Memorial Days past remembered

Manatee County residents have observed Memorial Day since it originated in 1868 following the Civil War. It was established as a national holiday in 1971 as a day for visiting cemeteries and memorial services to honor the men and women who died while serving in the military.

Below are four photographs from the Bradenton archives which highlight the repect shown in Manatee County for those who served in the military.

Vietnam veterans Billy Coffey, left, and Robert Westbrook salute after placing flowers at the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial on May 26, 1987, at the Manatee County Courthouse.

Palmetto resident Tom Stephens stops to pay respects at the grave of his brother, George, on May 25, 1987, at Mansion Memorial Park, after Memorial Day ceremonies honoring deceased military veterans.

George Stephens, a Vietnam veteran, died the previous February.

A note on the War Memorial in front of the Manatee County Courthouse reads, "Capt. Robert Nelson - Green Beret - We shall meet again. Love Mom."

Evelyn Nelson posted the note to her son on the morning of May 27, 1985.

Boy Scouts Mike Holliday, left, and Bobby Wolter plant American flags at the head stones of deceased military veterans May 30, 1983 at one of the local cemeteries.

If you know where any of these people are spending Memorial Day this year, please send me a message at cnudi@bradenton.com

Manatee Village Historical Park marks 35 years

In this Herald file photo taken in the early 1990s, workers are shown painting the outside of the Old Schoolhouse at the Manatee Village Historical Park, 1404 Manatee Ave. E., Bradenton. The Bradenton Board of Adjustment gave the Manatee County Historical Commission a special zoning permit to build the historical park in August 1975. The City of Bradenton leased the property on the corner of Manatee Avenue East and 15th Street East. Within weeks of getting the permit, the historic 1887 Manatee United Methodist Church building and the original 1855 Manatee County Courthouse were moved to the park. The commission obtained the Wiggins General Store in 1985, and over the years added the Settler's House, the Fogarty Boatworks, the 1903 Bunker Hill Schoolhouse, the Cow Hunters' Bunkhouse, and several other buildings to the park.

The Wiggins General Store sat boarded up until the Manatee County Historical Society raised enough money to rehabilitate the building.

In 1987 renovation began on the 1903 building, one of the first commercial structures in Manatee County built with bricks.

The preserved Wiggins General Store, as it appears today, serves as a welcome center to the historical park.

All of the above photos are from the Herald archives.

1876: Villa Zanza, built by eccentric veteran

(photo courtesy of Manatee County Library archives)

Through the years, Manatee County has had its share of eccentric characters.

One of the most colorful was Major Alden Joseph Adams, a descendant of a brother of the second president of the United States, John Adams.

The Union Army veteran came to the then-thriving community of "Braidentown" in 1876 at the age of 33 in search of a homesite where he could recuperate from Civil War wounds in the warm weather.

He purchased 400 acres along the river between the present-day First Street and Ninth Street East and began constructing a 16-room concrete castle near the river -- close to where Manatee Memorial Hospital is now located.

The major began to populate his estate, which he named Villa Zanza, with a menagerie of exotic animals, including monkeys, deer, tropical birds, peafowl, and guinea fowl, along with the more common geese, pigeons, chickens, ducks and dogs. A herd of horses also were kept in the pastures of the estate that grew to more than 300,000 acres.

After his death in 1915, the castle was sold and eventually demolished.

-- Information from “The Singing River,” by Joe Warner.