Osprey, FL news and local guide

In 1867 John and Eliza Webb and their five children came from Utica, New York, and claimed 145 acres under the Homestead Act. They named the place Spanish Point because a Spanish trader in Key West had told them of a high point of land jutting into the bay, and for 43 years three generations of Webbs grew citrus, sugarcane and vegetables there and built boats. The preserve later included gardens from the winter estate of Mrs. Potter Palmer. In 1975 it became the first Sarasota County site nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, and Mrs. Palmer's heirs donated it to the Gulf Coast Heritage Association in 1980. Sources The Historical Marker Database: Historic Spanish Point (Sarasota County Historical Commission) Wikipedia: Osprey, Florida