Isaac H. Trabue, born on March 25, 1829, was a lawyer, coal mine operator, Union soldier during the Civil War, and land developer who founded the town of Trabue, which became the City of Punta Gorda. He was married to Virginia Scarborough Taylor of Savannah, Georgia. In 1883, Trabue purchased land south of Charlotte Harbor Bay, and in 1885 it was registered as the town of Trabue. Isaac and Virginia came to Florida to live in January of 1886 in a cabin on the Peace River that they had purchased from James and Sarah Lanier, original settlers. Trabue persuaded the Florida Southern Railway to build a rail line to Trabue, accelerating its development with the railroad’s arrival in 1886. A major dispute led to the town’s incorporation and its renaming to Punta Gorda in 1887. Even so, Trabue remained active there as an attorney and community leader, left a lasting legacy, and gave the town beautiful public spaces along its waterfront. He departed his town for the last time shortly before his death on July 16, 1907.