On Site Collections (Research Options)
Data Entry Research Notebooks
Updated 1/2024.
*Indicated notebook has been scanned.
Subject specific multi-volume collections such as:
African Americans
- African American History of Charlotte County
- Boca Grande the Black Experience Vol. 1A
- Boca Grande the Black Experience Vol. 1B
- Boca Grande The Black Experience Vol. 1C
- Boca Grande the Black Experience Vol. 2 A-F 1910’s-1950’s
- *Boca Grande the Black Experience Vol. 3 G-L 1910’s-1950’s
- *Boca Grande the Black Experience Vol. 4 M-Z 1910’s-1950’s
- Census Schedules — African American Census and Genealogy
- Race, Power and Memory
Biographies
- Johns Knight Sr. and Tales From the Jail
- *Joseph Spadaro the Forgotten Citizen Vol.1 (Located under Spadaro video exhibit)
- *Joseph Spadaro the Forgotten Citizen, Family Genealogy Vol. 2 (Located under Spadaro video exhibit)
- *Joseph Spadaro the Forgotten Citizen Vol. 3 (Located under Spadaro video exhibit)
- Profiles: Movers and Shakers: Peter Butler Bradley Founding Father of Boca Grande
- Profiles: Movers and Shakers: Lewis M. Fouts
- Profiles: Movers and Shakers: Albert Gilchrist
- Teddy Roosevelt and Punta Gorda
- *The Olmstead Brothers and Boca Grande Vol. 1A
- The Olmstead Brothers and Boca Grande Vol. 1B
- *The Olmstead Brothers and Boca Grande Vol. 2
- *The Olmstead Brothers and Boca Grande Vol. 3
Boating and Maritime History
- Charlotte Harbor Shipwreck Survey 2005
Bridge
- Bridge to Paradise-Bridges and Causeways
Business
- Gasparilla Inn V.1 1911-2006
- Gasparilla Inn V.2. 2007-2023
- *Remember When? The Business Community on Boca Grande Vol. 1 A-H
- *Remember When? The Business Community on Boca Grande Vol. 2 I-P
- *Remember When? The Business Community on Boca Grande Vol. 3 Q-Z
Census
- Boca Grande Demographics
- Census Report I (Census 1880-1937 Gasparilla Island and Lee County)
- Lee County 1945, 1950 Precincts 18 and 23
- Seventh Census of State of Florida 1945, County Populations 1830-1945
Community Plan
- Boca Grande Community Plan
History
- Atlantic City of the Gulf
- Boca Grande 1924
- Boca Grande History Miscellaneous
- Boca Grande History Panels
- Boca Grande: Millionaires Playground
- Do You Know Boca Grande? Vol. 1
- Do You Know Boca Grande? Vol. 2
- Do You Know Boca Grande? Vol. 3
- Selling Boca Grande—Boca Grande Paradise Lost or Paradise Gained
- *The Gibson Papers (Charles Dana Gibson)
view in subject files on research computer
Primary sources available per request - Whatever Happened To? Vol. 1
- Whatever Happened To? Vol. 2
Hurricanes
- *Hurricanes: Boca Grande
- Hurricane Ian
Magna Carta
notebooks located under Magna Carta exhibit
- Bowker: An Important Piece of the Puzzle
- Magna Carta Collection 1902-1942
Phosphate
- More About Phosphate
Port
- Port Noise Complaint: Reflections by Milton Bell
Railroads
- *Boca Grande Traveling in Style—George Pullman and the Pullman Experience
- *Exhibit Supplement Vol. 1A—Boca Grande Once a Railroad Town
- *Exhibit Supplement Vol. 1B—Boca Grande Once a Railroad Town
- Exhibit Supplement Vol. 2—Railroads and Boca Grande
- Exhibit Supplement Vol. 3—Ships and Phosphate
- Railroad Heaven: Portals-Those Were the Days
Research
- Research Websites including Charlotte and Lee Counties
Timeline
- Portals of Paradise a Boca Grande Timeline
WWI
- WWI
- WWI Census: 1917-1918 Military
WWII
- *Florida, Boca Grande and WWII Vol. 1A
- *Florida, Boca Grande and WWII Addendum 1A
- *Florida, Boca Grande and WWII Vol. 1B
- *Florida, Boca Grande and WWII Addendum 1B
- Florida, Boca Grande and WWII Vol. 2A
- Florida, Boca Grande and WWII Vol. 2B
- Florida, Boca Grande and WWII Vol. 2C
- WWII Census: 1940-1947 Military
Oral Histories
The Oral History Collection documents Gasparilla Island history as remembered and experienced by its residents. The Interviews are either in transcript, audio or video formats.
Programs
Since the Boca Grande Historical Societies’ conception, programs and lectures have been presented to the membership. Many of these are now available for viewing and/or listening to at the History Center and on our website.
History Bytes
Local history vignettes from 2001 to the present in video or audio formats.
Library
The Boca Grande History Center is home to a collection of books about Florida. By appointment visitors may use the BGHC library. The books are not available for checkout.
Click the link below to search the library catalog by complete title or a keyword search:
Subject Files
These alphabetical files consist of hundreds of newspaper clippings, documents, images, newsletters, brochures, and other print materials on a variety of topics from aerials to transportation relating to Gasparilla Island and its surrounding areas.
By appointment visitors may use our research computer to access premium sites like Ancestry.com, Newspapers.com, and smalltownnewspapers.com.
These collections may only be accessed on site at the History Center.
Contact Jim Blaha, archivist, for archival and research assistance.
941-964-1600
archives@bocagrandehistoricalsociety.com
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