Anna Maria Island Historic Survey
Anna Maria Island, FL
Anna Maria Island Historical Resources Survey
Project Type: Historic Preservation
Project Status: Completed | April 2022
Dates: November 2021 – April 2022
Site Area: 360 acres
Team: Plusurbia Design
Client: City of Anna Maria Island
Anna Maria Island is a barrier island in Manatee County, west of the City of Bradenton. It is located in the Gulf of Mexico and at the entrance to Tampa Bay. Anna Maria Island is made up of three small municipalities. The oldest municipality, established in 1923, is the City of Anna Maria, and it is located on the northern end of the Island at the mouth of Tampa Bay. The first homestead on Anna Maria was established in 1893, and the first subdivision, Anna Maria Beach, was platted in 1911.
The Anna Maria community has long acknowledged its heritage and tried to collect historic artifacts and tell the island’s history. The Anna Maria Island Historical Society was formed in 1990 for the express purpose of collecting, researching, preserving, and exhibiting materials relating to the early days of Anna Maria Island. From 1990 to 2018, the Historical Society was the primary force behind historic preservation activities in Anna Maria Island, including the relocation and restoration of Belle Haven cottage and the completion of over thirty (30) Florida Master Site Files for the records of the State Division of Historical Resources.
