Community Sunday Favorites: The Story Behind the Curry House

The Curry Home as it looked prior to the restoration. Photo: Reflections of Manatee.

BRADENTON  -- The former residence of a Manatee founder has been nominated for the National Register of Historic Places thanks to the efforts of local non-profit Reflections of Manatee.

The restoration of the house, which was thought to be built in the 1860s, was celebrated March 8 with an ice cream social.

The home at 1302 4th Ave. E., Bradenton is the only two-story home of its kind still standing within the boundaries of what was once considered the Village of Manatee. According to Trudy Williams of Reflections of Manatee, there were once 32 similar properties in the area, but over half have since been demolished.

Plans to raze the Samuel G. Curry house were in the works before Reflections stepped in to purchase the property and eventually found grant funding for its restoration, including a $100,000 donation from the Florida Bureau of Historic Preservation.

The Curry House after the restoration. Photo: Reflections of Manatee.

The grant provided enough funds to contract local architects and builders to restore the dilapidated building to its former glory. Volunteers from around the county aided with the construction. “Its restoration is an example of what ordinary citizens, with grit and determination, can do to preserve important parts of Florida’s past,” Williams said in a statement.

Samuel G. Curry was the son of Captain John Curry and Mary Ward Curry, both of whom were natives of Green Turtle Cay, a Bahamian Island. In November of 1859, John and a few of his sons visited the Manatee section for the first time in order to purchase cattle to sell at the Cuban market. The area left a favorable impression, according to Lillie B. McDuffie in her book “The Lures of Manatee.”

John moved his family to Key West where he had a successful wrecking business. At that time, there were few navigational aides and John acquired a great fortune salvaging goods and sunken ships, according to McDuffie. At that time, Key West became a haven for “Conchs,” or wreckers who were known for their skill in diving.

However, as devout Methodists, the Currys held a higher standard of moral beliefs and were appalled at the lewd behavior by some of the other Conchs in the same business.

Inside the Curry Home as it looked prior to the restoration. Photo: Reflections of Manatee.

Manatee was different. It was a wholesome place the Currys believed they could raise their family. A year after purchasing their first load of cattle the family relocated to the area along with several children and grandchildren.

John first kept his wrecking business, commuting to the Caribbean and other locations for a time. But when lighthouses began appearing along the coast, business waned and John retired.

The Currys became successful farmers and cattlemen in Manatee. John opened a general store where goods were imported and exported via shipping wharf.

Samuel was grown by the time he moved to Manatee. However, his residency was interrupted when he was “mustered into the Confederate Army” on April 2, 1862.

Capt. John Lesley of Tampa (you may remember him from the Seminole Wars) called upon all the able-bodied young men in the area to serve in the Confederate Army. While some of the Curry brothers were sent to posts in Virginia, Tennessee and the West, other members stayed in Florida, serving as cattle herders who helped supply the army with beef. 

Inside the Curry House after the restoration. Photo: Reflections of Manatee.

After the war, Samuel married Amanda Andress on October 20, 1866, which was officiated by Rev. E.F. Gates.

The two had many children who grew up in the house on Fourth Street East.

Andress was known to locals as Aunt Mandy, and lived to tell many tales about Manatee. One of the town’s prized possessions was a harpsichord. It was one of the few belongings that had been passed down generations.

Aunt Mandy thought it played the most beautiful music in the world, and its owner, Euphemia Gates would play it at various religious services and local gatherings.

The Curry home is now restored to its original glory, and folks wishing to peer into the history can enjoy the newly refurbished home in the near future.