In 1885 the only life saving station on the east coast was built near this spot. The actual…read morelocation is now underwater. The station operated until 1899. The construction of the station was overseen by Charles. R. Carlin who was the assistant keeper at the Jupiter Lighthouse. While the station no longer exists there is a historical marker in front of the Lazy Loggerhead Cafe in Carlin Park, The two story building had a four sided lookout tower on the roof with a powerful spyglass on a tripod that enabled the men to see out on to the ocean. The first floor had a utility room and a 27 foot rescue boat mounted on a ramp that slid down on to the beach. The second floor had the crew quarters and lockers for the six surf men who were skilled in shipwreck rescue. The men supervised by Carlin worked September through May and during the summer months only Carlin manned the post. After Henry Flagler brought the railroad to Florida ship traffic declined and paid workers were replaced with volunteers. After the station ceased operation Carlin remained to organize volunteers during emergencies until his death. While trying to prevent a brush fire from consuming the station he fell from the roof to his death. The During WWI Life Saving Service combined with the Revenue Cutter Service to form the United States Coast Guard. You can learn more about the life saving station at the nearby Jupiter Lighthouse museum. There is a room that has a display dedicated to the station that includes artifacts and photos. They have a locker from the station as well as Carlin's telescope.

The Roosevelt Bridge is a segmental bridge that carries US 1 over the St. Lucie River. Before a…read morebridge was built residents of the area had to cross the river in a canoe or rowboat. The first bridge, the Henry Flagler Bridge was a 14 foot wide bridge built in 1918 for a cost for a modest by todays standards cost of $90,000. In 1932 it was replaced with a bridge named for President Franklin D. Roosevelt at a cost of $500,000. It was parallel drawbridges, one north and one south. Unfortunately the bridge was always malfunctioning or had to open too often to allow the boat traffic to go through which caused traffic jams and a lot of frustration in Stuart. It could not handle the growth of population in the area. A common refrain around Stuart was I got stuck on the Roosevelt Bridge! Replacing the old bridge while a good idea was no easy task. It took 15 years of lobbying in Tallahassee and Washington, D.C.. Some people wanted to replace the bridge with a tunnel which would allow cars and boats to move more easily and not interfere with the city skyline. Another idea proposed was a covered canal for boats. A coalition was created named Save Our Stuart to come up with the best idea to solve the problem. The final solution was to allow the north portion of the old bridge to stay open and to build a new bridge. The new bridge was was designed by LoBuono, Armstrong and Associates and it was built in 1996 at a cost of $83.7 million dollars, 80 percent of which was federal money. It took three years to complete. It is much higher and longer than the bridge that it replaced. It rises to a height of 65 feet above the river giving a stunning view of the city of Stuart. It is 4,566 feet which is 1.3 miles from shore to shore. It has two spans, each of which are 62 feet wide. There are two three lane sections that run parallel to each other. The bridge has two electric golf carts inside it, one on each span which allows maintenance workers to move quickly for repairs. Each of the 1,112 concrete segments were poured in a facility in White City and then trucked to the bridge site where they were put in place by a giant gantry crane nicknamed Elmer. A 500-foot-long fishing pier extends under the bridge allowing anglers prime access to the river. Besides going over the bridge a great view of it can be had at Flagler park which is at the base of the bridge. it has been largely agreed that the new bridge has been good for the city of Stuart. Some businesses were lost due to demolition or no access but new businesses have sprung up north and south of the bridge, The bridge has allowed access to downtown Stuart to grow while preserving it. Previous plans called for demolishing parts of the downtown area to make way for the bridge but happily that was avoided. The bridge allows more more people to come to the area which vitalizes what might have remained a sleepy little town.

I went for an early morning walk on the Roosevelt Bridge to catch the sunrise, and it was…read moreabsolutely beautiful! The views were stunning, making it a peaceful and refreshing experience. There was a section of the bridge under construction, but it didn't take away from the overall experience--it was still an easy walk.

Maybe it is the fact that I grew up in New Jersey and learned to drive on the streets of the Garden…read moreState, but I was not overly "confused" at this little point of the journey down to downtown Stuart. Yeah, it is eight roads and they all, as in the words of the Beatles, "Come Together" here at this intersection. I guess that if you are visiting Stuart, it can get a tad bit confusing. I guess just think that life would not be as complete without these little challenges.

