Buchan Airport and Tamiami Trail - Englewood, FL
Posted by: 
crackergals
N 26° 59.277 W 082° 22.151
17R E 364134 N 2985837
Located on Old Englewood Road in Englewood, FL
Waymark Code: WM5WE7
Location: Florida, United States
Date Posted: 02/20/2009
Views: 9
Buchan Airport
During the heyday of land speculation in the 1920's, a development of slightly less than 100 acres was planned west of (now) Old Englewood Road at N. Indiana Ave. Designed as a Mecca for vacationing stars and the wealthy, it was to be called Hygeia. Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford reportedly would build there.
On the subdivision plat that was filed April 21, 1925, the streets were given Native American names. Today, the remaining street is Osceola Drive. When the Great Florida Land Boom suddenly ended, Hygeia was forgotten.
In April 1949, on the advice of Peter E. Buchan, Sarasota County purchased 93 acres of the Hygeia land for an airport. The new mosquito eradication program planned to use the airport for aerial spraying in the southern part of the county. The County Commissioners named the airport to honor Buchan's "long and efficient service to the county."
Beginning in the 1960's, homes with hangers were built along Osceola Road. After neighbors raised safety concerns, the county commissioners adopted the Buchan Airport Master Plan in 2003.
Tamiami Trail
In 1900, south Florida was wild and unsettled. On the west coast of Florida, Ft. Myers could be reached from the north by steamer, and after 1904, by rail, but there was no land connection from there to the east coast. Discussion of a Ft. Myers to Miami in 1915 expanded to talk of a Tampa to Miami road after E. P. Dickey of Tampa suggested the name Tamiami Trail.
Surveying and preliminary work began through alligator infested swamps with the help of Seminole guides. Work progressed slowly. Drilling machines often sank in the muck. Ox teams hauled dynamite that was used to loosen the limestone, which was used for the foundation of the roadway.
After 13 years, the trail was completed. In Sarasota County the route followed earlier roads from Sarasota to Venice. South of Venice the trail followed Old Englewood Road and Dearborn Street through Englewood. The official opening was celebrated on April 25, 1928, with the Governor and his huge entourage traveling the length of the new road.
Shortly after, economic hard times arrived. Road planners eliminated the Englewood loop as unnecessary.
Marker Number: Not Numbered
Date: Not Dated
County: Sarasota
Marker Type: Roadside
Sponsored or placed by: Sarasota County Historical Commission
Website: [Web Link]
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