Palmetto Historical Commission

08/27/2026

This is going to be a great event! Tracy Kelly is a lifelong resident of Manatee County and has lots of stories to tell. If you know her or have heard her speak, Tracy is engaging and knows her subject matter. See below for registration - free to the public and the Historical Commission is providing lunch. We expect this event to sell out so make your reservation soon. Our local cemeteries have lots to tell us.

SAVE THE DATE! Join us for the next Palmetto Historical Commission Guest Speaker Event, “Though Silent They Speak - The Language of Cemeteries.” Guest speaker Tracy Kelly will explore the language of cemeteries and the messages they convey. Registration is recommended as seating is limited. Lunch will be provided afterwards courtesy of the Palmetto Historical Commission.

Register here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/though-silent-they-speak-the-language-of-cemeteries-tickets-1998786095016?aff=oddtdtcreator

Photo Credit : Stone and Dust

08/24/2026

More reasons to visit Palmetto Historical Park and our beautiful Carnegie Library, right across from the Palmetto Library. The Carnegie Library is open to the public Tues-Friday. Tours of the library and Historical Park are conducted at 11 am Tues-Fri and can be scheduled at other times for groups of 10 or more (call the park for more information).

08/20/2026

The Palmetto Historical Park and Carnegie Library have reopened. We've resumed tours daily at 11 am (in case of rain, tours may be rescheduled). Parties of 10 or more can call and request a special group tour. Tours are free to the public. We hope to see you soon.

08/14/2026

Stopped into the Crusader Building and found an amazing large mural style photo on the 3rd floor. Have been in the building a number of times but never noticed this huge, old aerial photo of Palmetto that covers an entire wall. It shows the Green Bridge, downtown Palmetto, west Palmetto bordering the Manatee River, and the old docks.
It was too large to capture in one photo so here are a couple of shots. In one, you can see what appears to be the Crusader Building (circled). In the distance, the Carnegie Library and Olympia Theatre are visible. The other photo is the Green Bridge and the Manatee River.
Not sure what year this panoramic photo was taken so we're open to your ideas. It's signed "Photo by Bill and Bob." We've been advised by you all that they were popular photographers named Bill and Bob Stewart.
The Crusader Building has its own place in our local history but thought this amazing aerial photo was really interesting.

08/09/2026

Stopped into Publix last week and they had some beautiful gladiolus. You rarely see them anymore but they used to be a staple of Publix' fresh flower selection. We started wondering why it's a lot harder to find them these days. What we found out was surprising, but we also discovered how important Palmetto and Manatee County were to commercial gladiolus growing in Florida's not-too-distant past.
Glads were first grown in Europe over 2000 years ago. The hybrid that led to today's "glads" was created in Belgium in 1837. The first hybrid was shipped to the US in 1853.
The late Lundy Dirr, who lived and farmed on Terra Ceia, is considered the father of Florida's commercial gladiolus growing, but in a way his wife was the founder. As the story goes, in 1930, Mrs. Dirr mailed in Octagon Soap coupons to get a free gift of gladiolus bulbs from the soap company. Mr. Dirr planted them and thus began the first commercial gladiolus growing in Manatee County - possibly the entire state of Florida.
Edgar H. Price, Jr., who became famous throughout Florida later in life, was fresh out of the Army after WWII. Mr. Price's Uncle Greenwood was already growing citrus and tomatoes when he decided to add commercial glad growing to his products. Edgar Price wanted to learn the commercial flower business and came to work for his uncle on Terra Ceia and what is today Palmetto Point. He made 37 cents an hour working in the fields but went on to learn the business from the ground up (literally) when it took off in Manatee County. Mr. Price estimated that in the 1950's, Manatee County was shipping 20,000 gladiolus a day, most of it from Palmetto and Terra Ceia. For decades, the industry thrived. Although Ft. Myers was the epicenter of commercial growing then, Manatee County wasn't far behind.
Years later, commercial gladiolus growing became less profitable and harder. Competition from overseas with cheap labor enabled growers in other countries to undercut local prices. Climate shifting, freezes, and disease also made commercial growing of glads much tougher in Florida.
Nonetheless, glads were a booming business in Florida for decades, and it all started with Mrs. Lundy Dirr sending off her soap coupons to get gladiolus bulbs in the mail.

08/02/2026

Our sister museum is also closed for maintenance until Tuesday August 18th. The staff is looking forward to getting needed work done to the interior of the museum (painting, etc.) and will look forward to seeing visitors again when it reopens.

Don't forget the Ag Museum is closed for maintenance. We'll see you when we reopen Tuesday, August 18th at 10 AM.

08/01/2026

The Palmetto Historical Park will be closed to the public from Saturday Aug. 1 through the 15th for maintenance. It will reopen with normal hours on Tuesday Aug. 18th.

Palmetto Historical Park will be closed to the public starting Saturday, August 1 through Saturday, August 15 for maintenance. We will reopen with normal operating hours on Tuesday, August 18. The Manatee County Agricultural Museum will also be closed during this time. Thank you for your understanding!

07/27/2026

Sharing for those who remember Smith's store.

07/15/2026

The Manatee County Agricultural Museum is running a food drive to support F.E.L.T. (Feeding Empty Little Tummies). F.E.L.T. does great work in our community ensuring kids don't go hungry. Child hunger is a real problem in Manatee County that gets worse in the summer. Please see below for nonperishable items they're in need of. Thank you for supporting their efforts.