Manatee County Agricultural Museum is also located within Palmetto Historical Park. For more information, visit www.manateecountyagmuseum.com.
Carnegie Library
1914
While the Carnegie Library is accessible during regular open hours, a Guided Tour is necessary to see the other historical buildings. Tours are free and held at 2pm every day that the Park is open.
Palmetto’s Carnegie Library was one of the first libraries built in South Florida. Andrew Carnegie contributed $10,000. The City of Palmetto gave $1,000 and the land. The Ladies’ Library Association gave all the books, library materials and furnishings. In order to access Carnegie Foundation funds, the library was required to have a basement. Mr. Carnegie required a basement in all buildings bearing his name. Hence the second floor is the main floor accessible by the front door, and the first floor considered a basement. To learn more about how the library was established, checkout the Alice V. Myers Archives Center (located inside) which contains the correspondence between the City of Palmetto and the Carnegie Foundation.
The building has served as the City’s Town Hall and school library. It has also been used by many civic and church organizations including the Girls’ Club. It is now a local history repository.the centerpiece of the Palmetto Historical Park and houses a unique Its collections of archives, including city maps, directories, photographs, slides, local family histories, histories of local businesses and Florida histories. The library houses bound issues of the Palmetto News, the Palmetto Press and the North River News. School and adult tours are available. The building has a history of public service and is available for rental.
With broad support of the City and the County governments, as well as the Florida State Division of Historical Resources, the Palmetto Historical Commission has overseen the complete restoration of the Library. In keeping with the American’s with Disabilities Act, a tower was built on the rear of the Library to provide wheelchair accessible bathrooms.
Today the basement of the library is available for rental and can be used for private functions.
Learn more about rentals here.
Back to Top
Schoolhouse
While the Carnegie Library is accessible during regular open hours, a Guided Tour is necessary to see the other historical buildings. Tours are free and held at 2pm every day that the Park is open.
This kindergarten building was moved onto the Palmetto Elementary School property in 1936. It would serve for many years as Palmetto’s first public kindergarten. Hazel Lewis was the first teacher to serve there. The building stood on the east side of the 800 Block of 9th Avenue beside the high school gymnasium. When the new school was built, Manatee County gave the building to the Palmetto Historical Commission. The building has been restored as a one-room schoolhouse.
Back to Top
Heritage Chapel
While the Carnegie Library is accessible during regular open hours, a Guided Tour is necessary to see the other historical buildings. Tours are free and held at 2pm every day that the Park is open.
Heritage Chapel is the only building in the Palmetto Historical Park that is not an original building. After searching for an original chapel, it was decided in 1999 to build a replica Chapel. The City of Palmetto and the Palmetto Historical Commission worked together to come up with a design for the future church. It was decided that the church design would be based on the designs of the first three churches in Palmetto. Therefore it is modeled after the first Baptist, first Methodist, and first Presbyterian churches in Palmetto. It is also built to be approximately the standard size of the original churches and is fashioned in the same way as the original churches.
Today the Chapel is available for rental and can be used for private functions, including weddings.
Learn more about rentals here.
Back to Top
Cottage Museum
Circa 1900
While the Carnegie Library is accessible during regular open hours, a Guided Tour is necessary to see the other historical buildings. Tours are free and held at 2pm every day that the Park is open.
The Cottage Museum, a typical 1900 family home, has been refurbished with the help of the families who lived there. Josephine Harrison and the members of the Heritage Doll Club were actively involved in establishing the Cottage Museum.
The cottage is typical of the small family bungalows built across Florida in the early part of the 20th Century. It was moved here from its original site on 6th Street, just north of the Historical Park. This location was very convenient for Joe Stevens, Palmetto fireman and one time owner of this home. The Manatee County Agricultural Museum, now located next door, was once the site of the Palmetto Fire Station.
Back to Top
Heritage Station
Post Office
1880
While the Carnegie Library is accessible during regular open hours, a Guided Tour is necessary to see the other historical buildings. Tours are free and held at 2pm every day that the Park is open.
Heritage Station is Palmetto’s first free-standing post office. It was built for Mrs. Mary Nettles, Palmetto’s 2nd and 4th Postmaster, who served 1880-1889 and again 1893-1897. During her service and through the turn of the century, mail destined for Palmetto traveled first by rail to Cedar Key, then 125 miles south by steamer and into the Manatee River to Palmetto.
In 1982 Heritage Station was scheduled to be burned as a fire-fighting exercise before being saved by the Palmetto Historical Commission. It was moved to the Palmetto Historical Park site, the site of Palmetto’s first bond supported public school, with the approval of then-Mayor Ken Burton and the City Council. It was restored through the efforts of the Historical Commission and the City of Palmetto with many donations from individuals and businesses. The heart of the restoration was the installation of the 1880 oak postal windows and boxes donated by Judy and Belmont Whittle. Richard Hebble, regional postmaster and descendant of Mrs. Nettles, provided antique postal furniture as did local post offices and private citizens. The Historic Post Office was the first building moved into the Historical Park.
Each March on Heritage Day, Heritage Station is open for business from 10:30 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. All mail posted through the antique post office is hand cancelled with a special cancellation used only on that day at this place.
Back to Top
Cypress House
Military Museum
While the Carnegie Library is accessible during regular open hours, a Guided Tour is necessary to see the other historical buildings. Tours are free and held at 2pm every day that the Park is open.
The Cypress House Military Museum opened to the public on July 3, 2004, and is the most recent addition to the Palmetto Historical Park. This structure was originally located on Longboat Key in the mid 30’s and was one of several cypress cottages which was used during WWII to house military personnel who brought their families to the beach for an extended vacation.
