BOAT: Donated to Center

FROM PAGE 9

The Cultural Center, a white cottage with blue shutters, is just west of the FISH Preserve. While visible through the trees from Cortez Road, it can be easy to miss when driving by and is often mistaken for a residence.

“The boat was donated by Mike and Jackie McGlennen, owners of Bill’s Fish Camp in Bradenton Beach,” CVHS volunteer Kris Martinez said. “They said they bought it from an old fisherman.”

The cottage contains multiple artifacts and photos related to the history of Cortez, and at 76 years old, the building itself has a long history.

The 890-square-foot building was hauled to its current location over the Cortez Bridge from 304 Church St. in Bradenton Beach in 2011.

The cottage was slated to be demolished to make room for a municipal parking lot until The Anna Maria Island Sun brought the matter to the attention of Manatee County officials, who arranged for the cottage to be donated to CVHS.

The Cortez Cultural Center is open Fridays and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free.

“This was a 250-year free-for-all when various groups jostled for territory,” he said.

A permanent settlement was established in Cortez in the 1880s when families from Carteret County, North Carolina settled in Cortez in search of better fishing and shelter from hurricanes.

The first commercial building in Cortez – the Bratton/Burton store – opened in 1910, and the brick schoolhouse opened in 1912.

“There were no roads here until 1910,” Dryfoos said.

His timeline continues to 1921 when a hurricane destroyed the Cortez waterfront up to about 1980 when the Cortez community began acquisition and cleanup of what is now the FISH Preserve.

In 1995, the gill net ban threatened and transformed traditional fishing.

Carter Fish is fulfilling a school assignment by making beaches cleaner.

BY LESLIE LAKE SUN CORRESPONDENT | llake@amisun.com

ANNA MARIA - When eighth-grader Carter Fish was given a school assignment to make a positive impact in the community, the choice was easy for him.

Fish, 14, lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, but his family owns a vacation home in Anna Maria. He immediately thought about the litter he sees on the beach here.

“My family and I come down to Anna Maria five or six times a year and going out and seeing the trash on the beach, it’s not good,” he said.

Also in 1995, Cortez was designated a National Historic District.

In 2022, the CVHS board dedicated the Cortez Cultural Center to Mary Fulford Green, a late longtime Cortez resident who was committed to preserving the village’s history.

“The story of Cortez is interesting and important and we have to tell the story and do it well,” Dryfoos said.

The annual trolley grant awards are given to local 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations on Anna Maria Island and Cortez. The Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce sells advertising on the inside and outside of the free Anna Maria Island trolleys, and after administrative costs and expenses, funds are disbursed in the form of grants. CVHS was one of 15 non-profits to receive the grants.

For more information about CVHS, visit www.cortezvillagehistoricalsociety.org/

Carter said his school does an eighth-grade project every year which attempts to make an impact on the world.

“For my project, I am helping to clean the beaches of Anna Maria Island,” he said. “This Island means so much to me and my family. Protecting the wildlife and keeping the beach clean is important to me.”

He is asking people to not only pick up trash, but in order to fulfill his assignment, he’s also asking to have pictures of the trash sent to him.

“If you do not mind when you pick up trash please send me pictures of the trash at 513560-1360 or Instagram @fishbeachclean_ami,” he said.

The deadline for his school assignment is the end of March.