Duette, Florida Explained

Duette, Florida
Settlement Type:Unincorporated area
Pushpin Map:USA Florida Manatee County
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within Manatee County, Florida
Pushpin Label:Duette
Pushpin Label Position:right
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:United States
Subdivision Type1:State
Subdivision Name1:Florida
Subdivision Type2:County
Subdivision Name2:Manatee
Established Title:Established
Established Date:1888
Unit Pref:Imperial
Timezone:EST
Utc Offset:−05:00
Timezone Dst:EDT
Utc Offset Dst:−04:00
Coordinates:27.5903°N -82.1228°W[1]
Elevation Ft:121
Postal Code Type:ZIP Code
Postal Code:34219
Area Code:941
Blank Name:FIPS code
Blank1 Name:GNIS feature ID
Blank1 Info:294750

Duette is an unincorporated community in Manatee County, Florida, United States. State Road 62 intersects with Keentown Road in Duette. The area is home to Bunker Hill Vineyard and Winery. The only remaining single-classroom schoolhouse in Florida, Duette School, is on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Local lore explains that the area's name stems for an early settler named Duette from Canada. While no records indicate this surname purchasing land in Manatee County, in the earliest years of settlement some homesteaders never established legal claim over their land, and therefore a record may not exist.[2] The area was also referred to as Dry Prairie. A post office called Duette was established on July 17, 1888. It remained in operation until January 2, 1907.[3] [4] [5]

The annual Duette Cracker Fest, an open-air fair and concert, was held to raise funds for education to prevent the proposed closing of the local one-teacher elementary school by the Manatee County School District.[6] In 2016, it was announced that the school was to be permanently closed after a lack of students and financial reasons.[7] The area is also home to Duette Preserve, the largest preserve in the Manatee county system.[8] [9]

Notes and References

  1. October 19, 1979. June 24, 2019.
  2. News: Grimes, David. The Legends Behind Manatee Names. November 23, 1979. Sarasota Herald-Tribune. June 6, 2015. 3B.
  3. Web site: 7 Nov 1982, 37 - Tampa Bay Times at Newspapers.com. Newspapers.com. en. 2020-04-22.
  4. Web site: Manatee County . Jim Forte Postal History . June 6, 2015 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20150715012047/http://www.postalhistory.com/postoffices.asp?task=display&state=FL&county=Manatee . July 15, 2015 .
  5. Book: McInnis, M.T.. Speech by M.T. McInnis "Forgotten Communities of Manatee County". 1967. 16.
  6. Web site: Duette Cracker Fest: Florida musicians to play concert for Duette Elementary. https://archive.today/20140621131100/http://www.bradenton.com/2014/04/02/5080490/duette-cracker-fest-florida-musicians.html. dead. June 21, 2014. April 2, 2014. Bradenton Herald. June 21, 2014.
  7. Web site: As Florida's last one-teacher school, Duette Elementary, faces closure, a community must consider its values. Tampa Bay Times. Kruse. Michael. June 21, 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20130704013010/http://www.tampabay.com/features/humaninterest/as-floridas-last-one-teacher-school-duette-elementary-faces-closure-a/1007722. July 4, 2013. dead.
  8. Web site: Duette Preserve. Manatee County, Florida. June 21, 2014.
  9. Web site: Duette Preserve. Florida Birding. June 21, 2014. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20131108163457/http://floridabirdingtrail.com/index.php/trip/trail/Duette_Preserve/. November 8, 2013.