Charlotte Harbor Town

 First house in Trabue.  

The painting of this house now hangs in the home of Terry Runkle.  Mrs. McAdow moved from Punta Gorda and gave the painting to her friend Willie A. White, telegrapher.  Mrs.White died and her daughter Thelma left it in the house when she sold the estate.  A family named Runkle purchased the house and the daughter-in-law, Terry, found it stored in the garage.  She restored it.  

Marian McAdow painted this picture of the house that was on land that Isaac Trabue bought from Jams M. Lanier to start the town of Trabue.  The house is believed to have been built by James Lockhart.  James Lockhart was a former soldier from the Civil War and he and his new wife, Josephine, decided in 1876 to move to this section of the bay on the harbor's south side near where the current Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel and Suites was located until 2024.

The Lockharts then sold to James Lanier in 1879 and moved south to the Ten Thousand Islands.  Lanier then sold to  Isaac Trabue in 1883 who platted a new town in 1885.  The town was incorporated in 1887 as Punta Gorda and this is considered the oldest home in the city.

PER LINDSEY WILLIAMS:  The oldest known house in Charlotte Harbor Town was built on Laura Street by prominent cattleman John Hagan.  It was owned and beautifully restored by Victor Larrison and suffered only a little roof damage as a result of Hurricane Charley, Aug. 13, 2004.  

Waterfront, Punta Gorda - First Home Site

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On June 22, 1876  James Lockhart and his wife chose a home site on the south side of  Charlotte Harbor where the city of Punta Gorda is today.  Born in GA, James Lockhart moved to present-day Gainesville.  After serving in Co. B, 2nd FL Infantry and wounded at Gettysburg he and Josephine married and ended up at a new settlement on the Peace River's north shore.  By June 1876 they moved near Nathan Decoster's settlement of Harborview on the harbor's southside where the Punta Gorda Waterfront Hotel and Suites now stands.  The lack of potable water was a problem for earlier settlement attempts.  James found water in his well and they moved.  In 1879 the Lockharts sold out to James Lanier.  Lanier expanded his land holdings and sold them to Isaac Trabue in 1883.  Trabue platted a new town in 1885 which was incorporated as Punta Gorda in 1887.  Marion McAdow was a painter and she painted this picture of the house that was on the land Isaac Trabue bought from James M. Lanier.