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Boca Grande,through time.

5 eras · 1890–2026 · every fact sourced · compiled from the sources shown, not yet reviewed by a historian

Start in 1890

Lighthouse, phosphate port and the grand plan

1890–1911: Lighthouse, phosphate port and the grand plan

Era 1 · 1890–1911

Lighthouse, phosphate port and the grand plan

The lighthouse at the south end of Gasparilla Island was built in 1890 to guide ships into Charlotte Harbor, where phosphate was loaded by hand from barges. Between 1905 and 1911 Peter Bradley's American Agricultural Chemical Company built a railroad, a grand hotel and a town on the island, making Boca Grande one of Southwest Florida's first planned communities.

Image shown for this era: Black-and-white photograph from about 1910 of five young people in dark wool bathing suits and caps standing in a row behind low beach plants on Gasparilla Island.. 1910 · State Library and Archives of Florida, Florida Memory (Rc02885), via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Source

Key moments

  1. Gasparilla Island lighthouse built

    The lighthouse at the south end of the island was built to guide ships entering Charlotte Harbor.

    Source

    1. Boca Grande & Gasparilla Island 1890-1905, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. First plat of the town of Boca Grande filed

    Albert W. Gilchrist, who owned considerable acreage in the middle of Gasparilla Island and later became governor of Florida, filed the first plat for the town of Boca Grande.

    Source

    1. Lost History Uncovered: Olmsted's Forgotten Village, The Cultural Landscape Foundation (accessed 2026-11-09)

  3. Railroad construction begins

    A company official, an Army engineer and a work force landed on the island to start building a railroad to the phosphate mines of Polk County.

    Source

    1. Boca Grande & Gasparilla Island 1890-1905, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)
3 more from this era

  1. Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway completed

    The phosphate company's railway to Gasparilla Island was finished; it brought phosphate and, soon, wealthy visitors from the North.

    Source

    1. Gasparilla Train Trestle Report, Charlotte County, Florida (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. Phosphate dock completed

    The phosphate company finished a 1,000-foot dock at the south end of the island for loading ships.

    Source

    1. Gasparilla Train Trestle Report, Charlotte County, Florida (accessed 2026-11-09)

  3. Gasparilla Inn opens

    The Boca Grande Land Company's hotel opened as an upscale winter destination; it was enlarged in 1912 and doubled in size in 1915.

    Source

    1. Florida Historical Marker: Gasparilla Inn & Club, Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. Boca Grande & Gasparilla Island 1890-1905, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)
  2. The Grand Plan: 1905-1912, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)
  3. Gasparilla Train Trestle Report, Charlotte County, Florida (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: Lighthouse, phosphate port and the grand plan

Era 2 · 1912–1929

Boom town

Winter visitors arrived by train for the Gasparilla Inn while phosphate from central Florida was loaded onto ships at Port Boca Grande. Churches, a school, a car ferry, worker housing and the fishing village of Gasparilla followed, and a second resort, the Boca Grande Hotel, opened in 1929.

Image shown for this era: Black-and-white oblique aerial photograph labeled "Bocagrande, Fla." and received December 1924: the south end of Gasparilla Island with the railroad running down its length, the phosphate dock reaching into Boca Grande Pass, and the young town among trees.. 1924 · U.S. Army Air Service, 4th Photo Section / National Archives and Records Administration (NAID 23936565), via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Source

Key moments

  1. Boca Grande Hotel opens

    A second resort hotel with a golf course, riding stable, landing strip and tennis courts opened on the Gulf just south of 1st Street.

    Source

    1. Boom Town: 1912-1930, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. Boom Town: 1912-1930, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: Boom town

Era 3 · 1930–1957

Boca Grande's heyday

The island supported a fishing village at its north end, a deep-water phosphate port at its south end and two large resort hotels in the middle. Commercial fishermen, guides, port workers, hotel staff and wealthy winter residents lived side by side on an island half a mile wide.

Image shown for this era: Color photograph from 1947 of the white harbor pilot boat "Pilot" tied up at a long wooden dock at Port Boca Grande, with the phosphate loading elevator and its conveyor gantry stretching across the water behind it.. 1947 · Joseph Janney Steinmetz Collection, State Library and Archives of Florida, Florida Memory (JJS0390), via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Source

Key moments

  1. Barron Collier buys the Gasparilla Inn

    The land baron added a grand new entrance, an 18-hole golf course and several cottages.

