History of the Bank of Everglades Building

The Bank of Everglades became the first bank in Collier County in 1923 and served the community until 1962 when the county seat moved to Naples and the bank’s charter moved to Immokalee. For the next 63 years, several businesses occupied the Bank Building. The Everglades Society for Historic Preservation will write an article each month in The Mullet Rapper, highlighting the owners of this historic site who were not only stewards but also a part of the history of this building. 

Joe and Reba (Rusty) Rupsis purchased the Bank Building in 1979. Everglades City had not had a local newspaper since the county seat moved to Naples in 1962. Rusty had always wanted to own her own business, so she started The Everglades Echo, operating out of the Bank Building. She was the sole proprietor, editor, publisher, reporter, photographer, and even the janitor (as she would like to say). Rusty was born in Kentucky, in 1914, joined the Women’s Army Corps in 1943 and served in Reims, France, until the end of the war. She and Joe enjoyed living in small towns, including Albany, Kentucky, with a population of 1,891, and Clewiston and LaBelle before settling in Everglades City. Rusty was featured in the Fort Myers News-Press when she decided to sell her newspaper in 1988 to Tuff Publications which continued to operate the paper until 2004.* Rusty served on the Everglades City Council and was 74 when she retired as owner and publisher. She passed away in August of 2002 at the age of 88 in Punta Gorda. We honor Rusty not only for bringing back a local newspaper to Everglades City but also for her commitment to keep the Bank Building open. It’s one of the few original buildings remaining that is part of Barron Collier’s legacy and one that ESHP is committed not only to restore but also to be a beacon for the community. 

*Note: The Mullet Rapper started publication in 2001 and continues to serve the local community.