Sarasota History - Bertha Palmer

Bertha Palmer was 23 years younger than her husband, Potter, and when he died in Chicago in 1902, she was 53 years old. Potter left his entire $8 million estate to Bertha, to whom he gave a great deal of credit for her assistance in his business dealings. This was against the advise of his lawyer who asked him, "What if she marries again?" Potter replied, "If she does, he will need the money!" Bertha remained single after the death of her husband and, while reading the Chicago Sunday Tribune, saw an advertisement for land in Sarasota. She became captivated by vision of palm trees and soft gulf breezes and became one of the first “winter visitors” of reputation. Her love for the land of Sarasota helped the region to become the popular winter resort that it is today. 

Palmer, a world-renowned socialite, art patron, and businesswoman, bought 80,000 acres in the Sarasota area. She devoted 25,000 acres to ranching and called her model ranch Meadow Sweet Pastures. She began her herd by purchasing Garrett "Dink" Murphy's cattle. Then she brought in 1,000 cattle by rail from Texas and imported seventeen Brahma bulls. Brahmas are heat tolerant and insect resistant. The Hereford bulls she brought in all died of cattle tick fever. Palmer was one of the first ranchers in the state to dip cattle to eliminate the ticks. Cattle dipping would be mandatory by 1932, part of a statewide cattle dipping program funded by federal and state funds. Florida would be declared free of cattle ticks in the 1940's. In the 1930's, her friend, A. B. Edwards, negotiated the purchase of Meadow Sweet Pastures to help create Myakka River State Park.

Palmer corresponded with state agricultural agencies and university agricultural departments and launched pasture improvement programs. In addition to the ranch, she had 1,300 acres of citrus groves and produced honey. Her experimental farms had crops that included celery and watermelon.

At one point Bertha owned about one third of Sarasota County. Her estate property was named “The Oaks”. Palmer built a house, The Oaks, on her 350-acre estate at Spanish Point. Her estate featured its own electrical plant and water system and had citrus groves, livestock and poultry sheds. The name of her estate lives on today and is today the name of the bayfront subdivision in Osprey.  

Bertha Honore Palmer died of breast cancer in 1918, only eight years after that first visit to Sarasota. She left her vast estate in the hands of her two sons, Honore and Potter Palmer, Jr.

Sarasota Offers Something for Everyone

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Theatre visits offer many choices such as The French Film Festival, the Asolo Theatre Company, Florida Studio Theatre, Island Players, Lemon Bay Playhouse, or Theatre Works, for a start.

Music interest? Check out the Florida West Coast Symphony, Key Chorale, the Jazz Club, Sara. Ballet of Florida, Sara. Blues Society. Opera Association, or the Sarasota Concert Band.

Enjoy collecting art? There are numerous galleries and art shows.

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