Englewood is more than 100 years old, although artifacts found at the Indian Mound Park date back as far as 400 B.C., and Englewood area may have been inhabited then, by the Calusa Indians.

In 1884, Herbert Nicholas, of Englewood, Ill., and his two brothers came to Florida hoping to start a business growing lemons.

The big freezes of 1894 and 1895 brought destruction to the lemon trees all along the coast from Tampa down to Fort Myers. Promoters of the area decided to advertise the Englewood area as a good place to raise families or retire.

• In 1897, a directory of the Lemon Bay area noted a population of 86.
• In 1898, the Englewood area, including Grove City and adjoining areas, was inhabited by some 250 people, and land was selling at $30 an acre.
• In 1910, the town of Englewood (not the surrounding areas) had a federal census figure of 75 permanent residents, with about 50 winter residents.

Today, Englewood's permanent population is approaching 50,000. With winter residents included, it is closer to 75,000.

• In 1926, Englewood's first church was built.
• In 1927 a bridge was built across Lemon Bay, joining Manasota Key and the Gulf beaches with the mainland. The toll was 50 cents.
• In 1948, a Venice phone book listed 46 phone numbers for Englewood, with 22 being business phones and 24 for private use.
• In 1956, the Sarasota side of Englewood had only a part-time sheriff.
• In 1958, the post office was the fastest growing in the state, and by 1960, two carriers were hired to deliver the mail to the 2,864 residents.

This brief timeline is only a fraction of the real history of the Englewood area. The history in the town is in the people who lived it, raised families, played along Lemon Bay, moved away for a while and then moved back, and perhaps even still live and work in our hometown, Englewood.