The Manatee steamboat was a vital transportation link in the late 1800s for the Manatee region. The Stanton siblings, William, Curtis, and Samuel Ward, inherited their father's passion for marine architecture. Their childhood sketches evolved into blueprints that guided their father, Samuel Sr., in building The Manatee. The family operated a shipyard in New York before acquiring property in Bradenton. Samuel Sr. constructed the vessel in New York, which later transported the family to Manatee County and became a key passageway for local residents. Launched in August 1884, The Manatee took two years to build and was crucial in connecting the area. Samuel Jr., who later became a renowned marine artist, tragically perished in the Titanic disaster in 1912; his body was never recovered.
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Anthony T. Rossi, a Sicilian immigrant, settled in Palmetto in 1921 and began packing fruit gift boxes as Manatee River Packing Company. The business flourished and relocated to East Bradenton, becoming Fruit Industries, which supplied ingredients to New York's Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. In 1954, Rossi revolutionized orange juice production by developing flash pasteurization, preserving the juice's fresh taste. By 1957, the company rebranded as Tropicana Products, Inc. and quickly expanded. By 1958, refrigerated trucks and the S.S. Tropicana shipped 1.5 million gallons of juice to New York weekly. Tropicana, which started as a small fruit stand, became a global brand. Rossi sold the company in 1978 and was inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame in 1987.
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Established in 1883, Reasoner Brothers Nursery is Florida’s oldest nursery and remains operational today. The Reasoner brothers are credited with propagating the first pink grapefruit in Oneco. They shipped the fruit to Texas, where the Rio Grande Valley's soil enhanced its pink hue, leading to widespread consumer appeal.
Garfield DeVoe (G.D.) Rogers, originally from Thomaston, Georgia, moved to Bradenton in 1905, seeking greater opportunities. He started with a dry cleaning and tailoring business and later transformed Central Life Insurance Co., which provided policies to Black individuals during segregation, into a million-dollar company in the 1930s. Rogers played a pivotal role in advancing civil rights in Manatee County, campaigning for equal salaries for Black teachers and purchasing land for Lincoln Academy, where he served as principal. His daughter, Louise Rogers, became the first Black member of the Manatee County School Board. G.D.'s death in 1951 was marked by a 50-mile funeral procession attended by state officials and congressional representatives.
The Manatee River Hotel, now a Hampton Inn, was built in 1925 by the Van Swerigen family, funded by railroad money. The construction, which took three years and cost $1.4 million, included 200 staterooms, exclusive tower studios, ballrooms, and a rooftop garden. A-listers like Rita Hayworth, Clark Gable, and Babe Ruth were among the rumored guests who enjoyed the hotel’s lavish amenities. Despite its opulence, the hotel eventually became a retirement home in the 1960s and was abandoned in the 1990s.
In 1914, Mary Ward, a pottery artist, discovered a distinct blue clay deposit in Manatee County and launched the area's first artistic commercial endeavor. Her pottery featured Florida birds, palmettos, and palms, with each piece showcasing a water motif. Initially produced in the back of a house in Fogartyville using both electric and foot-powered wheels, Ward's pottery gained national recognition. She eventually sold her business in 1921 and moved to Orlando, where she founded Orlando Potteries.
