ranch still have cattle operations.
When you visit the Palmer Ranch area today you'll find a number of features that celebrate the legacy of Bertha Palmer. The Oaks Club is near the original location of her home. Honoré Avenue bears her maiden name (and that of her son), Meadowsweet Circle is in Osprey, and the few remaining cows that you can find on Palmer Ranch's periphery are a reminder of Sarasota's rich history in cattle ranching.
Buchan Airport: From Movie Stars to Mosquitoes
During the heyday of land speculation in the 1920s, a development of 98 acres was planned for west of today's Old Englewood Road, right where Buchan Airport is today. Designed as a Mecca for vacationing stars and the wealthy, it was to be called Hygeia. Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford (in photo) planned to build their 30-room home here.
"Close on the heels of the announcement that a half score of producers, managers, actors, newspaper men and authors had purchased lots in Hygeia, the latest development in Englewood, is the news that Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Fairbanks have also made purchases here." --Sarasota Herald
When the Great Florida Land Boom suddenly ended, Hygeia was all but forgotten; the land sat unused for many years. But in 1949 a new development came to the area due to a very influential player in Florida’s history: the mosquito.
In the 1940s malaria was still fairly common in Sarasota County. It wasn’t until the 1900s that the link between disease and the mosquito was discovered. The County formed a new mosquito eradication program and in April 1949 Sarasota Commissioner Peter E. Buchan helped the County acquire 93 acres of the Hygeia land for just $100. This was to build an airport to facilitate aerial spraying. The County Commissioners named the airport to honor Peter E. Buchan's "long and efficient service to the county."
In the 1960s, homes with hangers were built along the only remaining street from Hygeia, Osceola Road. Today Buchan Airport is operated by the Sarasota County Board of County Commissioners.
Who was Peter E. Buchan?
Born in Georgia in 1871, Peter ("Pete" Buchan (pronounced Buck-an) and his wife Florence arrived in Englewood in 1902. Pete first worked as a bookkeeper for the Chadwick Fish Company(1). In 1908 he worked at the town's only store owned by the Nichols brothers who founded Englewood(2).
When business came to a standstill, Pete left the area but returned in 1912. As soon as he entered the store (on Yale St.) H.K. Nichols exclaimed, "Hi. Have you come back to buy the store?” It was an offer Peter couldn't refuse. He got the business and the entire inventory for $315!
In 1913, for $100, Pete bought all of the bay-side land at the corner of Dearborn and Olive (now Old Englewood Rd). He built a new 2-story building and moved the store there from Yale Street. He and his family lived on the second floor. He also built a 250-foot pier out into Lemon Bay. All supplies came into Englewood by boat to "Buchan's Landing." The name and the building still exist today.
Always active in the growing community, Pete organized a work group to open up Blind Pass. He was appointed Englewood Postmaster in 1912 and set up a Post Office in his store. He served as a Trustee for the Englewood School District. In 1921 he was appointed by Governor Cary A. Hardee to be the first Sarasota County Commissioner from Englewood. Buchan served for 21 years and was instrumental in having a paved road connecting Englewood with Sarasota.
Peter E. Buchan died in 1968 at the age of 97.
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(1) To learn more about the Chadwicks see photo and story "The White Elephant" in the Englewood Area History Museum.
(2) In 1893 three brothers from Englewood, Illinois: Herbert, Howard and Ira Nichols saw an exhibit at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago which introduced the idea of growing lemons in Southwest Florida. At the time scurvy was still a very serious problem. Lemons were the prescribed treatment but had to be imported from Spain which was very costly. Grove City was already underway and an unnamed bay was christened “Lemon Bay.” It was thought easy money could be made by growing lemons in Florida.
The Nichols brothers figured they could cash in on the lemon trend by selling building lots, each with an additional 10 acres on which to grow lemons. They founded Englewood, named after their home-town in Illinois and set to work selling lots. But the extra cold winters of 1894 and 1895 killed all the lemon trees.
Undaunted, the brothers changed their focus to building a Mecca to attract wealthy tourists to the area. They built the Englewood Inn (at the end of Perry St.) and started a general store (on Yale St.). But in 1909 the Inn burned to the ground. They tried to keep the store going on Yale Street but were down on their luck and down on their funding so it's no wonder they were delighted to sell the store to Peter Buchan at such a bargain price.
Compiled and edited by Don Bayley
(SOURCES: Florida Mosquito Control District website, keysmosquito.org; Diana Harris, Englewood Lives; Newton Studios, Englewood, the First 100 Years; Lindsey Williams, Writer At Large, Sun Coast Media Group; Buchan Airport website, buchanairport.weebly.com)
DID YOU KNOW?
The word "museum" comes from the Greek word "mouseion," a place dedicated to the study and appreciation of the muses. Every day, millions of people worship those muses by visiting museums to admire ancient artifacts, commune with the likes of others, get to know the history, the customs and the culture of the local region.
Today, almost every town in the world has realized the importance to set up their own museums to exhibit historic items which belong to their past. When we visit a new place, we can get almost everything we need about its history in the local museum!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!
One of the better-known benefits of volunteering is the impact on the community. Volunteers are often the glue that holds a community together. Volunteering allows you to connect to your community and make it a better place. Even helping out with the smallest tasks can make a real difference to the lives of people and organizations. Volunteering is a two-way street: It can benefit you and your family as much as the cause you choose to help. Dedicating your time as a volunteer helps you make new friends, expand your network, and boost your social involvement! Contact us for an exciting opportunity!