ANNA MARIA – The Anna Maria Island Historical Society celebrated the grand reopening of the historic Belle Haven cottage on Oct. 1 with a ribbon-cutting ceremony conducted by the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce.
Dozens of people attended the Wednesday evening ceremony that included free beverages and appetizers and marked the final chapter in the Anna Maria Island Historical Museum’s recovery from Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Before the ceremony, Holmes Beach resident, Historical Society member and museum docent Carolyn Orshak stood outside the cottage and said, “We are celebrating our last hurdle in the museum being back to normal. It’s a celebration of resiliency. We’ve had the museum open since the middle of March. This 100-plus-year-old building withstood the flood waters, but an inch and a half to 2 inches of floodwater seeped in, so the floors had to be done. They look fabulous.”
During Hurricane Milton, the cottage lost a screen door, which was the only additional damage.
The elevated wooden cottage sits higher off the ground than the neighboring ground-level museum building made of concrete block and originally built as an icehouse. The museum structure withstood the hurricanes but the museum interior and some of the historical artifacts sustained significant flood damage during Hurricane Helene.
According to an informational sign near the cottage entrance, Belle Haven was built above the water and alongside the City Pier in the 1920s. After a large storm washed it into Tampa Bay, Island resident Lyman Christy bought the displaced cottage and hired a salvage crew that used a barge to recover it and transport it to his property on Palmetto Avenue.
Over time, a sleeping porch, kitchen, bathroom and plumbing were added to the cottage that served as the Christy family home for more than 50 years and as a rental cottage for another 25 years. When the cottage was slated for demolition in 2000, the Historical Society led the efforts to relocate the cottage in 2001 to its current location on the museum property at 402 Pine Ave.
The artifacts inside the cottage include the wood burning stove that the Island Players theater group borrowed for their recent production of “Janus,” and a 1930s-era table setting that includes hand-painted Chinese dishware.
The artifacts inside the single bedroom include a wedding dress that’s been worn by four generations of brides from the same family and Lyman Christy’s travel trunk that’s been with the cottage for 75-plus years.
“Thank you to every person who put their blood, sweat and tears into renewing this cottage and this museum. They are so much a part of our Island’s story,” Orshak said. “This ends a year of intense emotion, finding friendships where we never knew they existed and our community coming together.”
Offering free admission and still operating on its annual off-season schedule for the rest of 2025, the museum and cottage are open Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Museum volunteers and docents are needed and those interested can sign up at the museum during regular hours. For more information, call 941-778-0492 or visit the Historic Society website.
Belle Haven cottage can be visited during regular museum hours. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
The Island Players recently borrowed the cottage’s wood-burning stove. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
This wedding dress displayed in the cottage bedroom has been worn by four generations of brides. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
Lyman Christy’s trunk remains in the cottage he lived in. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
The Historical Museum features artifacts from the Island's past. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
The museum provides a glimpse of Anna Maria's early years. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
This museum exhibit references the Island's local newspapers. - Joe Hendricks | Sun
