What a gem this museum is honoring Bean Backus and his teach young black aspiring artists in a time…read morewhen segregation ruled the south.

This house is stop #8 on the Zora Neal Hurston Dust Tracks Heritage Trail. AE (Bean) Backus was a…read morefriend of author Zora Neal Hurston. He was a self trained artist who painted Florida landscapes. He launched the movement of the Highwaymen who were a group of artists around the Fort Pierce area who quickly created Florida folk art featuring landscapes from oil paints on Uppson board used as roof sheeting. From 1950-1980 they would anonymously sell the art out of the trunks of their cars on A1A and US 1 from Daytona to Miami. After Backus became established as an artist he was able to purchase the Platt House built by Dr. Platts in 1896 at 122 Avenue C to use as a new art studio. It was close to his former studio so he would not lose clients from the move. He continued creating art here from 1960 until his death from a heart attack in 1990. Today the original Platts-Backus House has been restored as the headquarters of Main Street Fort Pierce. The street in front of the house was renamed A.E. Backus Avenue in honor of Fort Pierce's famous artist. The house is now used as an art gallery and to host art exhibitions.

I lived back there in 2000. 2000 a landlord was a slumlord. I literally had a through the floor and…read moreshe wouldn't fix it. She had some of her things stored there as well. So I didn't pay her rent for the month because she wouldn't fix the hole and she evicted me. Worst landlord ever! I see now that they've been renovated and they look beautiful...

Casa Caprona is a Mediterranean Revival apartment building built in 1926 by architects Arthur Beck…read moreand J. K. Shinn. Originally called Market Place apartments it was built to be the centerpiece of the planned community of San Lucie Plaza but the collapse of the Florida land boom halted the project. The building was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on June 2, 1984. Amelia Earhart is said to have a connection to Casa Caprona. Dorothy Binney whose father created Crayola Crayons lived there with her two children by David Putnam. After their divorce David Putnam married Amelia Earhart who used to visit her step son who was taking flying lessons from her technical advisor. Casa Caprona was badly damaged from the 2004 hurricanes but it has since been completely restored with new barrel tile roof, stairways, windows, and stucco. The building is now condominiums.

The Frank and Stella Heiser House is a single story blue and white bungalow on 138th Ave. The five…read moreroom, five gabled, 1,440 square foot home once belonged Frank and Stella Heiser, pioneers of Fellsmere Florida. Frank William Heiser was born in Lafayette, Indiana, in 1892. In 1912, he moved to a 20 acre farm he purchased in Fellsmere. In 1915 he married Stella Mounger who worked as the Fellsmere Sales Company secretary. Their family home was built by local builders, Shupe and Shafer. In 1918, the Heisers welcomed their only child, a daughter, Lois. Next to Fellsmere founder E. Nelson Fells, Frank Heiser, would become the second most important person in Fellsmere. He recognized an opportunity in the nutrient rich muck fields that existed west of the town. In 1923, he organized the Standard Agricultural Chemical Company which became the Ammoniated Products Company in 1924. The company processed the muck into a fertilizer base at the APC Broadmoor Muck Plant 5 miles west of town. In 1925, Heiser became General Manager of the Trans Florida Central Railroad and President of the Fellsmere Drainage District until 1946. In 1926, Heiser became APC's General Manager and the company became the largest landowner in Indian River County. Eventually high shipping costs forced the company out of business and the plant closed. During the Great depression in the 1930's, Frank William Heiser saved the town of Fellsmere from complete economic collapse. In 1927 he planted his first test crop of sugar cane in Fellsmere's muck land. After that crop was successful he planted an additional 100 acres in 1929. The sugar cane sparked his goal of opening a sugar mill and after securing a million dollars in financing he was he was able to open one. Heiser founded the Fellsmere Sugar Company in 1931 and built the mill west of Fellsmere in 1932 using materials from his muck plant and a Louisiana sugar mill. By 1933, the Fellsmere Sugar Mill was producing 2 million pounds of raw sugar and it employed 225 people. From 1935 to 1937, he converted the company into a cooperative, the Fellsmere Sugar Producer's Association, A sugar refinery, the first in Florida was added in 1936. It could produce up to 150,000 pounds of refined sugar daily. Heiser's company became the Florida Crystals brand. In 1943, Heiser and the other members sold it to Puerto Rican sugar producers. The Heisers eventually left Fellsmere and moved to Jacksonville, but Frank returned for visits until his death in Jacksonville in 1961. Stella died in 1976. From his beginnings as an orphan and a school drop out Heiser became an unsung hero of Fellsmere saving the town from financial collapse. This home is the last remaining structure related to Heiser's life and work in Fellsmere. When new owners Pat and Cornelius du Plessis, came to it's rescue the house was in disrepair and on the auction block. They knew about it because they lived next door. The du Plessises purchased the home at for $45,000 in 2016. Contractors who looked at the house recommended that they tear it down but they couldn't bear to lose such a historical structure so instead over six months, they put about $55,000 into repairing the house, restoring it to its former glory. Restoration included have wallpaper created for the front room composed of photographs from the early days of the town of Fellsmere. Photographs of Frank and Stella Heiser hang above the fireplace. The living room and dining room furniture were originally part of the home. Even the garage and the pole barn are historical too having been created putting old railroad rails from the Trans Florida Central Railroad together. The house was added to the National Register of Historic Places on November 29, 2017. Although the house is privately owned, the couple periodically open it to the public.

