"We finally have a Boca Grande Fishing Guides Hall of Fame." That's how Van Hubbard opened his Boca Beacon account of the first induction this past April. Island guides had talked about honoring the tarpon fishery's cornerstones for years.
The Hall of Fame tribute wall now hangs in the Boca Grande History Center. The History Center itself is in only its second November at a new address, inside the Crowninshield Community House at 240 Banyan Street. The Boca Grande Historical Society's Season Opener is set for Thursday, November 5, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm. It's the first opener with the wall in place and the first full season the Society has started in its new home. Much of this season's calendar either takes place in that building or ends there.
Leaving the Teacherage
For years the History Center was in the Teacherage building at 131 Park Avenue. The Society's 2026 annual report says Hurricanes Helene and Milton badly damaged the center and forced it to close to the public on October 1, 2024. The report also says the Society was already relocating before the storms, to get more room and a more accessible location.
Rebuilding began in late summer 2025. The new exhibit room on Banyan Street opened on November 12, 2025, so last season started partway through. This one starts with the doors already open.
The move also marked a milestone. In a September 2025 letter in the Boca Beacon, Society President Johns Knight Jr. said the Society's 30th year would begin with the relocation and the new exhibit.
The building suits the work. A Boca Beacon history column credits Francis and Louise Crowninshield with helping secure the land and money for both the Boca Grande School and the Community House. The archive of island history now sits in a building the island's early patrons helped make possible.
What fills the room at 240 Banyan
The annual report describes the new exhibit, "Footprints from the Past," as a self-guided, interactive space designed with current technology. It also mentions improved research and office space, which lets the Society host events on site. According to the History Center's visitor page, the room includes:
- An interactive quiz game that tests what visitors picked up from the exhibits
- A touchscreen map with numbered points of interest across the island
- "Grande Catch," a fishing game where visitors catch different species of fish
- "The Black Experience," an exhibit on three distinct Black communities and their part in building the island
- An archival area with more than 70 research notebooks of historical documents, organized by topic
- "Mining for Phosphate," a simulated dig game
The room is also a working archive. The annual report says items catalogued for public online access grew from 2,500 to about 2,703. The visitor page invites anyone with a research question to call or email and set up a time with the Archivist. A bookstore sells historical memorabilia.
Season hours run October through July, Monday through Saturday, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. In August and September the center opens Tuesday through Friday, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm.
Five captains on the wall
The Society says it created the Boca Grande Fishing Hall of Fame in 2026 to honor the guides and local people whose skill and stewardship shaped the island's fishing legacy. The first annual dinner was set for April 14, 2026.
The Boca Beacon reported five guide inductees in the inaugural class:
- Capt. Freddy Futch
- Capt. James 'Cappy' Joiner
- Capt. John "Tater" Spinks
- Capt. Johns Knight
- Capt. William 'Dumplin' Wheeler
Hubbard's write-up gives a sense of who these men were on the water:
"Freddy Futch understood Boca Grande Pass tarpon better than anyone else, in my opinion... He anticipated the fish instead of following them."
He credits Cappy Joiner's role in the tarpon tags. He also notes that Johns Knight and his family built many of the best traditional Pass tarpon boats ever made, and that Knight still works to promote and protect the Boca Grande fishery. The Beacon also listed six people recognized for their contributions to the fishing community: Braxton Bowen, Elsie S. Bracken, Capt. Bill Hathcock, Sandy Bylaska, Daniel E. Godwin and Isabelle Joiner.
The Pass and the guides who fished it are central to life on this island. We wrote about what tarpon season means here. Now that history is on display in the village, a short walk from Park Avenue.
A calendar that keeps returning to Banyan Street
After the November 5 opener, the 2026–2027 season calendar keeps coming back to the same building. Only a few events are held elsewhere, and the first of those still ends at Banyan Street.
| Date | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Thu., Nov. 5, 3–5 pm | Season Opener: Footprints from the Past and the Fishing Hall of Fame wall | History Center, 240 Banyan St. |
| Wed., Nov. 11, 9–11 am | Veteran's Day Memorial & Reception with Captain Glazer, USN | Veterans Memorial at 5th St. & Gilchrist Ave., then Crowninshield Community House |
| Tue., Nov. 17, 4 pm | Let's Talk About Florida: A Land Remembered, free and open to all | Per Society listing |
| Tue., Nov. 17 and Thu., Nov. 19 | Historical Tour: exhibit room and guest speaker | Boca Grande History Center |
| Sat., Dec. 5, after 5 pm | Pop-Up History Exhibit: Notable Pets of the Island | Underneath Gasparilla Outfitters |
| Every Wed. in Feb. 2027 | History Bytes with host Betsy Joiner | Per Society listing |
| Tue., March 2, 2027, 3:30 pm | HerStory: the island's women business owners | Crowninshield Community House |
| Sat., March 20, 2027, 5–7 pm | History Center on the Lawn | Details to come from the Society |
The Veterans Day morning has its own story. A 2023 Boca Beacon report says the Boca Grande Woman's Club probably put up the memorial at Gilchrist and 5th Street sometime between 1950 and 1953. It originally honored island men and women who served in World War II. Hurricane Ian later tore the plaque from its post. The Society restored the memorial with Lee County, and the restored memorial was unveiled on November 8, 2023. This year the ceremony at that corner is followed by a reception at the Crowninshield Community House, in the same building as the History Center.
The December stop lines up with the village's biggest evening. The Boca Grande Area Chamber of Commerce lists the 2026 Christmas Walk for Saturday, December 5, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm, centered on 301 Park Avenue downtown. The Society plans to hand out holiday treats with its Notable Pets of the Island pop-up under Gasparilla Outfitters that night. Our guide to holiday events on Gasparilla Island covers more of that month.
The book talks have their own history. The annual report says "Let's Talk About Florida" began as virtual conversations at a time when people couldn't meet in person. It grew into a program for readers on and off the island, with Fergeson Skipper Law Firm of Sarasota as sponsor. The November 17 session covers A Land Remembered. The January 19, 2027 session covers The Lady and the Sharks.
Banyan Street and the village around it
The Historic District has always told its history through its buildings, from the old school to the storefronts on Park Avenue. For now, the archive, the exhibits and the new Hall of Fame wall share one roof at the Crowninshield Community House, open Monday through Saturday from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm through July. Visitors can see the wall at the November 5 opener or during regular hours any Monday through Saturday.
If you live in the village and wonder how your street fits into this history, we'd love to talk with you. Maryjo knows these blocks well, and LiveBocaGrande is always glad to talk with neighbors about the village's history. Schedule Your Free Consultation.
