The Cortez Schoolhouse was constructed in 1912. The building was the second schoolhouse for the community of Cortez, which was established in the 1880s as a fishing village. It originally housed two classrooms and in 1933, an auditorium with a stage was added forming a T-shaped floor plan.

Today, the schoolhouse is the home of the Florida Maritime Museum at Cortez.

Exhibits within the museum tell the story of the Village of Cortez which was founded in the 1880s by a group of residents from Carteret County, North Carolina.

An 1890 waterfront store has also been moved to the property and is being restored.

In 1961, the schoolhouse was leased to an art school, and it was later sold to master weaver Robert Sailors who made the building his home and studio. In December of 1999, with grant assistance from the Florida Communities Trust, Manatee County purchased the schoolhouse and an adjoining parcel to create the Cortez Nature Preserve. Residents of the Cortez community are passionate about preserving the past and ensuring that current and future residents and visitors to Manatee County understand the significance of the village and this schoolhouse.

The south classroom houses an exhibit on the fishing industry in Cortez and the effects of the net ban upon the village.

The Pillsbury Boatshop has been restored and relocated to the schoolhouse grounds.