The Arcade building is a historic building in downtown Ft. Pierce. Built in 1926 in a Spanish…read moreColonial Revival style by architect Willis Irwin, it was the largest commercial building at the time. It acted as the fore runner of the shopping mall. Lots of different businesses were gathered under one roof. The building suffered a fire in the 1950's and a more serious fire the 1980's that damaged a third of the building. Bob Brackett who renovated other buildings in the area took on the task of restoring the Arcade Building and it reopened in 2002. Colorful murals on the outside of the building depict the building's former tenants like Canaday's Drugs and the Ranchland Clothing Store. The Arcade Building was added the National Register of Historic Places on October 12, 2001. Once again it houses retail space on the first floor and offices on the second floor.

Fort Capron was a U.S. Army post established in March 1850 by Captain Erastus A. Capron, a U.S…read more Army officer during the Second Seminole War. Fort Capron was built to replace Fort Pierce which burned down in 1843. During the 3rd Seminole War, the log fort provided housing for the soldiers. The fort remained in existence for 8 years and had three commanders. The first commander was Lieutenant Jonathan Ridley, followed by Lieutenant Ambrose Powell Hill who would go on to serve in the confederacy under Stonewall Jackson. General Jesup used Fort Capron along with a string of other forts to drive the Seminoles into the Everglades. The road used by patrols for the military from Fort Capron to Fort Dallas in Miami is known as Military Trail in Palm Beach County. Captain Abner Doubleday, the last commander of the fort evacuated the post on June 14,1858. The civilians who remained in the area around the fort for protection stayed and formed St. Lucie Village. A stone monument in St. Lucie Village marks the site of the fort where Chamberlin Rd. meets the Indian River. The marker is not in the exact spot of the fort which was located a short distance away in a southwest direction. The marker was put in place on July 4, 1925 by a chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Had a great time at the out door bar. Great service and great food. The eggs Benedict were…read moredelicious.

A new bright star has opened on the Treasure Coast!…read more A beautiful historic building, built in 1909 and stunning from the outside. Open the door and you are transported back in time to a beautifully decorated parlor room with small booths and tables. The chef has carefully crafted a wonderful menu. We had 3 appetizers and 1 entree and shared a dessert. The soup de jour was a Tomato Purée, which was very good, the Cheddar Bacon Biscuits were delicious and the Truffle Caviar Deviled Eggs were amazing. Our entree was a 10 oz Wagyu Sirloin which was good, though a little tasteless. And the Crème Brûlée was outstanding. Service was excellent, prices are reasonable and the experience was fabulous. Upstairs there is a fabulous "Speak Easy" and the is also outside seating and a bar. If you are local, this will become your new favorite restaurant and if you are visiting the Treasure Coast, this is a must visit restaurant. I highly recommend The Boston House as the #1 restaurant in Ft Pierce

The P. P. Cobb building was built in the 1880's in downtown Ft. Pierce.. The first owners were the…read moreHogg family, who originally established it as the Can Town Trading Post. Annie Hogg, who was from Scottish royalty, managed the family business while her husband, Captain Hogg, sailed along the coast of Florida and to the West Indies, trading goods along the way. The Hogg family's trading post provided essential goods for pioneers while fostering connections. Eventually they decided to sell the trading post to an oyster cannery company. Peter Cobb was an employee of the oyster cannery and when they wanted to sell the building he purchased it. He turned the trading post into a general store and it opened in 1896. Peter Cobb operated it until 1931. The store offered what they community needed and was an important gathering spot. The stores motto was Everything to Eat, Wear, and Use. Today on the first floor of the building is Old Florida Coffee Company, a micro roaster. They kept the historic integrity of the building and I am sure the building's former residents would be pleased to know it is still a community gathering spot. On the second floor is the Budd Adams-Cobb Cultural Center which preserves the history of the building and Ft. Pierce. Bud Adams is Mr. Alto Adams, also known as Bud who made a financial contribution to preserve the P. P. Cobb building. He passed away in 2017 at the age of 91. He was a rancher and an environmentalist. In the center you will find maps, vintage photos, drawing of archeological discoveries, and other materials. There is no admission to enter and it staffed by volunteers. If you find yourself in downtown Ft. Pierce stop by for a cup of coffee and a dose of Treasure Coast history in the P. P. Cobb building. This link to the past is well worth a visit.

Five stars for the history! The Houses of Refuge were federally operated life saving stations that…read morewere built on the beach so that the keeper could rescue ship wreck victims during a time period when the main form of travel and hauling goods was by ship. The houses were spread approximately 20 miles apart along Florida's coast and were often very isolated. They were all built exactly alike with a main house, a cistern, and boat house. The house that was nearest to where I live, the Orange Grove House of Refuge was the last place barefoot mailman Ed Hamilton spent the night before he disappeared forever into the Hillsboro inlet. What exactly happened to him is a mystery that has never been solved. The houses of refuge are long gone except for the House of Refuge Museum at Gilbert's Bar in Stuart which you can still visit today. I have visited that house as well as discovered several of these historical house of refuge markers along the east coast of Florida as far south as Miami. In 1915 the Life Saving Service became the US Coast Guard. The Bethel Creek House of Refuge is also no longer here. It was the first house of refuge constructed on the east coast of Florida and was active from 1876-1936. It once stood in what is now the Jaycee Beach Park and there is a historical marker in the park dedicated to it erected in 2013 by Florida Society Colonial Dames XVII Century Ann Waggaman, President. Surrounding the marker are blocks from the foundation of the Bethel Creek House of Refuge. The first keeper of this house was John Houston. In 1917 the Bethel Creek House of Refuge was destroyed by a fire and replaced by a building that was removed in 1936. During WWII the station was reopened with a 40 foot watch tower to look for German U-Boats off the coast. In 1950 the Federal Government gave these 8 acres of land the the city of Vero beach who developed it in to the Jaycee Park in 1956.