Where it all began

We've looked at where Anna Maria Island is, but who discovered it, and when did it turn into today's vacation paradise?
Well, the area was first inhabited by the Timucan and Caloosan American Indian tribes, but the recorded history of the Island is said to have begun around1530 when Spanish explorers such as Hernando DeSoto claimed the entire area for the Spanish Crown. However, in 1892 George Emerson Bean (after whom Bean Point was named) became the first permanent resident on the Island and homesteaded much of what is now the city of Anna Maria.
In the early 1900s, Bean began to develop the Island with the Anna Maria Beach Company which laid out streets, built sidewalks and houses and installed a water system. During this time the pretty Roser Memorial Community Church, was built by George Roser in memory of his mother. He was the creator of the Fig Newton that he eventually sold to Nabisco Brands. This church still stands and is used by some Islanders.
For years the Island was only accessible by boat. It was not until 1921 that a wooden bridge was constructed connecting Anna Maria Island to the mainland. The bridge extended westward from the historic fishing village of Cortez over to the island. Bradenton Beach fishing pier at the end of Bridge Street is the western end of that original bridge.
Today the island remains a mixture of residential homes, vacation properties and businesses existing in harmony with the landscape and enhancing its small-town heritage. The year-round and seasonal residents who enrich the local population come from throughout the Americas as well as Europe and the Far East.
Take the time to visit the Anna Maria Island Historical Society office in Anna Maria City which houses many old photographs which will give you a fuller understanding the island way of life during the last century.