Anna Maria Island

by Bonner Joy

Overview

Anna Maria Island was once inhabited by Native Americans, but as the beauty became known to its first homesteader, George L. Bean, the island's destiny was to be a beacon to paradise.

In spite of mangrove forests and throngs of mosquitoes, people came by boat to enjoy the white sand beaches and the turquoise waters of the Gulf of Mexico, with their cool onshore breezes and blazing sunsets. The Islander newspaper of the 1950s heralded, Where life is good and the fishing is great. Anglers came from afar to test their skills against tarpon, the world's greatest game fish, and to hunt goliath grouper in the depths of Tampa Bay. Two modern bridges connected the island to the mainland in 1957, and with that the seven-mile-long island was on its way to becoming the jewel of Manatee County.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781467115070
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	01/11/2016
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Bonner Joy has resided on Anna Maria Island since 1975. In 1992, Joy started a new weekly Islander newspaper dedicated to the island, often highlighting historical happenings. Images for this work were compiled largely from the newspaper's archive, the Manatee County Central Library, and the Anna Maria Island Historical Society.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 The Early Years 9

2 A Sense of Place 21

3 Sunny Beach 37

4 Where the Fishing Is Great 41

5 Hollywood Comes Calling 53

6 Views from the Sky 57

7 Bridges, Piers, Steamers 69

8 Storm Season 83

9 Captured by the Privateers 101

10 One Island, Three Cities 109