Sunday Favorites: Historically Unknown

Home of S.S. Lamb in Palmetto

The home of Samuel Sparks Lamb, the founder of Palmetto, is one of the most stately, well-kept homes in the Palmetto Proper area. Located on the corner of 11th Avenue West and Riverside Drive, it is marked by a historical marker that reads:

”Palmetto. S.S. Lamb, who came her with his family from Mississippi in a covered wagon and barouche, purchased this property on February 3, 1868. He later laid out and named Palmetto.“

What the sign doesn’t say is that the site of the home first belonged to Mr. Joe and Mrs. Julia Atzeroth, of Terra Ceia. Joe built the first ”Lamb“ home on the property in 1850. He also built a log cabin for his wife Julia, who went by the name Madam Joe, so she could run a store out of it – she became Palmetto’s first entrepreneur. The log cabin that served as her store eventually became Palmetto’s first school. Frankie Howze, another prominent local female figure, became the first teacher there, according to the Manatee County Historical Archives.

Confederate Salt Works in Palma Sola

If you are familiar with the location of Palma Sola Botanical Park, located in North West Bradenton, then you can probably guestimate where a supposed salt works was hidden during the Civil War. On the south side of the bayou, just south of the park, was the alleged site of a Confederate Salt Works, hidden in the bay head about 150 yards east of Palma Sola Bay.

At the time, salt was incredibly important as it was used to preserve meat and food for the soldiers. A Union Blockade, or fleet of ships, was stationed off the coast of Tampa Bay during the war. Its sole purpose was to prevent goods from being exported from the area to southern troops. Some locals were able to evade this fleet of ships with small sailing vessels that were too fast to be captured and could easily navigate the shallow waters. These rebels were known as blockade runners.

Capt. James McKay was infamous for his blockade running skills. His vessel Fargo was captured on June 7, 1861 and he was taken to Fort Jefferson, in the Florida Keys, and held as a prisoner. After five months he escaped, returning to the Manatee County region to continue his blockade running efforts. According to history books, he also ran a salt works that was destroyed towards the end of the Civil War. Could this have been another one of his salt operations?

Another historical site relating to this topic is located .25 of a mile southwest of the north end of Anna Maria. Several Union ships allegedly washed up there after a terrible storm in 1864. For years, they were visible in relatively shallow water but were eventually covered with sand, according to the Manatee County Historical Society.

Cattle Loading Dock at Emerson Point

We all know Emerson Point Preserve, located on Snead Island, as a pristine park with ancient American Indian mounds. However did you know it also served as a cattle loading destination following the Civil War?

During the early days of Manatee County there were wild cattle left over from when the conquistadors arrived in the area during the 1500s. These cattle multiplied and flourished with few natural enemies for more than 300 years.

Many pioneers, at least the smart ones, became wealthy by rounding up these cattle and shipping them to Cuba. The cow hunters would brand them and drive them through Palmetto to Snead Island. There they were corralled into an A-shaped dock and loaded onto ships. The Cubans paid the cattlemen in gold coins which they kept safely in their saddle bags. At night, they often hung the bags from tree branches to give their horses’ backs a break.

Doesn’t this story just make you want to go out and buy a metal detector?

Tune in next week as we discover more of Manatee County’s hidden history.