Charlotte County plans restoration for historic bunkhouse

Charlotte County commissioners are trying to keep the historical importance of the Placida bunkhouse alive.

The bunkhouse in Charlotte County had its roots in the 1870s as a fishing camp. Over the decades, it became housing for railroad workers and a school for children.

Now, its future is in question.

The bunkhouse once served as a school, post office, meeting place for a local church and even home to families. That is why some residents are pushing for it to be saved through preservation and restoration.

In 2007, the bunkhouse was moved from Placida to the Cape Haze Pioneer Trail to be saved from demolition.

Now, it sits vacant, and some people want to see it preserved and restored.

The estimated $300,000 proposed preservation project offers two phases: Preserving what’s left on the inside and restoring the exterior of the building and possibly a portion of the first floor to its original material and to reflect the period in time in which the bunkhouse was built.

Charlotte County historian Dr. Jennifer Zoebelein walked WINK News through the significance of the building.

“It is a unique structure in that it is one of the few surviving that we know of railroad bond houses from the early 20th century,” said Charlotte County historian Dr. Jennifer Zoebelein. “I think something for people to remember is that a lot of these place names came about because of the railroad. They sometimes faded because the railroad then no longer was existent. But through the markers and something like the bunkhouse, we do still have those physical reminders of that history.”

At the meeting, commissioners discussed the possibility of moving the bunkhouse back to Placida, as it is currently still sitting at the Pioneer Trail.

Now, the funding is still up for discussion, as it could come from sales tax dollars or even fundraising.

For the next meeting, commissioners asked the county to bring ideas on what that could look like.