Yikes! I'm living in Stuart over 2 years & this was the first time I was diverted to this crazy…read moreroundabout due to road closures, & yes - was thoroughly confused & highly intimidated by that railroad track being in the heart of it all! My IMAP stopped talking and if matters weren't bad enough, (when I decided which exit to follow after my brain finally unscrambled) some jerk started honking madly as I carefully drove straight ahead to reach US 1..It was unnerving at first but worth the adrenaline rush once I calmed down & laughed it off. Realistically though- future navigators -- please pay close attention to & avoid that RR track and ignore those nasty honkers!

One of my favorite places for a day of relaxation is DuBois Park, where you can choose between…read moreswimming in the Atlantic Ocean or the Indian River Lagoon. These very waters are why an ancient people known as Jeagas chose to live here. Long before DuBois Park existed, this land was home to the Jeaga people. Although the Jeaga are now extinct, much of what we know about them comes from Jonathan Dickinson, an English merchant who was shipwrecked in 1696. Dickinson and his companions were captured by the Jeaga and taken to their village of Hobe at the Jupiter Inlet, where they were held for five days. He later recorded his experiences in a journal, providing one of the few firsthand accounts of the tribe. Today, DuBois Park is home to the historic DuBois Pioneer Home, from which the park takes its name. The house sits atop a hill that is actually an ancient Jeaga shell midden in Hobe. A midden is an archaeological term for an ancient refuse heap containing items such as shells, pottery, animal bones, and broken tools. This midden is estimated to be between 5,000 and 6,000 years old, making it one of the oldest known archaeological sites in the region. The site is officially protected and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Jupiter Inlet Historic and Archeological Site. A historical marker commemorates its significance, preserving the story of the Jeaga people and the rich history hidden beneath one of Florida's most beautiful waterfront parks.

While driving through Jupiter, I spotted this historic marker in front of a beautiful school…read moreshowcasing classic 1920's Mediterranean Revival architecture. The blue marker is part of Florida's Historical Marker Program, one of the Division of Historical Resources' most popular public history initiatives. These markers commemorate significant people, places, and events throughout the state and can be found along roads, at archaeological sites, battlefields, cemeteries, churches, colleges, historic districts, schools, and other historic buildings. Historic Marker F-650 was erected in 2008 by the School Board of Palm Beach County and the Florida Department of State. The Old Jupiter School was built on Loxahatchee Road, just south of Indiantown Road, and opened in 1927 with nine teachers, three trustees, and 100 students in grades 1 through 12. Before its construction, local students traveled by boat along the Loxahatchee River to attend the 1891 Octagon School, the 1895 West Jupiter School at Sawfish Bay, or the 1911 Jupiter School on Town Hall Avenue. The school was designed by architect William Manly King, who was responsible for all Palm Beach County schools built during the 1920s. Its distinctive features include a parapeted, barrel-tile roof, a stucco exterior, and elegant ogee and pointed arches over the doors and windows. Constructed at a cost of $150,000, the school was considered state-of-the-art for its time, with modern amenities that included a library, science laboratory, and an auditorium with a stage for performances. Like most Florida schools of the era, it did not have air conditioning. Jupiter School was one of only eight schools in Florida accredited by the Southern Association, allowing its graduates to continue on to college. Like many schools of the era, Jupiter School operated under segregation and served only white students. African American students attended a two-room schoolhouse in Limestone Creek through eighth grade until 1961, when Iris Hunter became the first Black student to attend Jupiter School. The building remained the area's primary school until 1965, when the new Jupiter High School opened on Toney Penna Drive. The building is still owned and maintained by the Palm Beach County School Board, which completed a $6.4 million interior restoration in 2006. Today, the historic school serves as administrative offices, preserving an important piece of Jupiter's educational and architectural heritage.

