Historic Englewood Florida
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1505748
Page 16 www.yoursun.com By JESSICA ORLANDO STAFF WRITER ENGLEWOOD — At the foot of the Tom Adams Bridge on Beach Road, Englewood's Bait House is at a convenient junction, perched between mainland Englewood, Lemon Bay, Manasota Key and the Gulf of Mexico beyond. Recently under new ownership, the Bait House stays busy, as owner Chris Atamanchuk and his crew oer all manner of fishing equipment, live and frozen bait and advice about where to go for fish, what's biting, and what to use for a successful catch. But the rich history surrounding The Bait House goes back decades. Originally, The Bait House was in a dierent location on Lemon Bay, across Beach Road from where it is now. "The Bait House has been the spot in Englewood for years," Tim Birdsey said. "It was probably also the first, too." Birdsey, a shrimp supplier and regular at the shop, owns T-N-T Bait and Tackle over in Port Charlotte. He was helping out at The Bait House as a shrimp supplier and walking encyclopedia for fishing while his shop gets rebuilt from Hurricane Ian. Birdsey talked about how important The Bait House was to the fishing community back in the day. All things fishing and boating The Bait House on Lemon Bay has been serving fishermen for 66 years at the same site PHOTOS COURTESY OF DIANA HARRIS In 1955, Minnie Pearson and her new partner Edgar Van Norman built a new bait house across the street from her old one at the foot of the old wooden bridge across Lemon Bay. The bridge was replaced by the Tom Adams Bridge, but the bait store is still there and operating. Photo circa 1950. Englewood's shing co-op was short-lived. The 1944 hurricane wrecked all the shermen's boats and nets. Jack Pearson sits in front of the co-op's building, which remained and became a local land- mark known as Minnie Pearson's Bait House. Photo late 1940s. In 1944, Jack Pearson got together 22 shermen and formed a sherman's co-op. The Englewood Cooperative Fisheries Ltd., declared a rst for the state of Florida, however, was short lived as the 1944 hurricane wrecked all the shermen's boats and nets. The building remained as a bait house and became a local quaint looking landmark run by Minnie Pearson. Photo late 1940s. Edgar Van Norman stands on the deck of the old bait house holding a good-sized trout. He became Minnie Pearson's partner after her husband Jack died. Photo circa 1950, courtesy of Minnie Pearson. FISHING | 17A