Mound House and Strangler Fig, Florida Postcard

"Mound House and Strangler Fig, Fort Myers Beach, Florida" by Catherine Sherman. Mound House is the oldest house on Fort Myers Beach and is on the highest point of land on the island. The house is situated on a 2,000-year-old Calusa Indian shell mound. To the right is a large strangler fig tree. Over two thousand years ago the Calusa Indians dominated most of the southwest region of Florida, according to the The Trail of Florida’s Indian Heritage website. They assembled in small villages or fishing stations. They possessed a vast knowledge of seamanship and built seaworthy canoes. They also engineered water courts with terraced mounds for higher and safer ground from high tides and hurricanes. Calusa people built shell mounds, which are called middens. One such mound is where Mound House sits today. Although eroded and altered by the human use of the last century, it is still a substantial midden of shells, and home to the unique exhibit called "Stories Beneath Our Feet". Estero Island, known today as Fort Myers Beach, was surveyed and platted in 1876. Robert Gilbert filed his claim in 1898 to build the oldest remaining structure on the island known today at the Mound House. Built as a Tudor home with dock and cistern in 1906, it was known as the "Mound Villa", and in 1909, as the "Bungalow by the Banyan" when the brick structure was added. From 1914 to 1916 it was called the "Bayview" Post Office, when mail was delivered by boat. In 1921 the bungalow roof was remodeled and the bungalow named "Bayview Lodge". A garage was also constructed because cars were now arriving over the first toll bridge to the island. During the WWII years the property served as an R&R facility for the military, and by 1947 the James Foundation established an experimental station as part of the WWII effort using the kitchen and garage. William and Florence Long purchased the property, and in 1958, a swimming pool and large Florida room was added with extensive landscaping. The property was known as the "Long Estate." By 1995 the Town of Fort Myers Beach incorporated, and the Mound House was obtained as its first preservation effort in saving the structure and site from being demolished and replaced by numerous villas and condos. Today this property is an archaeological and historic site and has been restored to its 1921 charm. The Long's swimming pool was removed and is now a below-ground part of the museum, which shows the layers of shells.