A BRIEF HISTORY OF MATLACHA
“Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow” is the Matlacha motto reflecting our island lifestyle and the laid-back, desultory atmosphere reminiscent of Florida in the 50’s.
A “unique” unpretentious community located in the Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve, the name Matlacha comes from the Seminole word for “shallow waters”. Residents are interested in fishing, boating and the surrounding environment. The area still attracts an eclectic mix of individualists. There is a small community park with a fishing pier, picnic pavilions, boat ramp and community center. Our hardy pioneers carved the park out of mangrove swamp back in the 50’s.
The first wooden bridge, a swing bridge, over Matlacha Pass was constructed in 1927 The old wooden bridge became known as “The Fishingest Bridge in the World” during World War II when soldiers stationed at Page Field discovered the great fishing, a claim still made about the concrete replacement bridge built by the county in 1969. The Matlacha Pass Aquatic Preserve is a fish nursery area rich in nutrients that nurture and supply fish for the Gulf of Mexico.
A community of single family residential neighborhoods, art galleries and craft shops with owner operated businesses, with only one or two exceptions every building in Matlacha is on the water. The neighborhoods are very diverse, comprised of West Island or Island Harbors, Porpoise Point, Old Matlacha (once known as “Carnietown”), Matlacha Avenue Section, Matlacha Shores and Matlacha Isles. The western segment of Matlacha, along Pine Island Road, extends to Little Pine Island
Occasionally, tarpon and porpoise were so plentiful that they chased the immature fish into canals and made enough racket to wake residents at night. Playful manatees would interact with fishermen. Shore birds were everywhere and residents often would find a white or blue heron standing next to their refrigerators waiting for their usual handout. A successful scallop and oyster business existed at Piners Seafood Packing House in Matlacha into the 60’s.
In the 90’s the “Matlacha Historic Fishing Village” came into being when property owners along Pine Island Road voted to create an historic district. In the mid ‘90’s Matlacha began to change as more yuppies moved in, building bigger homes and buying larger boats not well suited to our shallow waters. The challenge of Matlacha’s future will be to educate the new people that the real charm of Matlacha is in the fact that you don’t have to impress anyone.
To preserve the unique ambiance of this quaint area join us in becoming truly a part of where it takes seven people to figure out what day of the week it is and who cares anyway.
Brief history of Matlacha prepared by Kathy Malone and Brian Griffin.
