Cute little library! Clean, interestng books, multiple computers, and friendly staff! Specially…read moreKaren, Liz, & Jerry. Lots of activities for everyone here and there!

Just off of Rt 29 between a Chinese take-out and a very small Latin mission in Immokalee I caught…read moresight of a tiny cemetery with a historic sign. Of course I had to stop and investigate. The sign erected in the cemetery notes that it was donated to Collier County on March 15, 1983. According to the sign, Christ Church was founded as an Indian mission by Reverend William Crane Gray who named this area Immokalee meaning "My Home" in the Mikasuki language. The church was dedicated on July 5, 1896 by the Bishop Gray. The church was first damaged by a hurricane in 1910. It was repaired but ultimately destroyed by the Hurricane of 1926. In the early 1980's, the Board of Commissioners of Collier County obtained a quit claim deed from the Trustees of the Diocese of Southwest Florida. Taking over the cemetery allowed the county to maintain it and establish it as a Historical Site. It looks like the last burials took place in the 1960's. There is a lot of history on this small plot of land.

This is probably one of the nicest libraries ever. A must see - this is a great building located…read morejust near the heart of town. The front has some amazing wooden doors - step inside to a landscaped court yard, and an open air covered reading room with free wireless. If you need to work away from home, this is the place to do so. Look carfeully, the building and courtyard are so well done, you might mistake this library for one of the near by homes. The library sits on a street that looks out to the ocean. Another cool thing to check out is the DuPont shell collection which is quite extensive and is on display in the court yard. We stopped by during the annual book sale and picked up some great books for less than a $1 each - some of the books looked like they had never been opened. 5 Stars for being a cool building, a free activity, a great place to read and having free wifi.

Any visit I make to Boca Grande includes a stop here. Librarians there are keen to display works by…read morelocal authors or material on famous visitors. I enjoyed the historical perspectives provided on The Bush Administration. (The former First family has vacationed in this beautiful retreat.). This visit, I paged through a book of rural Florida photos by Carlton Ward. The small library is more curated than libraries of larger size, but it's a real asset to this refined beach town.

It's a govenment bulding, what can I say? I went to vote early.read more

It's a bridge WE HAD A GREAT TIME CROSSING IT! We used it to go to Ft Meyers for a trip to the…read morebeach then back home It was so convenient we make several crossings a week!

The Caloosahatchee River is about 67 miles long from Lake Hicpochee near Clewiston, through LaBelle…read moreand then passes Fort Myers and Cape Coral before draining into the This bridge is the only one over the river in LaBelle with the nearest being the Mamie Langdale Memorial Bridge in Moore Haven (25 miles east) and the Fort Denaud Swing Bridge (5 miles west). It is a deck plate girder bascule bridge that was built in 1959 and is still in active use. The deck is 27.9 feet wide and has two lanes plus a pedestrian walkway. [Review 16788 overall - 1513 in Florida - 301 of 2022.]

I love lighthouses and I have visited quite a number of them over the years, yet each one still…read moresparks my sense of curiosity and my admiration. This lighthouse was moved to it current local in 1927 and stands 105 feet tall with 134 spiral steps to the top, it was restored to its original glory in 2017 at a cost of 1.3 million dollars and today stands proud for all to see, but this is not where the story began. It was originally built in 1881 by the Phoenix Iron Company of Trenton, N.J. It began service just north of Lewes, Delaware as the Delaware Breakwater Rear Range Light, known locally as the Green Hill Lighthouse. In 1927, the lighthouse was reassembled and installed on Gasparilla Island just south of the town of Boca Grande by the U.S. Lighthouse Service. The tower was painted white and a 4th order Fresnel lens was installed and lit on January 1, 1932. Unfortunately I was not able to climb it today being it was closed but just walking around it was a joy. Some say it's not worth going out of you're way to see it or pay the $6.00 to cross onto the causeway I say it's a must see if you're anywhere in the area and have a few minutes to spare. As an added bonus visiting this lighthouse is in close proximity to a beautiful beach which offers a great shelling opportunity...

