The Tamiami Lodge

Just off the bay, a fresh Sarasota County historical marker shares a story of grit, gumption, and a horse-and-buggy trail that grew into the heart of Englewood.

According to the Sarasota County History Center, this spot was once the homestead of William Marvin Goff, a Civil War veteran born in 1845 in Dooly County, Georgia. After the war, Goff traveled south, arriving in what would one day be Englewood in 1878. He and his first wife, Elizabeth Williams, pitched a tent under the pines before building a log cabin not far from where the marker stands today. Unfortunately, Elizabeth passed away before she had time to make their new house a home.

Goff remarried a family friend, Rebecca Ann Wilson. The couple soon welcomed their daughter Eleanor, born in 1885, the first child of European descent born in Englewood.

That same year, Goff bought 60 acres of bayfront property from Joseph and Lucy Wear for a mere $90. At the time, more and more people were relocating to the area and after only five years, Goff sold his 60 acres for $1,500, a 1,567% increase over what he paid for it! He and Rebecca moved inland to what would later become Vineland.

According to the Sarasota Magazine article “A Look Back at Englewood’s Historic Dearboarn Street,” by Larry Kelleher, the trail created by the Goff family's horse and buggy eventually became Dearborn Street, the main thoroughfare through Englewood’s historic downtown. What began as a wagon path carved through saw palmettos and pine flats evolved into the very core of Englewood and remains the nucleus of the town.

Fast forward to the early 20th century. The centrally located property changed hands a few times until 1911, when Winifred Watson bought it and married A. Stanley Lampp. The Lampps took the existing two-story house, built by Warren and Sophia Furbeck, and turned it into something special. They installed a Delco Light Plant, introducing electricity to the area, according to the Englewood Museum. Even more impressive, they added modern plumbing with hot and cold running water, a novelty at the time.

The couple named their upgraded getaway the Tamiami Lodge. From 1914 to 1925, they served up warm meals and warm beds to as many as 30 guests a night during the winter season. The lodge and its two adjacent cottages provided nine bedrooms in total, making it more than just a home, it was a hub of early hospitality in Englewood.

According to the Englewood Museum, the Tamiami Lodge stood as a local institution until 1956, when it was razed by developers. Though the building is gone, the spirit of the place remains, and now, with the installation of a new historical marker at Cherokee Street Park, its legacy is etched into the landscape.

So next time you're near Cherokee Street, take a moment to read the plaque, breathe in the bay air, and tip your hat to the Goffs, the Lampps, and all the dreamers who turned wild Florida into home.