History of the Bank of Everglades Building

Question: What do the International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF) in Ft. Lauderdale and the Bank of Everglades Building have in common?

Answer: William Forrest Dawson, known as “Buck” Dawson, was a historian, fundraiser, author, promoter, and “prankster,” according to the ISHOF, who chose him to be its first executive director in 1963, the year before he became the owner of the Bank of Everglades building in Everglades City, 100 miles to the west.

The Bank of Everglades continued to conduct business as the first bank of Collier County until 1962, when its operations moved to Immokalee. The building was converted into a boarding house until “Buck” Dawson purchased it in 1974 with plans to make it a tourist attraction – the “Presidential Fishing Hall of Fame.” He was unable to achieve his goals and ended up selling the building in 1979 to Rusty Rupsis (see September 2025 issue of the Mullet Rapper).

Buck was not a swimmer but became interested in the sport after 1955 when he married Rose Mary Mann (daughter of Matt Mann, head coach of the U.S. Men's Swimming Team at the 1952 Summer Olympics). Buck co-directed swim camps with his father-in-law in Canada each year and was chair of the Michigan’s women’s swim AAU for eight years. While serving as executive director of the ISHOF, he was responsible for its growth from a “shoebox collection” to a million-dollar operation, introducing swim-a-thons to the U.S. He is quoted as a powerhouse of the American Swimming Coaches Association as well as the National Swim and Recreation Association. Buck received many other accolades, always “spreading the word and willing to talk and teach swimming to anyone.” Who knows what the Bank Building would have been like if Buck was able to fulfill his dream of creating a “fishing” hall of fame here?

Buck Dawson died of heart failure and complications due to Parkinson's disease on April 4, 2008, in Ft Lauderdale at age 87. To read more about Buck, visit https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/passages-buck-dawson-mr-swimming-hall-of-fame-dies-at-87/

When the Bank Building rehabilitation is completed, ESHP will celebrate each of the previous owners with photos and history of those who had their own dreams of preserving this historic site. Join us by being a part of this important project. Visit us online at https://evergladessocietyforhistoricpreservation.org/our-projects/ or call Patty at 239-719-0020.