Quiet, peaceful and respectful, this area was established in 1837 as a supply depot during the…read moreSecond Seminole War. It was named in honor of Pierre Denaud, a French-Canadian trapper who had owned the land and had traded skins and hides with the Seminole prior to the Seminole War. The nearby marker https://www.yelp.com/biz/fort-denaud-historical-marker-labelle?hrid=g7RpDxiByiRUCXQVgxwLCw points out, "The combined pressure of growing white settlement in Florida and federal policy of relocating Indian tribes west of the Mississippi sparked the outbreak of the 2nd Seminole War in 1835. Controlling the coasts and campaigning in the heart of Seminole lands were the objectives of Major General Thomas Jesup in 1837. Captain B. L. E. Bonneville established Fort Denaud in 1838 as one of a series of posts linking American operations south of Tampa to the east coast. It was constructed on the south bank of the Caloosahatchee River 27 miles from Fort Myers on land owned by Pierre Denaud, a French Indian trader. The fort consisted of tents with a blockhouse in their midst. It served as a supply depot for troops in the Lake Okeechobee area and was utilized intermittently until the war ended in 1842. Fort Denaud was reopened in 1855, soon after the outbreak of the 3rd Seminole War. Additions included company quarters, hospital guardhouse, sutler's store and stables. A few months after a fire ravaged the post in June 1856, another site on the north bank of the river two miles west was chosen. The fort, which was abandoned in May 1858, gave its name to the nearby town of Ft. Denaud." The cemetery is in very good condition though many of the graves are unmarked or illegible though there are at least 350 veterans laid to rest here. There are still quite a few flowers and other tributes, so clearly people care. [Review 19285 overall - 1633 in Florida - 255 of 2023.]

In the 1800's white settlers flooded into Florida and the government became determined to relocate…read moreall Native Americans west of the Mississippi. This forced removal policy sparked the Second Seminole War 1835-1842. As the Seminoles fled south into Florida to evade capture and being sent out west, they moved into the Everglades in order to hide. In response the army set up forts south of Tampa to the east coast along rivers as they chased after the Seminoles who were much more skilled at surviving in the terrain than the soldiers. Fort Denaud was established by Captain B. L. E. Bonneville and troops of the 7th Infantry in 1838 on the the south side of the Caloosahatchee River. The fort was named in honor of Pierre Denaud, A French-Canadian trapper who had traded with the Seminoles and who owned land in the area in the 1830's. The Fort Denaud Cemetery date's back to the early 1800's and is the site of over 350 Veteran Grave sites. Many of the settlers who came to the area were drawn by the Armed Occupation Act of 1842, which was created to encourage people to move into South Florida. According to the act, "any single male 18 years or older or a head of family could apply for 160 acres or more. They were required to establish a home within one year, clear and enclose at least five acres and live on the property for five consecutive years in order to get free title to the land." One of the pioneer families that took the government up on it's offer was William Hardee Harn and Sara Webb Harn who came to the area before the Civil War. Both are buried in the Fort DeNaud cemetery. The couple had fourteen children who intermarried with the local families so that almost everyone in the area has a Harn relative. All that remains today of Fort Denaud is a few historic structures, a marker where the fort stood, and this historic cemetery. Although the cemetery isstill used too I liked exploring the back of the cemetery where the graves from the early 1800's are located. The names on many of the graves are faded and lost to time. People back then didn't document their lives like we do today. They were too busy living and surviving. The only thing left to remember them by is a piece of a broken stone. The LaBelle Historical Society has placed a marker in this portion of the cemetery to mark the pioneers and first settlers of the area. It's a very peaceful place with large oak trees dripping in Spanish moss. It is great for bird watching too. Watching a swallow-tailed kite swoop over me was a thrill.

This blue box with the shingle roof is located in the Four Mile Cove Ecological Park and is next to…read morethe start of the boardwalk through the preserve. The box has a single door and two shelves. Mostly hardcovers today and the Patterson book was the one that caught my eye. Mom had never seen a LFL before and was amazed at the concept of leave a book / take a book. She took the "All the Light We Cannon See" for reading on the plane tomorrow. This is charter number 16938 and there is not a steward published. The online caption reads, "The bright blue Free Little Library houses books for all ages. The library is located in a beautiful ecological park which is also home to many military monuments. You can walk the boardwark through wetlands, enjoy the visitor center, pay your respects to veterans while you visit the monuments. Take a book, and share a book before you depart the park!" [Review 15831 overall - 1408 in Florida - 1335 of 2021.]