History of the Island

Posted on July 21, 2026 6:00 PM by Admin

Categories: Island History

^{Originally posted July 18, 2022}

By Bill Burger

When the founding ladies of the VIA tried to find "ceia" in their Spanish/English dictionary, the closest word they found was "cielo" - meaning sky, or heavens. And so "Terra Ceia" became "heavenly land". The actual story behind the name is rather more interesting.

In 1783, Frigate Ensign Jose de Evia set sail from Havana on the Comendador de Marsella, a two-masted lugger, with the commission to explore and chart the Florida Gulf coast. On the Tampa Bay map he produced, Evia noted the locations of occupied fishing settlements, called ranchos; two of these are shown along the southeastern shoreline. One of these was described as the "Rancho of Rosie" (See Map #1). Note that this is pronounced "Row-ZEE-ah". This location is also seen on a Spanish map from 1809 (See Map#2) - indicating Rosie's operations apparently continued for some time, perhaps by his family. Research in the archives in Havana would likely reveal much more of the story, including the date when Rosie first came to Tampa Bay. The fish caught at all of the ranchos were sent to Cuba and taxes paid. The Spanish were extremely bureaucratic in their record keeping.

Map #1

Map #2

When Joseph Atzeroth applied for title to 160 acres on the island on June 18, 1843, he described it as: Said Piece of Land is Situated on the West Shore of Teo Rocia Bay..." Note his spelling. After the severe 1846 hurricane destroyed the Azeroth's log cabin, one account says they stayed with a neighbor. Who? The only other known settlers then in the area were the Peterson brothers, who had homesteaded south across the bay at Peterson's Bayou (adjacent to Palmetto Point). Miguel Guerrero (of Miguel Bay) didn't come to the island until 1848. Might the "neighbor" have been the Rosie family or their workers?

A military map from 1857 (See Map #3) indicates "Terresilla Island". This spelling reflects the "nyuh" sound of the Spanish double "L"

Map #3

So, through word replacement, mispronunciation, misspelling, and misunderstanding of accents, the rancho of Rosie became the land (terra) of Rosie, with Terra Rocia contracting into Terra Ceia. (As for "Palma Ceia" in Tampa, I think a land developer over there just like the sound of our name and took it!)

If my research is correct, I don't think that it changes the fact that we do indeed live on an island that is a heavenly land!

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History: Verbal History by John Willis

