Historic plaque ceremony next Tuesday
On Jan. 19 at 3 p.m., there will be a ceremony to place historic designation plaques on The Rain Barrel, The Annex and The Historic Cottage at the Estero Island Historical Society site at 161 Bay Road.
Mayor Kiker will be presiding at the ceremony.
Brief descriptions of the structures will be given. The members of the Historic Advisory Committee members who had taken part in the acquiring of each structure will be presented. The public is invited and refreshments will be served at the conclusion of the placing of the plaques.
The Historic Cottage was built in 1921 and served five generations of the Davison family. Remembered as the San Castle Kindergarten, it was relocated from Mango Street and dedicated in 1997 as the Estero Island Historic Society and Nature Center. It is now located at the entrance to the 57-acre Matanzas Pass Preserve at the end of Bay Road behind the Fort Myers Beach Elementary School.
The rain barrel was built in 1946 of Cypress planks. It represents an era when residents collected rain as a source of drinking water. Destroyed by Hurricane Charley in 2004, it was relocated from Hercules Drive and restored at the Historic Society site.
The Annex, known as the “Laughing Gull” cottage, was built as a beachside rental on Seaview Avenue and fondly remembered as the “Pink Palace” by those who vacationed there. It was relocated in 2002 to serve as the Library and Board Room to the Estero Island Historic Society.