The bridge over Blind Pass connecting Sanibel and Captiva; photo courtesy CIHS.
Since 2012, the Captiva Island Historical Society (CIHS) has digitized more than 10,000 items, including images, documents and recordings. Recently, those digitized items were cataloged and are available for public viewing on the CIHS website. Each piece shares an intriguing tidbit about Captiva.
“It is exciting to see historical images that pop up on the screen, or to see a letter that reads about Captiva days of old,” said Jim Pigott, CIHS chairman.
These items have been amassed over the last few decades and come from many sources including Captiva Memorial Library files, photograph books from residents and visitors and letters and postcards that people have shared along with audio recordings of voices of the past.
Among the items, there are pictures of early homesteaders, activities around the Snyder School for Boys, Captiva landmarks like Timmy’s Nook or ‘Tween Waters Inn in the 1930s, and letters from well known folks like Teddy Roosevelt, who was a frequent visitor to Captiva.
The Captiva Island Historical Society is committed to the preservation and interpretation of the history of Captiva Island, while providing education about the remarkable people and events that have shaped its past. Established in 2011, CIHS was an outgrowth of the pioneering and well-received oral histories work done as part of the Captiva History Project, founded by Stella Farwell in 2010. In 2013, CIHS was granted space in the reconstruction of the Captiva Civic Center, to illustrate Captiva’s unique, diverse history. Through generous donations and grants, the History Gallery was completed in April 2014.
