Charlotte County, Florida: History
Charlotte County was established April 23, 1921. Before this, the Charlotte County area was a part of Desoto County. It was named for the Bay of Charlotte Harbor. "Charlotte" came from "Carlota" (Spanish). In 1565, the Spanish named "Bahia de Carlota", followed by the English in 1775 who named the area Charlotte Harbor in tribute to Queen Charlotte. Punta Gorda is the only incorporated city in Charlotte County.
On August 13, 2004, Charlotte County, Hurricane Charley came ashore near Port Charlotte as a Category 4 hurricane. On September 28, 2022, Charlotte County was struck by Hurricane Ian, which made a second landfall near the city of Punta Gorda, Florida.
There are seventeen properties and districts in Charlotte County listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Most of the officially recognized places are in Punta Gorda, Placida, and El Jobean. Additionally, there are numerous places generally considered historic despite not being officially listed as such, including the Old Charlotte County Courthouse, the Blanchard House Museum, and Port Charlotte Middle School.
Port Charlotte Middle School (originally Port Charlotte Junior High School) was recognized by the Florida Trust for Historic Preservation as an endangered historic site for their annual 11 to Save properties following Hurricane Ian. The school was further evaluated by the Florida Division of Historical Resources, which determined it is "potentially individually eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places" and "an excellent example of educational institution architecture during the 1970s."
In 2024, the Blanchard House Museum was named one of the Florida Trust's 11 to Save, also having been affected by Hurricane Ian.