    Source

    1. Florida Historical Marker: Gasparilla Inn & Club, Florida Department of State, Division of Historical Resources (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. Boca Grande Health Clinic opens

    Winter resident Louise du Pont Crowninshield, who also helped build the island's 1929 school, established a medical clinic.

    Source

    1. Boom Town: 1912-1930, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. Boca Grande's Hey Day: 1930-1958, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: Boca Grande's heyday

Era 4 · 1958–1978

A period of decline

A bridge to the mainland in 1958 ended the island's self-sufficiency: the car ferry and passenger train stopped, and the school closed in 1963. The African American community and the north-end fishing village were displaced, the Boca Grande Hotel was razed and the lighthouse was abandoned, while phosphate shipments continued.

Image shown for this era: Black-and-white aerial view from 1960 of the south end of Gasparilla Island: Port Boca Grande's terminal buildings, storage tanks and docks at the tip, a cargo ship alongside, and the town spreading north along the island.. 1960 · State Library and Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Source

Key moments

  1. Bridge to the mainland

    For the first time residents could drive off the island; the car ferry went out of business and the passenger train was discontinued.

    Source

    1. A Period of Decline 1958-1979, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. Island school closes

    The Lee County School Board began busing students to the mainland and closed the island school; the building was later restored as the community center.

    Source

    1. A Period of Decline 1958-1979, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. A Period of Decline 1958-1979, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: A period of decline

Era 5 · 1979–2026

The new Boca Grande

After the last phosphate shipment in 1979, density and height limits under the Gasparilla Island Act shaped new growth. The lighthouse, school and depot were restored, the rail line became a bike path, and in 2001 the port's last oil berth closed, ending Boca Grande's life as a deep-water port.

Image shown for this era: The restored Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway depot in Boca Grande in 2010: a white two-story building with a red tile roof and wooden balcony, cafe tables and umbrellas under the arcade, and tall palms against a deep blue sky.. 2010 · Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA · Source

Key moments

  1. Last phosphate shipment

    The railroad stopped carrying phosphate to Port Boca Grande as modern ports in Tampa and Manatee County took over, 68 years after the first shipment.

    Source

    1. A Period of Decline 1958-1979, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. Net ban ends commercial netting

    Florida voters banned entangling nets in state waters, ending a long tradition of commercial fishing on Gasparilla Island.

    Source

    1. The Fisherfolk, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)

  3. Port Boca Grande closes

    Florida Power & Light closed its deep-water oil berth when its Fort Myers plant switched to natural gas, ending 111 years as a deep-water port.

    Source

    1. The New Boca Grande: 1979-present, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)
2 more from this era

  1. Hurricane Charley damages Boca Grande

    Damage was heaviest south of 29th Street: roofs were torn off, thousands of trees and power lines came down and debris piled up to 10 feet deep in places.

    Source

    1. Hurricane Charley preliminary storm survey (local summary II), National Weather Service Tampa Bay (accessed 2026-11-09)

  2. Hurricane Ian

    Hurricane Ian struck the island; the South Beach restaurant was destroyed by fire.

    Source

    1. Portals of Paradise - A Boca Grande Timeline, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)

Sources

  1. The New Boca Grande: 1979-present, Boca Grande Historical Society (accessed 2026-11-09)
Correct this era: The new Boca Grande

Then & Now

Boca Grande, 1897 to 2026

First plat of the town of Boca Grande filed · drag to compare

The two-story stucco Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railway depot in downtown Boca Grande around 1985, with arched ground-floor openings, a wooden upper balcony under wide eaves, a Norfolk Island pine and flowering shrubs in front, and two young people sitting on the steps.
Fugate's, a pale green streamline-style corner store in the Downtown Boca Grande Historic District, with lettered signs on both facades, benches along the sidewalk, palms behind and a clear blue sky in 2018.
18972026

Then image1985 · State Library and Archives of Florida, Florida Memory (COM05914), via Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Source

Now image2018 · Ebyabe, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA · Source

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This timeline is compiled from the public records cited on each era and event. Every quote is checked against its source automatically, and items marked Reviewed have also been checked by a person. Images are public domain or openly licensed, each with its credit. If you know something we’ve missed or got wrong, or you hold records of your own, we’d like to hear from you.

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