613 Trabue Street

This home sits on three lots on Trabue Street; a single block street in the heart of the Old Historic District of Punta Gorda.  This short street was the only memorial to the town's founder, Isaac Trabue, until 2009 when City Council designated public lands east of the Justice Center, along the Harbor, as Trabue Park.  The original abstract shows the paving, curbing and storm drainage were put into place in 1925.  Fred M. and his wife, Mary Calhoun Johnson, purchased the house in 1931.  They passed the house to their son Richard C. and his wife, Jutta.  It remained in the Johnson family until 1980.  Shortly after the first Johnson family moved in, the porch was closed in to make a bedroom and a half bath.  The original floor, china closets, ceilings, baseboards and wainscoting remain throughout the interior.

607 Trabue Street

In 1885, Isaac Trabue and his wife, Virginia, deeded this property to John Cross and John Trabue to be used for a described purpose, mainly to be planted in pineapples, lemons, oranges and other profitable fruit.  When the produce was sold, two thirds of the profit was to be used as prizes for a "chess tournament".  From 1902 to 1917 Punta Gorda was a principal supplier of pineapples to the nation.  By March of 1917, the pineapple fields were gone due to a freeze which ended the 20 year pineapple boom.  In 1924, the whole block sold for $4,000 and this house was built soon after. In 1964, the City of Punta Gorda tax on the property was $35.36.  At that time, Mr. A. C. Frizzel owned the property.  He was a prosperous cattle rancher in the Murdock area.  It was occupied for about 30 years by Lois and Ellsworth Heusted.

219 Sullivan Street

 

"Circuit riding' Reverend George Gatewood bought this home in 1915.  He was a minister licensed by the Methodist General conference in 1899.  He preached to frontier churches that were beyond the reach of regular clerics with the help of occasional visiting ministers.  He attended the spiritual needs of 200 homesteaders in "Union Services" which were held in school houses throughout the area.  He and his wife supported themselves by operating "General" stores here in town.  He also worked as postmaster, real estate salesman, fisherman and newspaper reporter.  He wrote two books of historical significance: "Ox Cart Days to Airplane Era in Southwest Florida" and "On Florida's Coconut Coast"  both of which have been republished by the Punta Gorda Historical Society.