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So much to see and learn
at the Manatee Village
Historical Park
WORDS: Bre Jones Mulock
The resonating vibrato of harmonizing
cicadas and the click of visitors’ shoes
on a weathered brick path could almost
mute out the cars whizzing past Manatee Village
Historical Park – an enchanting preservation
of pioneering Florida where whispers of wild
stories, like a woman who gave birth under a
kitchen table, during a hurricane in the mid-
1800’s enlighten guests.
For a few hours there is no WiFi. No Starbucks
or air conditioning. No paved roads or cell
phones. For a few hours you duck away from
modern living and slip back in time. Stepping
into the Historical Park is like climbing into a
dreamy, snow-globe bubble of untouched Old
Florida where century-old oaks stand guard and
the land keeps untold stories nestled in its roots.
Surviving vicious waves of yellow fever, poisonous
snakes, prowling panthers, alligators, and uncharted
swampy land, Manatee County pioneers faced daily
battles trying to carve out new lives on the very land
many of us call home.
“Preserving history builds loyalty in the community – a
sense of where we come from,” said Kathryn Rohlwing,
supervisor at Manatee Village Historical Park. “In fact, we’ve
learned through hurricane management training that what brings
people back to rebuild after a disaster is that sense of loyalty – sense