2022 Members and Visitors Guide for the Punta Gorda Area
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Page 108 2022 Punta Gorda Chamber of Commerce Members & Visitors Guide T he Charlotte County Historical Marker Program was established in 2005 to recognize historical resources, persons and events that are significant in the areas of architecture, archaeology and community development. You can drive around the county and stand on the spot where history happened. CHARLOTTE COUNTY COURTHOUSE Charlotte County was created in 1921, after citizens had pushed for 34 years to divide DeSoto County, and Punta Gorda was the new county seat. After meeting in rented quarters, the Board of County Commissioners voted in 1927 to plan a new building and purchased two downtown lots from George Brown (1868 -1951), an African-American businessman, for $25,000. Expanded in the 1960s and 1980s to accommodate the changing needs of Charlotte County residents, the Courthouse served as the cen- ter of civic and community life for 71 years until the Justice Center opened in 1999. 118 West Olympia Avenue, Punta Gorda CHARLOTTE HARBOR CEMETERY Established in 1879, Charlotte Harbor Cemetery is the oldest known cemetery in Charlotte County and the final resting place of many local pioneers who braved a sub- tropical wilderness and Civil War reconstruction to build a settlement on the Charlotte Harbor waterfront. Everyday families, intrepid individuals and noteworthy leaders are all represented here. It was the local cemetery for residents over three decades, until the Charlotte Harbor Cemetery land with boundaries as they exist today was deeded to First Methodist Church of Charlotte Harbor (now Trinity United Methodist Church) on May 1, 1908 for a dollar. 4410 Church Street, Port Charlotte EL JOBEAN The area now known as El Jobean was originally part of those federal lands in Florida deeded to the state government following its admission to the United States in 1845. Private ownership and development of the area first began in 1883 when the land was purchased and deeded to the London-based Florida Land and Mortgage Company. In 1887, Scottish immigrants Daniel and Jane MacPherson purchased 1,071 acres on which they platted the town of Southland on the east bank of the Myaaka River. Undeveloped save for a small fishing camp for sport fishermen, the town was a stop on the Charlotte Harbor and Northern Railroad after 1907 and sold to turpentine distillers in 1920. The unsuc- cessful businessmen sold the entire Southland tract in 1923 to Joel Bean of the Boston and Florida Reality Trust Company, who looked to capitalize on the land boom then sweeping Florida. Changing the name to El Jobe-an, an anagram of his name, Bean developed plans for a unique hexagonal "City of Destiny" for northern buyers seeking winter homes. El Jobean's flourishing de- velopment was cut short by two major hurricanes in 1926 and 1928 and the onset of the Great Depression in 1929. El Jobean continued as a fishing community and winter home for tourists and circus per- formers. 4370 Garden Road, Port Charlotte Plaque marks the spot for historic Charlotte County sites Photo courtesy of Diana Harris The El Jobean Hotel circa 1950.