Naples wasn't the first capital of Collier County.

Added: 2026-05-22

[00:00:00]Naples wasn't the first capital of Collier County. When Collier County was created in 1923, the seat of government wasn't Naples. It was 35 miles east in a town most people today only drive through.

[00:00:13]It was Everglades City.

[00:00:15]Barron Collier picked it as the first county seat because it was the base of operations for his Tamiami Trail construction.

[00:00:23]The current Museum of the Everglades sits in a building that opened in 1927 as a commercial laundry.

[00:00:30]One of the original Collier era structures still standing in the town.

[00:00:35]Naples didn't take over as the county's center of gravity until decades later after the road and the rail had transformed the coast.

[00:00:43]Naples didn't become Naples by birthright. It earned the position by infrastructure, timing, and the people who showed up after the railroad.

[00:00:52]Every neighborhood in this market sits on a 100-year old chess game.

[00:00:58]Follow for more Naples history that explains why the market works.