New! 40th Anniversary Edition, Hardcover:
Yesteryear I Lived in Paradise

Yesteryear I Lived in Paradise is available now in a hardcover edition! This long-awaited special 40th anniversary edition includes the rare and beautiful first-person historical account of life on Caladesi, written by Myrtle Scharrer Betz, the only child ever born at Caladesi Island; historic photos; illustrations; a checklist of “Birds Seen On or Around Caladesi Island 1918-1935”; and a “Timeline” addendum.

This new edition of Yesteryear I Lived in Paradise may be purchased in Pinellas County, Florida at the following venues: Back In The Day Books, Dunedin Museum Gift Shop, Heritage Village Gift Shop, Honeymoon Island Rotary Centennial Nature Center, Knot On Main Street, and Collections at the Sandpearl Resort. Vendors who wish to carry the book, please contact us.

The book also may be ordered online from Friends of the Island Parks, Inc.

Caladesi Island: Fortunately, a Paradise Never Lost

One of the few remaining natural islands along Florida’s Gulf Coast, Caladesi Island has been rated first among America’s best beaches.

Now you can explore captivating Caladesi through the eyes of a born storyteller, the only child ever born on Caladesi Island, Myrtle Scharrer Betz.

Myrtle’s account of growing up on Caladesi Island is one of the richest portraits available of life in Florida when it really was a natural tropical paradise. Myrtle’s tale, Yesteryear I Lived in Paradise, vividly captures the natural wonders, discomforts, challenges, and joys of pioneer life on a barrier island in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. With wisdom, insight, and poetry, Myrtle Scharrer Betz crafts a story that is a national treasure. Learn more