From almost the beginning of the town in 1887, the citizens of Punta Gorda sought to be the center of their own county.
When Charlotte County was finally created in 1921, the new government had no permanent home. For several years, county business was conducted in rented space including at the original Masonic Lodge where officials worked in temporary conditions while plans for a proper courthouse took shape.
The courthouse would represent a physical manifestation of a long-term goal…