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Coming Up at the Center 

Wednesday, November 4,   1 p.m.

The 1876 Florida Election that Changed Everything 

The 1876 election in Florida provided the final four electoral votes needed to award Rutherford B. Hayes the presidency. The high-stakes compromise involved effectively ended the Reconstruction era, abandoning federal protections for Black civil rights and ushering in the Jim Crow era of institutional segregation.  Historian Rose Gatens presents an engaging talk on this important election. 

Wednesday, November 11, 1 p.m

The Story of the Punta Gorda Airport

Learn about the evolution of our local airport which started  as an Army Airfield in the 1940s. Scott Shively, President of the Boca Grande Historical Society and local historian, has done extensive research on the airport’s history which he will share. Mr. Shively moved to Punta Gorda following a 20-year career with the U.S. Air Force.  

Tuesday, November 17, 1 p.m

The History of Burnt Store Isles - Neighborhood Series 

Hear about what was there before PGI Inc. began developing the land where BSI now is and the early history of the community including the beginnings of what is now Twin Isles Country Club.

Programs are free and open to the public.  

        Learn More About Your Local History 

 Current Exhibit - Punta Gorda Through the Lens of Old Postcards 

From the earliest days of the town, postcards, which blossomed in the late 1880s,  were an integral part of communications with friends and family in distant places.  As time went on and Punta Gorda became in part a tourist destination, visitors sent them as mementos of their travels through Florida.  Now these old postcards represent an important visual and written link to Punta Gorda’s past.  In this exhibit their importance to the historical record of the town will be illustrated and the role of postcards will be discussed in programs throughout the year.

Help Provide History

Often an incidental factor in a diary, photograph, map or other document can reveal more about the story of our town.  Before these important clues to our past are lost…