It’s Christmastime at Palm Cottage

Maybe we don’t have snow in Naples, but that doesn’t mean we forget about Christmas. So to capture the holiday spirit, the Naples Historical Society will show visitors what the Yuletide might have looked like way back when.

Their headquarters occupy Palm Cottage (1895), the only residential building in Naples listed on the National Register of Historic Places, right next to the Naples Pier. An exquisite example of Naples’ authentic charm, it is now gleaming with period decorations, place settings and trim.

Executive Director Elaine Reed says her group’s mission is to “Help the public understand how vibrant and rich with heritage Naples’ past really is.”

The house sits in the midst of the Third Street historic district, and not only are docent-guided tours of the house offered, but walking tours of the neighborhood, as well.

The adjacent Norris Gardens, completed in 2006, adds to the experience, with the Garden of the Senses, Palm Collector’s Garden, Edible Garden, Pioneer Garden and Shade Garden. There are palms, edible plants, fragrant plants, exotic plants and grasses.

Santa in The Gardens puts Old St. Nick front and center, so kids can give him their wish lists and just say, “Hi.” For this event, held from 5 to 8 p.m., Dec. 11 to 13, children 10 and under get in free with an adult, for a requested donation of $8.

Architecturally, Palm Cottage is a fine example of Tabbie Mortar construction, a handmade concrete consisting of sand, shells and water. The 3,500 square foot house museum started out as the creation of Walter Haldeman, a wealthy, adventurous publishing magnate and owner of the Louisville Courier Journal. In 1885, he and Gen. John S. Williams, a senator from Louisville, chartered a boat and sailed down the southwest coast of Florida.

By 1889, Haldeman and Williams had built homes on the beach, constructed a pier and established a 16-room hotel. Eventually, Haldeman paid $50,000 to Williams for the Naples Development Company, effectively making him owner of the town, which included 8,600 acres of land.

His Louisville friend and business partner, Henry Watterson, whose portrait hangs in the Palm Cottage library, wintered at the cottage for several years around the turn of the century. Watterson was considered one of the most prominent journalists of his era, eventually winning a Pulitzer Prize. It is his prominence that helped obtain the house’s historic designation.

The society conducts adult and children’s educational programs, including Pupils at Palm Cottage, a one-hour program sponsored by the Collier County School System. More than 500 students are already scheduled to participate next April and May. Reed says, “Many of the docents involved in the program are retired elementary school teachers, so they know how to relate to the kids.”

An ambitious oral history project, If These Walls Could Talk, interviews some of Naples’ long-time residents for inclusion in a video archive of their recollections for distribution via DVD. Those videos, soon to be recorded in high-definition, will be shown in a new theater to be constructed in the present gift shop. Reed says a lecture series is also on the drawing board.

An annual Christmas Gala will be held Dec. 5. You can also rent Palm Cottage or The Norris Gardens for private functions.

Christmas at Palm Cottage is open from 1 to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, through Dec. 31, with docent tours available. From Dec. 2 to 31, hours are extended on Thursday and Saturday until 8 p.m. The house is closed Thanksgiving and Christmas Day. For this seasonal event, the requested donation is $5 for adults and $3 for children.

If You Go...

137 12th Avenue South, Naples

261-8164