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Naples got its start before there were roads, air conditioning or mosquito control: just a few entrepreneurs determined to lure others to their winter resort. The most prominent was Walter Haldeman, publisher of the Louisville Courier-Journal, who first came to Naples in 1885. A decade later, he built what is now Palm Cottage, using it as a guest home for his close friend and leading editor, Henry Watterson.

The sprawling Victorian guest house is made of tabby, a mix of crushed shells and lime. Over the years, it was a winter home, a boarding house and a full-time residence. In 1978, it was saved from the wrecker's ball by the Collier County Historical Society, which established its headquarters there (and is now the Naples Historical Society).

A tour of the cottage offers a glimpse into the lives of the well-to-do over more than a century. On the walls, photos depict the Naples of yesteryear: the town's first real estate office, built in 1887, and the first swamp buggy, invented in 1949. Expansions and renovations at Palm Cottage are ongoing-the organization recently purchased the lot next door, and plans to add a historical garden there.

Palm Cottage is at 137 12th Ave. S., Naples. Admission: $6 for adults, $3 for children younger than 12. The fourth Saturday of each month through the summer, Collier County residents are admitted free. For more information, call 261-8164.