Posted on July 21, 2026 6:00 PM by Admin

Categories: Island History

^{Originally posted May 5, 2022}

The John Henry Willis family moved to Terra Ceia, Florida in 1912 in search of work. They traveled along the Gulf Coast from Wakulla County, Florida by mule and wagon. John Henry had worked in the Wakulla turpentine mill for forty cents a day, which was not enough to support his family. His son, John Emory Willis, related that there were many who “had about starved in the armpit of the Florida Coast”. Emory remembered his family building a wooden bridge to cross the Creek, which even at low tide was not fordable, to Terra Ceia Island.
^{A young John Henry Willis}	Jobs picking grapefruit and oranges and fishing kept the Willis family in food and clothing so they stayed on this island. After the citrus was picked they worked the vegetable fields. They picked peppers, beans, cauliflower, and celery. The produce was shipped by boat off a 400 to 500 foot dock at Center Road, which was wide enough for the mules and wagons. The boats headed for Tampa, Key West, and other ports. Emory remembered a Civil War Veteran, Sims, who hired sharecropping crews of Negroes and Whites to farm his land. The agreement was the sharecropper could use the land, provide half the fertilizer, and pay a fee from the harvested crops. Sims and my g'pa were in business together in Palmetto for a short time. G’pa had farm land on Terra Ceia.
John Henry fished the rest of the year, making his home on Paradise Key. His home had a Palmetto fan roof, a thirty by sixteen foot room with bunks for the hired fishing crew, and a screened front porch. When Emory was 13 he lived on Rattlesnake Key for the summer with friends.
They had a Palmetto hut that protected them in their off time from fishing and gathering crabs, oysters and clams. The hut was made with 12 by 20 foot boards. The boys stole nails from the mainland packing house. Emory explained they made the outer walls using overlapping Palmetto fans nailed to the wooden frame of the hut. They found a washed up ship’s hatch for a window on the northwest side. The boys attached leather hinges to a washed up door, which became the mail entry to the hut. A four pound lard bucket was used for a coffee pot. Bunks lined the walls inside. Each boy brought a family quilt for comfort. They pooled their funds and bought a small boat for six dollars. The boat was the main source of transportation to the mainland where they sold their caught fish. They sold fish for two to five dollars. The boys also traded fish for eggs and butter. Emory recounted that fish were so plentiful they could catch any kind. He especially remembered flounder were everywhere, easily stuck with a spear. For entertainment the boys would go to either of the two movie houses and watch a newsreel for ten cents.
By 1918 the Willis family lived on the bottom floor of a two story house sitting half on land while the porch stilted over the water at the back of the house. The Holly family lived upstairs. Fishing off the porch was easy, John Emory said. Mr. Clyatt owned the house while he lived in another on the mainland. In October 1921 John Henry came home from fishing. He predicted a southwest hurricane was coming although there was no wind. The next morning John Emory put his feet over the side of his bed into rising water. A head wind was blowing, raising the house off its blocks. A 40 foot boat with a dinghy was tied behind the house along with a 26 footer which had a one cylinder engine. The larger boat was tied to a tree, while the smaller one was attached to the porch rail. The water level was six feet above high tide and water was up to everyone’s chins. Three kids could go in a boat at a time. Pauline, John Henry’s wife, was wading in the kitchen while she cooked. She grabbed her iron cooking pot as she left to board the final trip to leave. A swell knocked the boat hard, flopping the pot into the water. All Pauline could do was watch that pot float and finally sink in the water.	^{His parents, John Henry Willis and wife Pauline Boyett Willis. It is believed this is their wedding photo.}
Meanwhile, Mr. Holly cussed when his wife refused to leave the flooding house as she did not want to abandon their belongings. Once the boat carrying the evacuees reached the mainland mule road the men dragged it to Clyatt’s house. They all watched the stilted house float out to deep water with their belongings and sink. Mr. Clyatt cried. The storm washed out Bayshore Road in two places, where seawalls were eventually built. Back on Terra Ceia the small town buildings were washed away while remaining stores were closed. The long dock for shipping was gone. During weekends after the storm those with boats poled around picking up debris. Soon, changes came to Terra Ceia along with the railroad. The town grew. Jobs did not have to be hunted.

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History: The Haley House

Posted on July 18, 2026 6:00 PM by Admin

Categories: Island History

^{Originally posted Jul 18, 2022}

_{Typesetting and photography courtesy of:}

_{Janet Thoreson}

_{Additional historical photographs courtesy of:}

_{Manatee County Public Library System}
_{1301 Barcarrota Blvd. West}
_{Bradenton, FL 34205}

The Haley House, once the grandest home on Terra Ceia, with a commanding location at the entrance to the island is shown in photo from the private collection of the great-grandson of D.G. Haley, Mr. Ross Perry. The house was built around 1919 and had great views of Terra Ceia bay, unobstructed by the pervasive, invasive Brazilin Pepper tree that take over everything. D. G. Haley owned two large commercial gladiola farms. Terra Ceia Island Farms and Terra Ceia Bay Farms were two of the largest producing firms in the world, frequently shipping more than 200,000 gladioli a day to all parts of the nation. He died in the late 1970's.

The house is now a regional headquarters for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the new Terra Ceia State Park.

