Standing in front of this beautiful courthouse building, the sign points out "Okeechobee County was formed Aug. 7, 1917, from St. Lucie, Osceola and Palm Beach Counties. Long a haunt of the Seminoles, the area saw almost no white penetration until the 2nd Seminole War, 1835-42. Much fighting occurred in the county during the war including the Battle of Lake Okeechobee on Dec. 25, 1837. The county has become a major truck crop area. The vicious 1928 hurricane led to flood control on the Lake." It is marker number F-59.
The courthouse building was completed in 1926 by architect George Gaynor Hyde in a style blending Southern Colonial Revival and Mediterranean Revival elements. The building faces south and is a three story concrete and glass structure. The main part of the building has a pink colored façade with rounded corners and rounded glass bay windows.
On the weekend, the rolling doors were down so the large arch with a double set of stairs inside were not visible.
Okeechobee County is named for Okeechobee Lake, the largest lake in Florida, and the name comes from the Hitchiti words "oki" meaning "water" and "chubi" meaning "big."
[Review 444 of 2025 - 2087 in Florida - 24006 overall] read more