In the early 1900's William T. Jones was working as an engineer for Henry Flagler on the Florida…read moreEast Coast Railway. He suffered a knee injury in a railroad accident when a careless worker placed dynamite on the tracks and a train hit it. With the settlement he received he built Cresthaven, known today as The Boston House. He chose to place his home on a high ridge overlooking the Indian River. The 3 story, red brick mansion was designed with Neo Classical and Georgian architecture. It was completed in 1909 at a cost of $6,000. It had 5 bedrooms and 4,3000 square feet. The floors, banisters, and stairs were made of Dade County pine. other building materials used to build the house were brought to Fort Pierce from Georgia by the FEC Railroad because of the friendship Jones shared with Henry Flagler. After he retired from the railroad Jones grew oranges and pineapples and sold real estate. He eventually became the third sheriff of St. Lucie County. During his time in the home two troubling incidents happened concerning Jones's children. His youngest son Clifford accidentally shot and killed a playmate when he was 10 in the living room of the house and his son Fred was involved in a motorcycle accident that killed his fiance's sister. Things did not go well for the other Jones children in the later years, son William dies at the age of 36 from injuries from a motorcycle accident, daughter Margaret dies from a heart attack, and the eldest son Fred took his own life. Jones ultimately lost ownership of the house during a period of financial problems caused by the Great Depression. In 1949 he had borrowed money from a friend, Irving C. Whitney but when Whitney died his sister inherited his estate and called in the note on the loan giving the Jones family a week to vacate their home. Rose Whitney then moved into the house renaming it Boston House because she was from Massachusetts. Upon Rose Whitney's death the McCarty family purchased the house but they chose not to live in it. The house then became an engineering firm and a private residence before it was restored in the mid 1980's and became the law firm of Kendall Phillips. The house was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1985. Today many people believe the Boston House is haunted. There has been paranormal activity associated with house, particularly around the third floor. Indians have been spotted on the lawn. Legend has it that a female spirit haunts the Boston House. She is believed to be Aleacon Perkins. She was vacationing in the home during the time it was an inn and her son and husband drown during a storm in the river. It is said she is still awaiting their return from a third floor window. During my visit it looks like the Boston House is getting some more work done. The inside is ripped apart and new windows have been installed. No word on what the spirits think about that.

The Moores Creek Bridge is a 46 foot long single span, concrete, historic bridge on North 2nd St…read more in Fort Pierce. It was built by the Luten Bridge Corporation of Palatka Fl in 1925. The concrete bridge replaced a wooden one that connected a residential neighborhood with downtown Ft. Pierce and the water front. It was refurbished in 1997 by the city of Ft. Pierce and the Florida Department of Transportation. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 17, 2001. It has been nicknamed the tickle tummy bridge for the feeling you get in your stomach when going over it due to the high arch.

This historical marker is located on Indian River Dr. at the courthouse in Ft. Pierce Fl. Marker…read moreF-60 was erected in 1961 by the Florida Board of Parks and Historic Memorials. It is located in front of the Rupert J. Smith Law Library. The historical sign says that St. Lucie County was formed in 1844 and recreated in 1905. It is believed that this part of Florida was named for St. Lucie of Syracuse (283-304 AD) who was a Christian martyr who died during the Diocletianic Persecution. The Spanish were the first European explorers to reach Florida in the 1500's. One of the earliest references to St. Lucie (English version) was the 'Santa Lucia' Spanish colony located between Stuart and Vero Beach. As noted by the sign, the native inhabitants at the time were the Tequesta. After Florida became a state the U.S. government sought to move native people, the Seminoles who had previously been moved from Georgia by the government into Florida, west of the Mississippi which resulted in the Seminole Wars. The army established forts around Florida to chase the Seminoles. Fort Pierce established in this area in 1837, became the county seat. It was named for Major B.K. Pierce, the brother of Franklin Pierce who set up the fort. The settlement that sprang up around the fort became the City of Fort Pierce. This sign gives a brief glimpse of the history in this area. If you are interested in learning more and seeing historical artifacts, you can visit the St. Lucie Historical Museum also located in Fort Pierce. The museum has several displays exploring St. Lucie's history from the earliest humans, the Tequesta and Ais people to today.

Great service at the Clerk of Court in Fort Pierce on Wednesday. Polite, friendly, and very…read morehelpful. I've visited many a Clerk's office in Florida and the service in St. Lucie far exceeds them all.

I love historic abandoned buildings so I was so excited to find this amazing 1914 Catholic School…read moreon Orange Ave. in Ft. Pierce. The school was built by James P. McNichol, a senator from Philadelphia who used to come to Florida in the winter to fish. The school, a wood church, rectory, and convent were built to serve around 30 Catholic families in the area. A pastor rode into town once a month. McNichol's deceased wife was named Anastasia, so the school was named for St. Anastasia. The first pastor of the church was Father Rupert Gabriel. The high school remained in the building until the fall of 1965, when the last of the students moved to the new St. Anastasia High School. In 1978, the Miami Diocese sold the property for $120,000. The church, rectory, and convent buildings have since been demolished. Today only the school remains and it was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on August 10,2000. The school suffered damage Hurricane Frances and Jeanne. In 2008 a new roof was added by REG Architects and Summit Construction of Vero Beach LLC. They were able to stabilize the building. New windows were added in 2014 on the buildings 100th anniversary. Some of them have since been smashed. Ft. Pierce is currently looking for someone to take over the property and perhaps turn it into some kind of center for the arts.

House of Seven Gables is a historic home turned visitors center in Ft. Pierce. It was built in…read more1905. In 1943 it was a house of prostitution frequented by servicemen during WWII. In 1987 it was sold at auction and used as a taxidermy studio. In 1997 the house was donated to the city of Fort Pierce and moved to its present location on June 31, 1998. In 2000 the St. Lucie Chamber of Commerce opened the house as a visitor's center providing information about things to do in the area and places to stay and eat at. The volunteers who work here answer visitors questions and also give free tours of the house. If you are in the area it is worth a stop especially since the A. E. Backus Museum and Gallery and Manatee Observation and Education Center are located on either side of the House of Seven Gables.

This nice old house, built in 1905, houses the Visitors Center for Ft. Pierce, Florida. Check it…read moreout, if you're touring the area!

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.

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.

Must visit historic building. Very interesting museum upstairs. It's free and worth a visit…read more Oldest continuously operated commercial building on the east coast.

The Budd Adams-Cobb Cultural Center is in the upstairs of the historic P. P. Cobb building located…read morein downtown Ft. Pierce. The P. P. Cobb building was a trading post opened in 1896 by Peter Cobb. He operated it until 1931. The stores motto was Everything to Eat, Wear, and Use. A general store is still operated on the first floor. The cultural center is in a corner of the second floor. 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. The center has maps, vintage photos,drawing of archeological discoveries, and other materials. Jean Ellen Wilson is the centers administrator and it is staffed by volunteers. There is no admission to enter. I enjoyed my visit to the historic P. P. Cobb building. I especially loved the wall of vintage mail slots. If you are interested in old buildings and Treasure Coast history then you will definitely want to visit this link to the past.

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.

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.

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.