SANIBEL ISLAND, Fla. — As southwest Florida rebuilds, there are just some things that we will not see again. Hurricane Ian destroyed the keeper's quarters next to the Sanibel lighthouse.
Though we cannot rebuild history, we can remember it and appreciate what is still standing.
"It hurts, it's sad," said Betty Anholt, a Sanibel Island historian. "The quarters were essential."
In 1884, they were built for keepers of the lighthouse.
"The lighthouse itself, when it was first erected, had to be wound so the light would rotate," Anholt said. "There had to be someone there constantly during the night as it ran, so you had both the keeper and the assistant keeper."
The three-bedroom house held them and their families up until 1949. They were the first people on the island and it was the first building on Sanibel.
Hurricane Ian left nothing behind, but maybe a few bricks.
"It's important simply because of the historical value," Anholt said.
It's history that can now only be seen in photos from the Sanibel Library's archive system.
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While this piece of history is no longer physically here, the island still has other buildings that survived the storm.
"This is the history of Sanibel, embodied here," said Ty Symroski, a Sanibel Museum board member.
The Village is the home of several historic buildings. The building that received the most damage is the schoolhouse.
"We’ve got these supports to help prop the building up," Symroski said. "But we'll be restoring this building back."
Others are in better shape such as the tea room and general store.
"With an awning like this you would think it would’ve had some damage," Symroski said.
Even the post office is still standing. One hurricane destroyed it, but Symroski says Sanibel residents found the wood near the beach and put it back together.
"Once it’s saturated with salt, I think that helps it be even more durable against dry rot," he explained.
Symroski says losing the quarters makes you appreciate history more and what it has to offer.
"I think it’s important to preserve Sanibel’s history so that new people know what heritage they’re coming into," he said.
It's something they're trying to do. The damage at the Village will be restored. Money will come from places such as the City of Sanibel, donations, insurance and revenue from visitors.
As for the quarters, nothing can replace it. However, Symroski and the Board will try to help.
"I think we can have a lot of displays on site," he said. "We’re still brainstorming on what we can do for that."
He says the future becomes history, and Ian is one of those defining events that will be in our history books.
The Sanibel Library wants to document the history with your help. They are asking for any photos or videos of Hurricane Ian taken in southwest Florida. If you want to submit yours, e-mail them to archives@sanlib.org.
