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Crowley Museum and Nature Center is a 501(c)3 community organization founded by Jasper Crowley (1900-1976) and Edina Truchot (1899-1976) in 1974. John Crowley, Jasper’s grandfather, was an Irish immigrant who came to this area from Pennsylvania. He was a farmer, blacksmith and sawmill owner. His wife Sylvia, was a teacher. He moved to Florida hoping to improve the health of his wife and daughter. In 1884, John applied for a homestead on 160 acres near Bayshore in what was then, Manatee county. The first land the Crowleys purchased in the Old Miakka area in 1887 was purchased in the name of Charles Gustave Crowley, “Gus” would have been 23 years old. It is not clear whether the land was bought by Gustave, or his father put it in his name or whether John settled the land prior to buying it. The Crowley family originally owned a large portion of the land along Myakka Road and Clay Gully.
James Jeremiah Crowley, son of John Crowley, was a storekeeper, machinist, carpenter, gold miner, county commissioner, farmer, sawmill owner and bridge tender. The site of the store and gas station he ran was located at 2009 Myakka Road. Unfortunately the store burned down in Hurricane Irma, the home he built still stands. In Old Miakka around the turn-of-the-century, life was “grow your own or live without”. The land in the Miakka area was also known as excellent grazing. The Crowley family grew vegetables, oranges, rice, milk cows, horses, oxen, hogs, and chickens. They were happy to share when they could and teach this way of living to others, exactly as we strive to do today.
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