Sarasota County to Host Special Historical Exhibit

Sarasota County is inviting the community to take a step back in time with four historical women.

Beginning Friday, June 7, Phillippi Estate Park will be home to a special exhibit dedicated to examining the growth of Sarasota and the impacts Nettie Keith, Bertha Palmer, Mable Ringling and Marie Selby had on Sarasota. The exhibit will remain at Phillippi Estate Park until July, when it will then travel to eight county libraries.

The exhibit, called “Shaping Sarasota: Four Memorable Women,” will showcase the growth of Sarasota and the influence they had on early community development. Guest speakers will address the period in which the women lived, impacts on their lives, troubles they faced and a review of their family heritages.  

“These women greatly influenced the direction of life in the early Sarasota community,” said Priscilla Brown, Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources program coordinator. “Their legacies can be seen today throughout the county today at well-known landmarks including Phillippi Estate Park, Historic Spanish Point, Ringling Museum and Selby Gardens.”

Presentations and exhibition hours begin 6:30 p.m. Friday, June 7 at Phillippi Estate Park.

6:30 p.m. Friday, June 7, join Rodney Kite-Powell, director of the Touchton Map Library, for a presentation on “The Florida Land Boom of the 1920s.”
10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 8, join Steven Noll, master lecturer at the University of Florida, for a discussion on “Florida Mansions and the Gilded Age.”
1:30 p.m. Saturday, June 8, join Jeff LaHurd, Sarasota author and historian, for a look into “Female Activists in Early 20th Century Florida.”
Admission to the Phillippi Estate Park exhibition is free but reservations are required. Viewing hours will be noon to 4 p.m. on Saturdays through July 6. Edson Keith Mansion at Phillippi Estate Park is located at 5500 S. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota.

Following July 6, the exhibit will visit eight county libraries. Displays will be available at each location for a month with viewing times during regular library hours beginning in August.

August: Osprey Library at Historic Spanish Point,
337 N. Tamiami Trail, Osprey.
September: Gulf Gate Library, 7112 Curtiss Ave., Sarasota.
October: Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library, 4143 Woodmere Park Blvd., Venice.
November: William H. Jervey Jr. Venice Public Library, 300 Nokomis Ave. S., Venice.
January 2020: Fruitville Library, 100 Coburn Road, Sarasota.
February 2020: Elsie Quirk Library, 100 West Dearborn St., Englewood.
March 2020: North Port Library, 13800 S. Tamiami Trail, North Port.
April 2020: Selby Library, 1331 First St., Sarasota.