Walkabout - Bridge Street Pier

Look out my blogger friends, my friend Judy and I, went on a Walkabout on  historic Bridge Street, City of Bradenton Beach and I have a gazilion of photos. This means at least a week or more of post w/history lessons.

The time was 7 AM

Bridge Street Pier is the center of the Historic Old Town District. The original wooden bridge from the mainland connected to Bridge Street. This made the street the bustling little center of activity for the young town in 1893

A rejuvination project breathed new life into the area and the street is now beatifully landscaped and lined with charming and quaint buildings which house unique shops, restaurants, bars and accomodations

The first permanent settler on the island was George Emerson Bean, who built his 1893 homestead on the northern tip of the island in the area that now bears his name. (Bean Point).

Ancient artifacts unearthed on the island indicate that local Indian tribes had a presence on Anna Maria as long as 2000 years before the island was 'discovered' by Spanish explorers

In 1921 - 1922 the first bridge was constructed from the Village of Cortez to Bridge Street on the Island. Before this time visitors got to the island by boat. This made Bridge Street the center of the bustling island community. In 1926 a bridge to Longboat Key was erected.

At that time the community was known as Cortez Beach. In the late 20's the editor of the Bradenton Herald began calling the city Bradenton Beach and the name stuck.

 

Shops, Resturants, Condo's, and Lots of fantasy signs. This memaid on the front porch of the Bazzaar sports a cowboy hat and holds a pineapple. I guess that IS  pretty Bazaar.