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History: Tour of Terra Ceia

Posted on July 18, 2026 5:50 PM by Admin

Categories: Island History

^{Originally posted July 18, 2022}

^{1. Cistern: The small dome-shaped mound located here is a cistern built to collect and hold rainwater. The early settlers depended on cisterns for their supply of fresh water. This cistern probably dates the mid-1800’s when the James Greene Williams family built a house here. The house was destroyed by fire in 1915, but the cistern remains as a reminder of the importance of fresh water to the first settlers.}
	^{2. Hubbard House: A small one story house stands where the Hubbard house once stood. The old home built here by E. S. Hubbard burned in the 1940’s and this house was built to replace it. Mr. and Mrs. E. S. Hubbard came to Terra Ceia in 1888. Mr. Hubbard opened a store right on the bank of Terra Ceia Bay and built a dock out into the bay where steamboats could bring supplies. During the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, stores and homes lined both sides of Bayshore Drive in this area, and the waterfront was the center of island activity.}
^{3. Gates Annex House: The main section}^{of this house was built in the 1890’s. In the 1910’s when the railroad became the major means of transporting supplies and the importance of the steamboats decreased, emphasis was shifted from the waterfront to an inland area. At this time, the Gates store was moved as well. The abandoned store building was annexed to this house and forms the section of the house parallel to the road. This house no longer stands and was recently replaced with new construction.}
	^{4. Haben House: This large two story home is a relative newcomer to the island. It was built in the 1940’s by Ralph Haben, Sr. on the site of the house built by the Howard and Kennedy families. These two families first came to Terra Ceia in the 1870’s. Mr. Kennedy discoved the first artesian well on Terra Ceia. This discovery of a fresh water source helped to make the island a major agricultural area, for farmers could irrigate their fields and did not have to rely on rainfall. The Howard-Kennedy house was torn down to make room for the Haben house. Haben’s son, Ralph Haben, Jr., a former member of the Florida State House of Representatives, grew up here.}
^{5. T. Ralph Robinson House: This two story wooden house built by T. Ralph Robinson in 1911 was originally built up off the ground to protect the house from flooding. Later, the bottom of the house was enclosed to make the house look like it does today. Robinson was a citrus grower and managed a citrus packing house on the north side of the island. He developed a type of tangerine and the Jolly Joe Mango. Robinson was also the President of the Manatee County Historical Society in 1949.}
	^{6. Pollard House: This large home was built by R. D. Pollard in the early 1910’s. Pollard was also a citrus grower and was one of the first islanders to sell fruit by express and to ship fruit by railroad in large quantities.}
^{7. Center Road Dock: Extending southward from Center road was once a large community dock. The dock was built about 1910 and was wide enough so that wagons could be rolled right out to the end and loaded from the steamboats. The dock was a gathering place for the area. People fished here and often caught sharks from the end of the dock.}
^{8. Atzeroth Homesite: In 1843, Joseph and Julia Atzeroth built a log cabin here. The Atzeroths were the first permanent white settlers on Terra Ceia, and a historical marker commemorates the spot where they once lived. The foundation of stones of the Atzeroth home can still be seen. Nearby was a fresh water spring.}
	9. Halsey House: This stone house was constructed of fossilized rock found in fields nearby. It was built in 1920’s by W. A. and Eunice Halsey. The Halsey's bought this property in 1912 and grew citrus trees here.
^{10. Hallock-Abel House: In 1883, Madam Joe Atzeroth sold 24 acres of land to William R. Hallock for $2000. The main part of this tall house was built by Hallock in 1885. Later, the W. H. Abels bought the property, and Mrs. Abel conducted the first Terra Ceia school in the parlor of this house.}
^{11. Fogarty House: This house with a steeply sloped roof was built in 1875 by William Henry Fogarty. Fogarty was one of four brothers who first settled on the shore of the Manatee River in the area of West Bradenton once known as Fogartyville. Fogarty was married to Madam Joe Atzeroth’s daughter, Eliza. This house was built on land granted to Eliza by the government. Fogarty was a ship builder and the original house was built similar to a ship. It was constructed of hard pine and put together with wooden pegs instead of nails. Lanterns from a ship were used throughout the house, and a cupboard with doors taken from the cupboard of a ship was underneath the stairs. The original house had since been remodeled. Fogarty was a farmer as well as a ship builder and was the first farmer on Terra Ceia to use an overhead irrigation system. Fogarty also built a dock in front of his house so that his crops could be loaded directly onto steamboats for transport to Tampa where they were sold.}