It's obvious that every source of electrical power generation has advantages and disadvantages, yet…read morethe generation of electricity remains one of the most controversial topics of our times. Whether these concerns are over global warming and its impact on the environment for future generations, the immediate risk and safety concerns of the surrounding communities or simply the cost justifications behind regulation or deregulation. There are groups on both sides of these arguments working tirelessly to justify their convictions for it or against it, but both sides can agree it's a vital part of our existence. In the case of nuclear power those advantages are both a clean and environmentally friendly method of electrical generation that's affordable, safe and reliable. The St. Lucie Power Plant located off of A1A on Hutchinson Island approximately 8 miles southeast of Fort Pierce, has been producing safe, reliable and low-cost electricity since 1976 when its first nuclear reactor was put online producing about 1 megawatt of electricity (1 megawatt = 1 million watts) of electricity -- enough power to supply the annual needs of more than 1 million homes. The second unit of equal size began operating in 1983 doubling the capacity of this generating station. This location was chosen because of its low-risk seismic zone, although St. Lucie is located in the lowest hazard zone for earthquakes according to the (USGS) this facility was constructed to withstand earthquakes and other natural events stronger than ever recorded in the region. The plant is elevated 20 feet above sea level to protect against flooding and extreme storm surges and successfully withstood the back- to-back impact of two hurricanes in 2004. This nuclear-power plant was built to withstand winds in excess of 195-mph and also the effects associated with these types of events with an abundances of redundant controls and emergency power supplies. This facility has been rated as one of the top performing U.S. nuclear power plants and has maintained a reasonable safety record since its commissioning. Although we would like to assume there are no inherent risk, in this industry it's more about how these risks are managed and the over-sight by a variety of agencies that fully understand the complexity of this technology and assumes responsibility to protect people and property. This plant is one of the many reasons Floridian's have some of the lowest cost per kilowatt hour in the country and a record of reliability that rivals more regions in the U.S. In order to educate the public this plant operates a visitor center, called the Energy Encounter, it allows visitors to experience interactive exhibits on electricity, nuclear energy and the environment and the admission is free it's open to the public Tuesdays & Thursdays 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. a visit here may put your mind at ease and certainly give you a better understanding of the demands facing the country's energy producers in today's world, who doesn't expect the lights to come on when we flick the switch, it's not magic you know it requires a never ending commitment by the men and women living in our community that work in this demanding industry to provide this service for all of us, the most privileged people on earth.

The energy center has lots of information and cool demonstration "toys"…read more The power plant provides clean energy in "bulks" compared to solar or wind energy.

What a cool restaurant and just beautiful historic house!…read more Earnie is a charming host and it was so fun to hear his story and how he saved this place. We need more people like him! So dinner and service... Janice sp? Was a joy and very knowledgeable about the wines and entrees. The food was great and service was laid back and relaxing. We were not rushed and just enjoyed our time in this historic place. In the end we got to try some killer homemade ice cream. Wow!!!!!!

We had a lot of fun at Sims house the other night. We sat inside because we wanted to experience…read morethe total feel and ambiance of this historic restaurant in a house. The food was very good. The waiter a young eager man was a little rough around the edges and seemed he would be more comfortable as a waiter at Dennys. Sims house is pretty expensive but the quality was there. Unfortunately the wine list was very expensive serving $14 retail bottles For yikes! $72!! We all agreed the dinner was a great experience. Would we rush to go back??? Not sure

The Battle of Loxahatchee took place on Jan. 24, 1838, There is a recreation of the battle every…read moreyear in January at Riverbend Park in Jupiter. The battle was fought between the United States Army and the Seminole Indians joined by former slaves. The government had already forced the Seminoles into Florida from Georgia and they were trying to move them again to Oklahoma along the Trail of Tears. The Seminoles were not willing to go and were very adept at avoiding the army by hiding in the Everglades. After the battle Major Lauderdale who Ft. Lauderdale is named for took his Tennessee Volunteers and pursued the Seminoles that had escaped after the battle. In a neighborhood in Jupiter is a small plaque and American flag that marks the site where the Tennessee Volunteers camped out while pursuing the Seminoles. They did not get along with the regular army so they established their own camp instead of staying at the army fort one mile to the west. Their animosity with the army was so great that they refused to follow Colonel Jessup into battle at Loxahatchee leading him to get shot in the face when he entered the battle thinking they were behind him. After that Jessup swore never to use volunteers again. The camp was discovered in 1989 by Richard Procyk, an hobby archaeologist who had recently moved to Jupiter. Unfortunately the area was being developed for housing. Only a little excavation took place before the site was built on although a granite marker was placed to mark the camp. At the time Palm Beach County did not have laws to protect historical sites but what happened here caused preservation ordinances to be passed.