Snead Island takes its name from Edward Snead, who homesteaded 128 acres at the end of the 740-acre island in 1843. In 1898, a federal project opened a navigable channel through the shallow flats on the island's eastern end, connecting the Manatee River and Terra Ceia Bay; known as the Cut-Off, it saved several hours of travel time. A ferry connected the island with the mainland. In 1907, Ed Pillsbury, keeper of the two beacon lights at the mouth of the Manatee River, built Pillsbury Boat Works after moving to the island from Fogartyville across the river with his wife, Lorena, and their children. Lorena Pillsbury's sister, Olive Mae, and her husband, fisherman Lonnie Campbell, followed them to the island. The Pillsburys and the Campbells each had five children, most of whom attended school in the Pillsburys' washhouse, joined by the four sons of Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Andress. Esther Mae Mikkelsen became the school's first teacher. In 1914, George H. Judd donated lumber to build a community school that became known as the Seventh Day Adventist School. A small group of Seventh Day Adventists from Michigan had settled in the area in March 1885 and created the first Seventh Day Adventist Church in the state. The new schoolhouse was a white frame one-room building with a small stove for heat, and the teacher earned $45 per month. Zela Stewart joined Esther Mikkelsen in teaching in the new building. The schoolhouse served the community until 1942, when students were transferred to Palmetto Elementary School.