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Source
State Library of Florida, WPA - Historical Records Survey, County Histories
Description
Brief history of St. Lucie County, Florida collected by the Works Progress Administration's Historical Records Survey.
Date
December 2, 1936
Contributors
Format
Coverage
Personal Subjects
Corporate Subjects
Subjects
Geographic Term
Note to Researchers:
Though the WPA field workers included extensive citations for the factual information contained in these county histories, it should be noted that these historical narratives were produced in the 1930s by federal government employees, and might reflect the inherent social biases of the era.
Page 4 of 4 pages.
Ralph Hammond, District Supervisor,
Historical Records & State Archives Surveys.
December 2, 1936.
HISTORY OF ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA.
includes all modern equipment for properly processing and handling citrus fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are received from either trucks, freight cars or barges and conveyed by modern power driven belt conveyors to different part[s] of the plant where the commodity is processed by passing washed and [refrigerated] air through and [around] the boxes until it is brought down to the correct degree of temperature. It is then stored until shipped by either refrigerated steamships or freight cars to northern markets. Commercial fishing is one of the major industries of Florida, and Fort Pierce is recognized as one of the fish shipping centers of the state and several companies are engaged in this industry. In the 1936 season, up to April 7th, there had been shipped from this city approximately two million pounds of fish.
This region was formerly notorious as a mosquito infested spot, but has now become outstanding as a demonstration of what mosquito control can accomplish. At a cost of one hundred thousand dollars, these pests have been eradicated to a large extent and they city is now comparatively free of them.
Title
History of St. Lucie County, Florida
Subject
Cities and towns--History
Florida--St. Lucie County
Citrus fruit industry
Works Progress Administration, Historical Records Survey
Description
Brief history of St. Lucie County, Florida collected by the Works Progress Administration's Historical Records Survey.
Creator
Works Progress Administration, Historical Records Survey
Source
State Library of Florida, WPA - Historical Records Survey, County Histories
Date
1936-12-02
Contributor
Hammond, Ralph
Format
local histories
Language
eng-US
Type
Text
Identifier
wpa_county_history_stlucie_01
Coverage
Depression Era Florida (1926-1939)
Thumbnail
/fpc/memory/omeka_images/thumbnails/wpa_county_histories.jpg
Geographic Term
Saint Lucie County (Fla.)
Fort Pierce (Fla.)
Indian River (Fla.)
ImageID
wpa_county_history_stlucie_01_01
wpa_county_history_stlucie_01_02
wpa_county_history_stlucie_01_03
wpa_county_history_stlucie_01_04
wpa_county_history_stlucie_01_05
Subject - Corporate
Indian River Refrigeration Terminal Company
Subject - Person
Cobb, Peter P.
Transcript
WPA
Page 1 of 4 pages.
Ralph Hammond, District Supervisor,
Historical Records & State Archives Surveys.
December 2, 1936.
HISTORY OF ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA.
The territory that later became St. Lucie County was first associated with history in a tragic manner. In October 1565, Jean Ribault, famed French explorer, cruising down the coast of Florida, suffered the loss of his fleet by being driven ashore on the east coast. Landing successfully with his men, they began to go back on foot to Fort Caroline on the north Florida coast, only to be met and massacred by Pedro Menendez at Fort Matanzas.
Centuries passed. In 1925 the scene of this ship-wreck Fort Pierce Inlet was visited by wrecking crews which took from the ships the huge anchors and numerous cannons. These anchors and several cannons are on display about the city of Fort Pierce, while one of the cannons has been given to the State University at Gainesville, Florida, and yet others were given to the Fountain of Youth Park at St. Augustine, Florida.
The next authentic information we have about this county is the fact that Fort Pierce was established as a military post in 1838 and abandoned in 1842. It was probably named for Lieutenant Col. Benjamin K. Pierce, who was in command.
Fort Capron, just north of the city, was established in 1850 and abandoned in 1859, and was an important post on Florida's coast.
