Sunday Favorites: The Pirate and the Proprietor

If you've ever been to Burns Court Cinema in downtown Sarasota you probably noticed it's surrounded by a quaint historic district filled with eclectic shops and small Spanish-style residences (most of which have been converted into businesses). The square section runs from Ringling Boulevard to Mound Avenue and along south Pineapple and Orange Avenues. The distinct feature that sets the neighborhood apart from others is a triangular-shaped building in the middle of the converging streets. The Burns Building, as it's called today.

In 1925, Owen Burns, one of Sarasota's most distinguished citizens and well-connected developers, constructed this Burns Court subdivision. The district contained Sarasota's finest and most beautiful hotel of the 1920s, the El Vernona, and Burns' real estate office adjacent to it.

But who was Owen Burns and where did he come from? Over the next couple of weeks, we will explore the Burns family legacy, beginning with the grandfather Otway Burns.

The Burns family hailed from the same county in North Carolina as the founders of the Cortez Fishing Village in southwest Bradenton. Owen's grandfather, Capt. Otway Burns, was a famous government-authorized pirate, according to the book Capt. Otway Burns, Patriot, Privateer and Legislator by Walter Frances Burns.

Born in Swansboro N.C. in 1775, to Otway Sr. and Lisanah Burns, he took to the sea at a young age, becoming a skillful navigator much like his patriarchal ancestors. In 1810, he married Joanna Grant, daughter of Colonel Rueben Grant, and had his only child Owen (this would have been Owen Burns' father).

That same year, Otway purchased a small lot on the river shore in Swansboro, N.C. where he started a shipyard in 1818. There he built the Prometheus, the first steamboat constructed in North Carolina.

Burns became a master trader, sailing along the eastern coast to northern ports like Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, Boston, and Portland. When the War of 1812 broke out, Burns came to the aid of his country by operating a privateer vessel to prey on British ships and commerce. It was this role that would memorialize him in maritime history.

At the time, the U.S. Navy was not equipped to compete with the long-established and well-funded British fleet. The American government relied on the help of privately-armed vessels to defeat and capture British vessels.

Otway and other businessmen offered up an 85-foot schooner called Snap Dragon. With six guns, a crew of 80, and Otway's legendary skills and trepidation, the sailboat was considered the most successful privateer vessel during the war. On three separate voyages, the schooner prevented the invading British troops from arriving on American shores. During these attacks, Otway captured 42 English vessels and their cargo, which was valued at more than $4 million, essentially enlarging and outfitting the quaint U.S. fleet for the remainder of the war. He also took more than 300 English officers and sailors prisoner. Otway's leadership was hailed as ingenious, brave, and skillful. He became the most famous naval hero during the war, according to a 2006 Encyclopedia article entitled Snap Dragon by Jaquelin Drane Nash.

Following the war, Otway returned to his old trade of shipbuilding along with many other trades including storekeeping, salt making, and brick making. Otway even served as a legislator, representing Carteret County, N.C. in the General Assembly from 1821 through 1835.

In 1836, President Andrew Jackson appointed Burns keeper of the Brant Shoals Light House at Portsmouth, N.C.. Burns died at Portsmouth on October 25, 1850. He is buried in the Old Burying Ground in Beaufort.

Tune in next week, as we explore how the Burns legacy made its way to Sarasota County.