History Preserved

Manatee County’s rich history is commemorated and preserved through informative landmarks, fascinating re-enactments and a multitude of restoration projects. One such landmark, Madira Bickel Mound State Archaeological Site, has the distinction of marking the site of the county’s earliest inhabitants; digs at this ceremonial Indian mound have unearthed artifacts dating from the Christian era up until the arrival of the Spanish in the mid-1500s.

Bradenton’s DeSoto National Memorial memorializes the 1539 landing of legendary Spanish explorer Hernando Desoto. Park rangers at this popular tourist destination recreate the living conditions Desoto and his fellow explorers experienced while camping along the shoreline. Other attractions at the park include a nature trail that takes visitors along a winding path through a mangrove swamp and a display of artifacts dating to the Southeastern Temple Mound Builders, a civilization that appears to have vanished once the Europeans arrived in the region.

Manatee Village Historical Park is home to seven historical architectural efforts, carefully preserved by the County Historical Commission. In addition to the county’s first court house, there’s also a rustic home in the “Cracker Gothic” style, a church dating to 1889, a single-room school house, a barn and smokehouse reproduced in the style of the 1800s, a mercantile and a sugar-cane mill.

The oldest of Manatee County’s buildings dates to 1844. Major Robert Gamble, an officer whose skills were put to the test during the Seminole Wars, built this historic mansion, which is now operated under the watchful eye of the Florida Parks Service. Furnished with antiques and period décor, it sits majestically within the 16-acre park that is known as the Gamble Plantation, once one of the country’s most prosperous sugarcane plantations and the only remaining such plantation in all of Florida.

Heritage Park, located within the history-laden city of Palmetto, offers visitors an opportunity to experience the bygone days of yesteryear. Lush greenery, brick-lined pathways, sculpted wrought iron fences and even an authentic 19th century post office make this beautiful historical park – and the adjacent Carnegie Library, which documents much of the region’s history – must-sees for visitors and newcomers.