The Estero Island Historic Society cottage is open to visitors on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to noon, October through May.


LOST ICONS

Lost Icons of Fort Myers Beach

Order your hardcover copy now!

The book Lost Icons of Fort Myers Beach traces the history of buildings, subdivisions, and other historic sites lost to various hurricanes (in particular, Hurricane Ian in September 2022). Lost Icons was researched, authored, and published by Ellie Bunting, the President of the Estero Island Historic Society, in November 2023, to remember and celebrate the Fort Myers Beach of the recent and distant past. 


Proceeds from sales of the book -- available at this link in hardcover at a cost of only $35 (shipping added) -- will help replace artifacts and images teh Estero Island Historic Society lost in Hurricane Ian.


Lost Icons of Fort Myers Beach takes the reader back in time to when Fort Myers Beach was a bustling community of people who made their living as business owners or fishermen / shrimpers. Learn the stories behind the famous arches that marked the entrance to Estero Island and the first swing bridge connecting the island (home to the Town of Fort Myers Beach) to the mainland.


Read about the transformation of Times Square from a business district to an entertainment district. View photos and learn the history of the many structures our island has lost, including the Gulf Shore Grill and the attached Cottage, Silver Sands Cottages, The Whale, Junkanoo, Red Coconut RV Resort, Cotton Shop, the Outrigger, and more. The book also profiles the churches that have been destroyed, along with the original wooden cottages that housed our public library over the years and the Beach School, the Woman’s Club, and the Art Association.


Help support the Estero Island Historic Society to rebuild its museum by purchasing this book. And take a poignant stroll through years gone by and treasures lost.

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