^{12. Madira Bickel Mound: The Madira Bickel Indian Mound is but one of several Indian mounds that once lined the western shore of Terra Ceia. These mounds were connected by shell walkways, and there were two burial mounds, a flat topped temple mound, and many shell middens or small mounds. Both burial mounds and 80% of the shell mounds have been removed to provide shell for the early roads of Manatee County. The Bickel mound is 100 x 170 feet at its base and twenty feet in height. It was built as a plat form for ceremonial buildings such as a temple and chief ’s house and is composed of sand, shell and village debris. Next to the mound is a level field that was perhaps used as a ball court. The low sandy area 100 feet across and 18 inches high on the north side of the mound was once a burial mound. In 1914, it was removed for road fill, and approximately 27 skeletons were uncovered.}
^{13. Boots Point: This area was also once covered with mounds that have since been removed for fill. In the mid 1800’s, Miguel Guerero, a Spanish fisherman, established a fish camp in this area. Miguel Bay and Miguel Island are named for him. Miguel married Frederica Kramer, Madam Joe’s niece from Bavaria. In 1856, Frederica, Miguel and two of five children died of fever in 1868. In 1893, the Johnson family settled here. The point is name for Boots Johnson, a member of the family.}
^{14. Jones-Prine House: This large two story house has porches running two-thirds of the way around it to help cool its interior. It was built in 1895 by Jesse Jones. Jones owned a large celery farm in the early 1900’s. He was one of several celery growers on the island. Celery grew well here, and stalks were sent all over the United States. The large barn behind the house was used as a mule barn. During the 1920’s, farm production was done with mules and horses on Terra Ceia. Eventually the house would be bought by Robert Prine. He was a member of the Manatee County School Board for whom Prine Elementary School is named.}
^{15. Old Shed: (Still exists - unable to get picture due to overgrowth) - This old shed is a reminder of the late 1920’s and early 1930’s. The Great Depression that hurt the farm industry of Terra Ceia led many farmers to quit farming and allow their fields to return to a natural state. The tidal wave of 1932 killed much of the island’s vegetation and ruined large areas of soil.}
^{16. Tillett House: (This house has been incorporated into the home now owned by the Goffs) - Joseph Tillett found the island an ideal place to hunt and fish while on a hunting trip to the area. He returned to his home in Myakka, gathered up his family, took his home apart and brought the whole homestead to Terra Ceia. He set up his home on the shore of what is now called Tillets Bayou in 1886. This house is the same one that survived the thirty mile trip from Myakka.}
^{17. Dirr Office and Home: Mr. and Mrs. Lundy Dirr were one of the first families on Terra Ceia to grow flowers commercially. They found the island soil and climate ideal for gladiolus and established Dirr’s Loam Grown Gladiolus in 1926. The little office building was Mr. Dirr’s office, and the two story house down the road on the right was the Dirr home. The first floor of the house was used as a shop and a working area; the Dirrs lived upstairs.}
^{18. Dole House and Banyan Tree: (Willis Underwood currently resides in this house) On the right side of the road behind a wide field is a large banyan tree. The tree was planted in the early 1900’s by Mrs. E. B. Dole. The house was built in the late 1880’s - early 1890’s by the Dole family. Now the tree hides the house almost completely.}
^{19. Old Bank and Post Office: The building on the southwest corner of Terra Ceia Road and Center Road was built in 1912 to house the Bank of Terra Ceia. This bank was built soon after the railroad extended its tracks to Terra Ceia. These tracks ended on the northeast corner of the intersection, and a depot was built there. In 1931, the Bank of Terra Ceia failed. Now the building houses the post office.}
^{20. Store Building: On the southeast corner of the Terra Ceia Road and Center Road intersection is the foundation of an old store building. Built about 1910 when the center of island activity shifted from the waterfront to the railroad tracks, the store was once very prosperous.}
	^{21. First Baptist Church. The First Baptist Church of Terra Ceia was founded in 1904. This property given to the church in 1905 has held two different buildings. The first church building was erected in 1905. The old church building has since been replaced.}
^{22. Terra Ceia United Methodist Church: The Terra Ceia Methodist Church was organized in 1899. In 1914, this property was deeded to the church, and a year later, this building was constructed. This church is still active today!}
	^{23. Terra Ceia Village Improvement Association Hall: The Terra Ceia Village Improvement Association was organized on May 2, 1901 as the first Women’s Club in the state of Florida. The club which now includes men among its members is still active today and meets regularly in this building which was built in 1907. Activities of the V.I.A. revolve around their goal to improve and beautify Terra Ceia Island. Early activities included building a schoolhouse and placing fill on the roads. Today, the VIA is concerned with issues such as zoning and community development.}

