Tresca Home

The Tresca home was established at this location in 1946 by Major Wm. Warren and Annie H. Tresca after they met in Oklahoma, where Warren was recovering from serious injuries suffered while serving in France during WWII and Annie was serving in the Red Cross. They married on March 23, 1946, and Warren brought his bride to Palmetto. Over the years, many additions transformed the home from a tiny two-bedroom house with no bathroom into its later form. Warren was born in Key West on Dec. 28, 1911, was raised in Palmetto, and died April 3, 1988. His grandfather, Captain Frederick Tresca, arrived from France in 1842, married Louisa Wyatt Ware in 1853, transported some of the pioneer families to this area in his sloop, The Lady Margaret Ann, and was locally infamous for orchestrating Judah P. Benjamin's escape from Union forces. Warren's father, William B. Tresca, was a prominent Methodist circuit preacher and builder of some of the original Methodist churches in Florida, including Sarasota. Warren was a community leader and Mayor of Palmetto from 1948 to 1956, during whose tenure Palmetto flourished with the building of the Manatee County Fairgrounds and Ag. Center, Municipal Pier, Civic Center, and new Fire Station. He also founded Tresca and Moore Insurance, served as a trustee and director of multiple organizations in Manatee County, and loved fishing the local waterways. Annie was devoted to her family, counseled neighborhood youth on their behavior and possible career paths, was born in South Dakota on Feb. 1, 1917, and died in this house on July 7, 2014.

Palmetto, Florida · United States