Punta Gorda Historical Society, (Old Punta Gorda Inc.)

The Punta Gorda Historical Society, founded in 1983 as Old Punta Gorda, Inc. is a volunteer-driven organization dedicated to preserving the rich history of Punta Gorda, Florida. For the past 40 years, the Society has been one of the community's leading proponents for preserving the city's historic buildings.

The Historical Society owns and maintains six historically significant structures in Punta Gorda. The Punta Gorda Woman’s Club (1926), the Punta Gorda Train Depot (1928), the Trabue Land Sales Office (1886), the Cigar Cottage (1901), the Quednau-Hindman House (1924), and the Price House (1914). The Woman's Club and the Train Depot are both listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The other four buildings have been moved by the Historical Society to the History Park on Shreve Street, which is a beautiful park created and maintained by the Historical Society on land we lease from the City of Punta Gorda.

The storm surge flooding created by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton was devastating to the Historical Society. The Woman’s Club on Sullivan Street was flooded with over 30” of water, leaving the building filled with a thick soupy muck. Everything covered by the floodwater was destroyed, including floors, walls, electrical outlets, computers, office equipment, curtains, appliances, cabinets and furniture. The History Park on Shreve Street had over 4 feet of water, flooding its buildings with up to 24” of water. Wood floors buckled, and in some cases where repairs are not possible, they will have to be totally replaced. Over half the plants in the History Park’s beautiful gardens died in the saltwater flood.

Insurance companies won’t insure old historic buildings for the devastating winds and flood waters of hurricanes like Helene and Milton. All the costs of restoration must be covered by the Historical Society. Even though the History Park is open to the public, the cost of maintenance and repair is entirely the responsibility of the Historical Society. The City of Punta Gorda supports the park with trash pickup and periodic assistance from the Public Works Department, but no city funds are allocated to support the History Park. Due to our limited funds, most of the work associated with the restoration effort of buildings and the History Park grounds will be completed by a small team of Historical Society volunteers.