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The Story of Terra Ceia

Posted on July 14, 2026 9:00 AM by Admin

Categories: Island History

The Story of Terra Ceia

*Originally compiled by Catherine J. Bayless with funds provided by The National Endowment for the Humanities Youth grant Program

Terra Ceia Island is an important part of Florida history. Located at the foot of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on the Gulf Coast of Florida between Bradenton and St. Petersburg, Terra Ceia has a history that covers more than five hundred years and includes tales of Indians, Spanish Explorers, soldiers, immigrants, and pioneers. The first known inhabitants of Terra Ceia were the Timucan Indians. These people lived quietly on the Western shore of Terra Ceia. Proof of their existence can be seen in the shell mounds that dot the area. No one knows exactly when the Timucans came to Terra Ceia nor then they left. Perhaps they fled in fear of the Spanish when
Hernando DeSoto and his men arrived in the area in 1539. The Spanish often captured natives to use as slaves and the natives may have known about this practice. DeSoto and his men established a camp at the Indian mounds and rested there for six weeks before beginning an expedition into North Florida.

From the time the Spaniards left until 1843, the island was virtually uninhabited. Temporary huts and fish camps were built by Spanish fishermen who found the shallow inlets and bayous of the island made the area a haven for fishing. One of these fishermen was Miguel Guerero who gave his name to Miguel Island and Miguel Bay. In 1843, however, Joseph and Julia Atzeroth, along with their three year-old daughter Eliza, arrived by sailboat on Terra Ceia. Natives of Babaria, the Atzeroths came to Terra Ceia seeking a warm, southern climate that would improve Julia’s health, for she suffered from a liver ailment. Terra Ceia was the right prescription for her complaint, and Julia or Madam Joe, as she would later be called, quickly became well. The Atzeroths found a land of dense hammock growth like some areas of the island today. They built a small cabin on the north shore of Terra Ceia Bay and applied for 160 acres of land under the federal government’s Armed Occupation Act of 1842. This act gave settlers the right to claim 160 acres of free land if they promised to live on the land for five years.

The Atzeroths were not alone for long; many settlers soon followed them to Terra Ceia. Some of the settlers have descendants living on the island today. Life was hard for those early settlers. Supplies had to be brought to the island by sailboat, roads were made of sand, farming was done with mules or hand plows, mosquitoes spread disease, wild animals threatened livestock, and bad weather ruined crops. Yet, despite the demanding life of Terra Ceia, the community grew.

By the 1880’s, steamships began docking on the island and became the main method of transporting produce. Steamships were larger and faster than the sailboats that had been in use earlier. As a result, farms were expanded, and more settlers arrived in the area. Five docks extended out into Terra Ceia Bay from the south shore of the island. These family-owned docks were soon joined by a public dock at the south end of Center Road. Island activity was centered in this area. Stores and a post office were established along Bayshore Drive near the docks where
steamers regularly brought necessary supplies such as ice, fertilizer, seeds, and cloth. There, fruits and vegetables were loaded onto them for shipment to Northern markets

Island life revolved around farming, but not all the time was spent in the fields. The first Terra Ceia school was established by Mrs. W. H. Abel who taught the island children in the parlor of her home. In 1894, the first schoolhouse was built. Music and art lessons became available, and a drama group was active in the 1890’s. The Methodist Church was organized in 1899 and moved into a church building in 1915. The First Baptist Church of Terra Ceia was formed in 1904.

On May 2, 1901, a group of women organized a Women’s Club which was the first women’s club to be established in Florida. The goal of this club, which was called the Terra Ceia Village Improvement Association (V.I.A.), was to improve and beautify the island of Terra Ceia, and club records show that the V.I.A. actively sought to reach this goal. Profits from such ventures as dinners and steamboat excursions helped to build and maintain a new schoolhouse as well as other projects.

During World War II, an aircraft observation tower was built near the clubhouse. VIA members manned the tower. In 1954, the club was incorporated and men were included as members. The Terra Ceia Village Improvement Association is still in existence and continues to beautify and improve the island.

In the early 1900’s, steamboats were replaced as the main means of transportation. Seaboard Air Line railway and Atlantic Coast Line railroad laid spurs to Terra Ceia. These tracks extended as far
as the north end of Center Road, and the focus of Terra Ceia life was moved from the waterfront to this inland spot. Stores, packing houses, and a depot sprang up along the railroad tracks. The post office was moved here, as well.

Vegetables and citrus were produced on an even larger scale. Fields covered wide areas of the island. Terra Ceia grown celery became known throughout the Northern states. The island was
even recognized for the flowers it produced. When William Howard Taft was inaugurated in March of 1908, the flowers used for decoration were asters grown on Terra Ceia. A company was also established in 1926 that shipped gladiola flowers and bulbs all over the United States.

The early years of the 1900’s were a time of great prosperity for Terra Ceia. Agricultural production was high; railroads continually brought supplies and new settlers. A successful bank was established in 1911.

With the depression of the late 1920’s and early 1930’s, however, came financial ruin. Just as banks all over the country failed, the Bank of Terra Ceia closed its doors in 1931. In 1932, a tidal wave hit the gulf coast of Florida, and island farms and groves were killed by the salt water. In the 1940’s, the railroads discontinued their routes to the island and pulled up their tracks. The island’s years as a major agricultural area were over.

Today, Terra Ceia is an island of small farms, groves, and gardens. Quiet residences now line the streets where stores and businesses once stood. Though the island was physically cut in half in the 1950’s by U.S. Highway 19, it’s residents have maintained the feelings of community pride and spirit first found in its early settlers. An area full of history, Terra Ceia stands as a quiet reminder of the past.

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