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House Tours of
Naples Historical Society’s
Historic Palm Cottage ™
1906, Looking East on Pier Street (12th Ave. S.) from the Naples Pier entrance toward the old Naples
Hotel. Historic Palm Cottage is on the left side. The wood track was installed to transport luggage.
Photograph Courtesy of and Property of Naples Historical Society.
“ Almost every visitor to by John Telischak,
Naples Historical Society Education Manager
Historic Palm Cottage If you arrived in Naples in 1906, 12th Ave
South—then known as Pier Street—would look
enters thinking they will very different from today. However, there would
see a little house behind be an air of familiarity. You would recognize the
smell of fresh sea air mixed with the sun-kissed,
a white picket fence, but woodsy scent of sea grape and dune grass, enjoy
the warm sea breezes rustling the palms, and
they are greeted with 3,500 envy the bathers taking pleasure in the Gulf.
square feet of living space, Although the bathers may be donning wool bathing costumes.
As you would leave the Naples Pier back in the day, you would walk past tourists who wore
a house originally built in linen suits and dresses, stroll by hardworking porters, and you would see the Old Naples Hotel
standing sentinel, its spire piercing the sky.
1895, that features 18-foot Although the hotel hasn’t been there since 1964, there is one structure that would be familiar,
ceilings over original Dade Historic Palm Cottage, the Portal to Naples History.
Elaine Reed, Naples Historical Society’s CEO, says:
County pine on the floor.” “Almost every visitor to Historic Palm Cottage enters thinking they will see a little house behind a
white picket fence, but they are greeted with 3,500 square feet of living space, a house originally built in
She reminds us, “There 1895, that features 18-foot ceilings over original Dade County pine on the floor.” She reminds us, “There
are hidden treasures everywhere!”
are hidden treasures The Cottage has borne witness to Naples’s growth from a few sand-and-shell streets to a
everywhere! ” vibrant coastal city which includes a small handful of remarkable people who maintain their
historic houses extraordinarily well.
With the help of enthusiastic volunteer Docents, Naples Historical Society’s Cottage tours
provide a trip back in time.
Naples Historical Society House Tour Docent, Jerry Ruane says:
“I truly believe that most of us have one overriding goal which is to give each visitor interesting and
factual information in a fun way so that they leave their tour feeling as enthusiastic about this wonderful
old house as we do and that it was 45 minutes of their day well spent.”
You will be pleased to know that your $13 admission fee goes directly to the professional
maintenance of Historic Palm Cottage and its grounds, including the lovely Norris Gardens.
Historic Palm Cottage is open year-round for tours. Want to take a step back in time?
Book a tour today: www.NaplesHistoricalSociety.org
BOOK A TOUR TODAY Naples Historical Society is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that serves the community by
maintaining Historic Palm Cottage, opening it for tours for all ages, hosting educational events
www.NaplesHistoricalSociety.org throughout the year and working on major initiatives to benefit the community well into the future. It is
th
based at Historic Palm Cottage, 137 12 Avenue South, Naples Florida 34102, one block east of
the Naples Pier.
54 Life in Naples | April 2022
