LaVilla Road - Cedar Oaks

 

When Willian M. Whitten came to Punta Gorda in 1899, he was seriously ill.   In Punta Gorda he bought a newly planted pineapple plantation farm one mile east of town.  They were known as sure-fire money makers requiring little investment and or work.  Within two years Whitten regained his health and returned to Indiana to his family.  His wife was seriously ill and he brought the family back to Punta Gorda in hopes she would recover.  He built a new home he called Cedar Oaks at what is now Florida Street and LaVilla Road in  the Old Florida style. 

Pineapples were a new business in Punta Gorda when Mr. Whitten arrived.  Around 1896 a group of leading businessmen, the McAdows among them, began the Solana Pineries Co. and planted their crop east of town.  In 1903 just five acres were cultivated but produced over 2,000 crates of pineapples with a net profit of almost $2,700, a good sum in those days.  In 1902 William Whitten moved to Punta Gorda permanently after previous visits.  His plants began producing in 1909 and he subdivided about 250 acres east of town into 14 lots of various sizes naming the plat Pineapple Centre.  At this time it was the main section of pineapple production in the area.  A freeze in 1917 dealt the local industry a disastrous blow and rendered the pineapple industry unrecoverable.   The Florida Southern Railway built a depot and loading dock there.  It has since been demolished.  

Mr. and Mrs. Aubrey and Olive Nelson occupied the home located at Florida Street and LaVilla.  Mrs. Nelson (nee Brown) is the granddaughter of William M. Whitten.  Mr. Nelson is the son of Mr. and Mrs. John Henry Nelson.

William Whitten’s granddaughter resided in the home until recently.  It was damaged during Hurricane Ian and is currently being restored.  

311 Retta Esplanade - Freeman House

A.C. Freeman built this house in 1903, originally on land he purchased from Albert Gilchrist, after migrating to Punta Gorda in 1889.  Freeman owned a hardware store and a citrus grove, among other ventures. He served in various city government positions from 1896 to 1904, including tax collector, councilman and treasurer as well as mayor during the later four or five years. He was the first elected mayor in 1900 and served as the sheriff of DeSoto County (from which Charlotte County was derived) for eight years.  During the 1902 mayoral campaign he was described as "'Industrious, frugal and obliging... well-to-do, but probably not a millionaire'".  

The house is currently owned by the City of Punta Gorda. In 1985 it was slated for demolition.  A major community effort coordinated by the Medical Center Foundation relocated the house from its original East Marion address, where Kays Ponger Funeral home is today, to 639 Hargreaves Street.  Ultimately, the house was relocated to its current location on Retta Esplanade and 41 South, serving as a familiar gateway into the city. The City assumed ownership of the building after Hurricane Charley struck in August 13, 2004.  It was then moved to its present location.  

412 West Marion Avenue

 

This was the long-time home of attorney John H. Hancock and his wife, Emma.  Since 1968 this home has been cared for by the Vuic family.  It is a rambling 23 room frame house and has a full front porch supported by columns on cement piers, bay windows and a front gable.  There are fireplaces in the living room and second floor master bedroom.  Heart pine floors and French doors accent the house.  Currently a large hedge surrounds the property.  It is across the street from the City Hall annex.  It was featured in the TV series Route 66 when an episode was filmed in Punta Gorda.