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CHARLOTTE COUNTY HISTORIC COURTHOUSE

REOPENING CELEBRATIONFEBRUARY 29, 2008

Charlotte County Courthouse History

1928 - 2008

This handout is distributed by Charlotte County Government.

The historic Charlotte County Courthouse in Punta Gorda has been a mainstay for generations of county residents from all walks of life and an integral part of the County’s history. It was built with pride and designed with elements borrowed from Roman and Greek architecture to provide a stately appearance for official business. Many people in the community today still recall the election results being read out loud from the courthouse steps. The Courthouse is recorded in the Florida Master Site File #CH00322 and contributes to the downtown Punta Gorda historic district.

Charlotte County was established in 1921 and officials occupied rented quarters for several years. Marian McAdow’s offer to donate her home and garden on the waterfront for a courthouse was declined in 1927, because the Board of County Commissioners said the people deserved one built for the purpose. On April 11, 1927, the Board of County Commissioners voted to purchase two lots on Taylor Street from George Brown, African-American proprietor of the Cleveland Marine Steam Ways, to build a courthouse. The price was $25,000, and Brown retained the right to move two houses from the property.

Plans had been drawn by architects Leitner & Henson of St. Petersburg several months before the site was decided upon. The building’s Neo-Classical style is characterized by a combination of Greek and Roman orders in a symmetrical arrangement. Large pediments and columns create a grandiose façade and entrance. A straight parapet roof has a characteristic central pediment.

According to the original contracts, the cost of constructing the Charlotte County Courthouse was expected to be $134,000, but with changes and land the actual costs totaled $200,000. Bids were opened on May 5, and the first contract went to Paul H. Smith of Haines City, who was low bidder at $106,900. Contracts to local firms included D. J. Hobbs, proprietor of West Coast Roofing and Plumbing, for plumbing and heating fixtures at $1,495 and A.C. Hurst, proprietor of Charlotte Electric Co. for electrical work. Furniture was purchased from Office Equipment Co. and Heywood-Wakefield Co., both Tampa firms, at a cost of $8,717.

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Charlotte County HistoricCourthouse Reopening Celebration

Charlotte County HistoricCourthouse Reopening Celebration

The architect’s original plans were changed to add a second floor jail, including living quarters and a kitchen for the jailer and his family. There were twelve barred cells with doors operated by remote-control levers and a hallway leading from the jail to the courtroom. Prisoners entered through a steel vault-type door with a tiny window.

The new courthouse building was dedicated on Thursday, March 20, 1928, in a ceremony beginning at 8:00 p.m. The first term of the circuit court in the new building began with Circuit Judge George W. Whitehurst presiding, State Attorney Guy M. Strayhorn prosecuting and Court Stenographer Edward Ley recording the proceedings. Countless other judges, attorneys, county commissioners, sheriffs, tax collectors, clerks, school officials, election officials and other public servants provided government services from the building for decades to come.

Racial segregation was a way of life for many years, and business at the Charlotte County Courthouse was no exception. A balcony in the courtroom accommodated African-American spectators. Separate rest rooms and drinking fountains were provided for black and white people until the facilities were desegregated in 1964.

Building additions later wrapped around three sides, including the front where the columns and a non-functioning clock were replaced with modern brick in 1963. A four-story addition was linked to the back of the original building by ramps and stairs, and a two-story section was built for the Sheriff’s Office near Taylor Street.

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-- Images and information in this booklet were provided by the Charlotte County Historical Center.

Interior Pictures Before Renovation

Stairway Railing - First Floor

Stairway - First Floor


Interior Courtroom Doors

Courtroom Light Fixture


Globe Light Fixture - First Floor

Wall Tile Detail


Interior Door - Second Floor

Hallway Wall Ties - South End


Interior Stairway

Interior Courtroom - West View


Interior Hall

Interior Hole in Floor

Interior Pictures After Renovation

Interior Hall

Interior Stairwell


Interior Ceiling and Molding

Interior Courtroom Door


Interior Courtroom Corn Row & Molding

Interior Courtroom Lighting

Exterior Pictures After Renovation

Exterior Front of Courthouse

Exterior Herald Court Entry


Exterior Back Entry

Exterior Back Entry Lift


Exterior Olympia Street Entry

Exterior Back Entry Seal

1920s Life in Charlotte County

1920s Were “Booming” in Charlotte County

Charlotte County was established in 1921, just in time for Florida’s biggest growth spurt. The state population rose 50% between 1920–1930. Charlotte County enjoyed its share of growth with numerous new land developments. Real estate sales exceeded $100,000 per day in 1925.

Florida tourism reached an all-time high, and many of these travelers visited Charlotte County. Several major road projects were completed in the 1920s, including the first bridge across Charlotte Harbor (1921). The Tamiami Trail opened in Charlotte County in 1928, bringing new travelers to the area.

A number of Punta Gorda’s key structures were built in the 1920s and still stand today. These include Punta Gorda City Hall (1926), Atlantic Coast Line Depot (1928), Smith Arcade (1926), Punta Gorda Woman’s Club (1927), and Charlotte County Courthouse (1928).

As land sales skyrocketed, property prices became artificially inflated. With lost consumer confidence and the stock market crash of 1929, the Florida land boom came to an end.

Bridge Dedication, July 4, 1921First bridge across the Peace River at Punta Gorda

1921 - Henry Little’s Trained CraneDuring prohibition, Mr. Little’s trained sandhill crane would march down Marion Avenue as a

signal for customers that a fresh shipment of moonshine was ready.

1926 - Panorama of Punta Gorda

1926 Punta Gorda Panoramas

1914-1927 - Autographic Kodak Jr. CameraThe Tamiami Trail and improved transportation brought many tourists and their cameras to

southwest Florida in the 1900s.

1922 - Radio of C. F. CernyGeorge Lanier built this early radio from a kit in 1922, then gave it to C. F. Cerny the next

year. Cerny operated it from his 8 x 10 homestead shack in Bermont and believed it to be the county’s first radio. KDKA from Pittsburg, Pennsylvania came in best.

Turpentine PotsPine tree sap was collected and distilled to make turpentine.

Turpentine Camps

The distillation of turpentine was once a major industry in Charlotte County. One of the largest operations was located in the El Jobean pinelands, on the eastern shore of the Myakka River, from the early 1910s - 1920s.

The hard and dangerous labor was performed primarily by convicts who were “leased” to the turpentine companies. Eyewitness accounts document the inhumane working conditions and treatment of the turpentine workers. Leo Wotitzky recalled visiting such a camp located near El Jobean with his father:

It was a horrible place. The camp leased prisoners, all black. They were treated like slaves. Several were killed by beatings or died in forest fires fed by pine resin dripping from the trees.... It was uncivilized.

Prisoners who died were often buried, without ceremony or markers, in the camp cemetery or along the railroad. The Florida Legislature eventually passed a law in 1923, prohibiting the leasing of convicts.

Railroad Lantern with Red GlobeRed was generally used to signal stop. Even after flashlights were available, some railroad

workers preferred the old lanterns.

1926 - Transom Window from Smith ArcadeOriginal to the Florida Land Boom. It was saved during remodeling.

1926 - Charlotte High School

1926 - Hotel in Charlotte Harbor

1926 - Punta Gorda City Hall

Shaving Artifacts

1900s - Wall Telephone

1917 - Teddy Roosevelt visiting Punta Gorda on a Devil Fish Trip

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