Cortez Village showcases new cultural center
CORTEZ -- Kaye Bell couldn't be prouder of the Cortez Village Historical Society's new cultural center.
A historic building formerly known as Monroe Cottage, which houses the center, hosted its grand opening this month during the Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival.
Bell brought the center to life in honor of her late husband, David "Sam" Bell.
"He loved Cortez so much," Bell said. "This would've been a dream of his to do."
The Bells were married 50 years and when David passed away, he was president of the Cortez Village Historical Society. Kaye was vice president of the society and stepped up to become president.
The landmark building finally is getting a new roof. It's the last major upgrade the center needs. Rehabbing the historic cottage is part of a larger plan to educate tourists and locals about Cortez history and the village's historic and present-day value to the local commercial fishing industry.
Bell said it took several years for the society to secure the permits to restore the cottage, which needed floors, ceiling and walls replaced. The work was all completed by society volunteers.
The Cultural Center focuses on pre
serving "old Florida" history and stories of founding families in Cortez. Starting with the Guthrie and Fulford families in 1880, visitors can travel through war times with Cortez women, who went to work while their husbands were at war, and read about boats bringing visitors to the Albion Inn. The timeline stops at the 1980s, but eventually, the center will document the village's history to present day, Bell said.
Some historical documents and photos were brought by descendents of Cortez families and others are provided by the Florida Memory Network, the Manatee County Historical Library and the Florida Maritime Museum. Each photo or memory posted on the wall is verified by a record, Bell said, and the society was able to use the U.S. Census for genealogy through 1940. Genealogy hobbyist and society member Robin Schoch uses ancestry.com and other paid services to continue the work. Oral histories and school records also contributed to the center's historical timeline.
During the festival, Bell said the center resonated with Cortezians.
"It was so gratifying to see people come in," she said. "Some people who came in were brought to tears by seeing photos of relatives. And it generated interest in them to go home and find photos and awards to bring in."
Documenting and preserving history is the cultural center's main goal, Bell said. Cortez is a fishing village on Sarasota Bay, west of Bradenton, so won't be able to grow any larger. The society is motivated to "maintain the life and history of fishermen," Bell said.
"We imagine this to be a tourist destination," Bell said. "They can go to the Maritime Museum, come here and go to the (FISH preserve's) boatworks. And we have restaurants right here."
The adjacent Florida Institute for Saltwater Heritage Preserve has already begun restoring its 95-acre preserve. The preserve finished the first phase of the restoration in a partnership with the Sarasota Bay Estuary program and Manatee County in September with a $250,000 grant from the Southwest Florida Water Management District. The FISH preserve board of directors is hoping to secure an additional $300,000 grant to finish the restoration.
The Florida Maritime Museum, the Cortez Village Historical Society Cultural Center, the FISH preserve and the FISH boatworks facility comprise a "campus," said FISH board member Jane Von Hahmann. Within the next five years, the preserve hopes to build walking paths and install signage to guide visitors through what Von Hahmann hopes will be a learning experience.
"We just want to provide it for education," Von Hahmann said. "We want people to understand what it takes from the environmental perspective to support the industry that is this village. Without the estuaries and systems, commercial fishing doesn't exist."
In 1999, a $1,000 deposit was made to purchase what is now known as the FISH preserve. Four years of Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival funds and private donations took care of the remaining $250,000 on the mortgage, according to a FISH pamphlet.
If you go:
Address: 11655 Cortez Road W.Hours: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through SaturdayParking: To access the Cultural Center, park at the nearby Florida Maritime Museum, 4415 119th St. W., Cortez
Janelle O'Dea, Herald business reporter, can be reached at 941-745-7095. Follow her on Twitter @jayohday
This story was originally published February 21, 2016 at 8:55 PM with the headline "Cortez Village showcases new cultural center ."