All American histories tell of the Indian massacres along the East Coast, and Fort Pierce and Fort Capron undoubtedly played an important part in making these tropical shores safe for posterity. On each of these sites a huge stone marker has been erected by the Cora Stickney Harper Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This epoch of our history has largely passed into oblivion, as has much of our history. There are only rumors and stories to be gathered from pioneers here and there around which to weave a history of those early days, as all official data was burned in the St. Augustine fire. Hence, those markers are the only outward evidence that the brave men who proved our vanguard have not been entirely forgotten through the lapsing of years and the onrush to prosperity.
St. Lucie County was first formed March 14, 1844, but portions of it have been cut off since that time to make other counties. It even under-went a change of name, being designated as Brevard County, January 6, 1855. The present county of St. Lucie was formed by an act of the Florida Legislature, dividing Brevard County, May 24, 1905. This took effect on July 1, 1905, and on July 4th of that year, the new county was formally inaugurated.
It is located on the banks of the Indian River. The county has an area of 359,679 acres, of which 23,179 acres are in farms and 13,158 acres in actual cultivation. The famous Indian River citrus fruit is grown in this county, and for eight consecutive years fruits from this county have won first awards at state fairs. The present population of the county is 9,044.
Page 2 of 4 pages.
Ralph Hammond, District Supervisor,
Historical Records & State Archives Surveys.
December 2, 1936.
HISTORY OF ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA.
The first Board of Commissioners for St. Lucie County were: W. R. Hardee, Chairman; P. Kroegal, K. B. Raulerson, J. F. Bell, R. D. Holmes; and The first Treasurer was John Wynn.
R. W. Lennard was the first sheriff. Sheriff Lennard took prisoners to Titusville to be kept in the Brevard County Jail until trial or until St. Lucie County should build a jail of its own. Mr. J. E. Fultz of Sprucebluff, Florida, was first Clerk of the Circuit Court. He established temporary headquarters in the office of Mr. James E. Andrews over the Bank of Fort Pierce, where he had charge of the filing of papers for record.
The court house was built in 1909 on land donated by the city of Fort Pierce. Two large wings have since been added to the original structure and the exterior remodeled, making the entire building over into an excellent example of spanish-type architecture.
The City of Fort Pierce was started fifty years ago by the establishing of a small store on the bank of the Indian River by Peter P. Cobb, who still lives to see a modern progressive city replace the straggling village of that early date. The growth in the early days was slow. At the beginning of the twentieth century it was still a village of less than five hundred population. It is a fact that the population of Fort Pierce has almost doubled during each subsequent ten year period, showing continuous substantial growth – not materially affected by booms or depressions. The Florida State Census of 1935 established the permanent population of Fort Pierce as 6,365.
When Mr. Cobb first came to this locality there was but one business house, a small store conducted by Capt. Hogg, and eight houses, then known as Edgartown, Florida. This spot was a fort and trading center back in the Indian days and portions of the “dead-line fence” beyond which Indians might not pass, still stood. At that time the country was in its wild state and only a few fishermen and the Indians patronized the one store.
Fort Pierce was incorporated February 2, 1901, and the first governing officers were:
P. P. Cobb
D. S. Alderman
L. L. Carlton – Councilmen
A. Y. W. Hogg
F. M. Tyler
A. C. Dittmar – Mayor
D. S. Carlton – Marshal
H. I. Klopp – Clerk
In the early part of this century, pineapple growing assumed considerable proportions in St. Lucie County. However, this gradually gave place to citrus fruits. The mineral resources of this county consist of marl, sand, peat and [coquina].
Page 3 of 4 pages.
Ralph Hammond, District Supervisor,
Historical Records & State Archives Surveys.
December 2, 1936.
HISTORY OF ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA.
St. Lucie County is exceptionally fortunate with regard to shipping facilities, having one of the finest ports on the Florida East Coast. The Port of Fort Pierce is located at the City of Fort Pierce, approximately 220 miles south of Jacksonville and 125 miles north of Miami, in the heart of the famous Indian River citrus fruit and vegetable area.
It was originally started in 1918 as a fishing inlet to serve a large and valuable fishing industry. Increasing commercial requirements called for larger and more improved facilities. On February 22, 1930, the Port of Fort Pierce was opened to deep-water traffic with a project depth of 22 feet at mean-low water. The inauguration of regular weekly steamship service by the Bull Steamship Company to northern ports was started on that date. Tonnage through the Port of Fort Pierce has been steadily increasing since the port was opened, and the business handled in 1936 will show an increase of approximately 100 per cent over 1935.
After extensive surveys and investigations by the United States army engineers, the Port of Fort Pierce, because of its wide economic worth, was declared [meritorious], and in August, 1933 was officially taken over by the Federal Government with an initial improvement appropriation of $250,000.00, and $50,000.00 per year for maintenance. Based upon this increased business, the United States Engineering Department recommended that the present channel be widened and the project depth increased to 25 feet, and this work was included in the last Rivers and Harbors Bill passed by Congress.
The federally maintained Caloosahatchee-Lake Okeechobee cross state canal which carries a minimum depth of 8 feet, passes through the rich Lake Okeechobee region, where is grown hundreds of thousands of tons of vegetables, and a vast quantity of sugar cane. The United States Sugar Company is now grinding 60,000 tons of sugar cane, and plans over a period of five years, to increase their tonnage to 200,000 tons per year. Fort Pierce, officially designated as the eastern terminus of this canal, is the logical shipping point for this vegetable and sugar production; with all-water rates considerably less than any other rates obtainable.
Of greater importance is the citrus production of the Fort Pierce area, comprising approximately one-third of the production of the entire state. This year's state estimate is 24,000,000 boxes.
The harbor of Fort Pierce is served by the main line of the Florida East Coast Railway and by a splendid system of hard-surfaced highways connecting all points north, south and west.
In 1934 the Indian River Refrigeration Terminal Company constructed at a cost of $380,000.00, a modern precooling and cold storage citrus terminal on the waterfront at this port. This terminal is of the latest design and
Page 4 of 4 pages.
Ralph Hammond, District Supervisor,
Historical Records & State Archives Surveys.
December 2, 1936.
HISTORY OF ST. LUCIE COUNTY, FLORIDA.
includes all modern equipment for properly processing and handling citrus fruits and vegetables. Fruits and vegetables are received from either trucks, freight cars or barges and conveyed by modern power driven belt conveyors to different part[s] of the plant where the commodity is processed by passing washed and [refrigerated] air through and [around] the boxes until it is brought down to the correct degree of temperature. It is then stored until shipped by either refrigerated steamships or freight cars to northern markets. Commercial fishing is one of the major industries of Florida, and Fort Pierce is recognized as one of the fish shipping centers of the state and several companies are engaged in this industry. In the 1936 season, up to April 7th, there had been shipped from this city approximately two million pounds of fish.
This region was formerly notorious as a mosquito infested spot, but has now become outstanding as a demonstration of what mosquito control can accomplish. At a cost of one hundred thousand dollars, these pests have been eradicated to a large extent and they city is now comparatively free of them.
E. A. PYNCHON
ADMINISTRATOR
L. S. RICKARD
ASST. ADMINISTRATOR
W. A. MCMULLEN, JR.
ASST. ADMINISTRATOR
FLORIDA WORKS PROGRESS ADMINISTRATION
(STATE OFFICE)
EXCHANGE BUILDING
JACKSONVILLE
PLEASE ADDRESS REPLY: ATTENTION
Fort Pierce, Florida.
December 4, 1936.
Mrs. Sue A. Mahorner,
State Director,
Historical Records and
State Archives Surveys.
2nd Floor – Roberts Bld.g [sic],
[Jacksonville], Florida.
Dear Mrs. Mahorner:
I have read the attached history of St. Lucie County, and to the best of my knowledge and belief, the statements therein are true.
Very truly yours,
[signed] B. [?]. Brown
Sheriff St. Lucie County, Florida.
Chicago Manual of Style
Works Progress Administration, Historical Records Survey. History of St. Lucie County, Florida. December 2, 1936. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. <https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/321155>, accessed 10 March 2025.
MLA
Works Progress Administration, Historical Records Survey. History of St. Lucie County, Florida. December 2, 1936. State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory. Accessed 10 Mar. 2025.<https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/321155>
AP Style Photo Citation
(State Archives of Florida/Works Progress Administration)