History Time Line

YEAR

STORY

1513

THE STORY OF SANTA LUCIA: Before there was a Jupiter Lighthouse, and even before Jonathan Dickinson and other passengers of The Reformation were shipwrecked on Jupiter Island, the Spanish explored the vicinity of Jupiter Inlet. At one point in the mid 16th Century there was, according to some researchers, a brief settlement here that started by misfortune and ended in bloody, mutinous disaster.

1693

BLACK SEMINOLES: Controversy surrounds the subject of Black Seminoles. Many are rumored to live in the Jupiter area. Here is an excellent background story on the topic from The Palm Beach Post.

1763

EVIDENCE OF OLD SETTLEMENT: proves the Union Jack may once have flown over Jupiter. The restoration of the Lighthouse turned up information that the site may have been the location of the rumored British settlement, Grenville.
HOW JUPITER GOT IT'S NAME: The most frequent question we receive is how Jupiter was named. Many think the name was derived from the Celestial Railway or some significant astronomical event. Actually, it came down to simple phonetics and a propensity by our ancestors to Anglicize words.

1838

RIVERBEND PARK: Ancient Jupiter history still permeates historic Riverbend Park. Read commentary from The Jupiter Courier and a recent article from The Palm Beach Post about the most interesting local park that you've likely never heard about.
FAMOUS OLD SOLDIERS: Jupiter's history is rich and firmly entrenched in America's history. In fact, many of the early American soldiers that shaped our country began their military careers in South Florida. Richard Procyk gives a glimpse of some of our pre-Civil War soldiers in this article devoted to Famous Old Soldiers.
BATTLE OF THE LOXAHATCHEE: Archeologists have uncovered artifacts confirming the location of the Battle of the Loxahatchee at Riverbend Park in west Jupiter. Author Richard Procyk guides us through a six part series on the Battle of the Loxahatchee.
Military Trail: Many have believed that Military Trail received it's name from WWII. In fact, the Trail was so named because of other facts that occurred in history. Author Richard Procyk introduces us to the facts about Military Trail and how the road was so named.

1860

JUPITER INLET LIGHTHOUSE: Modern Jupiter history is tied to the Jupiter Inlet Lighthouse. First lit on July 10, 1860, the structure has survived wars, floods, hurricanes, renovations, tourists and space travelers.

1868

FORTY YEARS ON THE JOB: For forty years, the name of James Arango Armour was synonymous with the Jupiter Lighthouse. Between 1868 and 1908, the former seaman and boat pilot was the head lighthouse keeper and one of the area's most noted pioneers. Read the story as Published in The Jupiter Courier, on Au. 31, 1994.

1870

JUPITER WIRELESS STATION: The Jupiter Wireless Station played an important role in Jupiter's early history and the development of wireless communications. W. Carlin White's book on the Wireless Station offers a glimpse into this part of our history.

1880

JUPITER TO JUNO, VENUS AND MARS: The Celestial Railroad became the stuff of legend in just a few years of operation. Work on the roadbed began in October, 1880, but due to the limited cargo holds of steamships coming from Titusville, it took almost 10 years before the last rails were set in place.

1890

Sunni-Sands: See a pictorial and short history about the first Village on Jupiter. Courtesy of Lynn Drake who is our local Historical Researcher and Geneologist who specializes in Pioneering History. Lynn is an archivist with the Loxahatchee River Historical Society.

1892

HISTORIC TINDALL HOUSE: Palm Beach County's oldest home. Volunteers of the Loxahatchee River Historical Museum have begun the work that will restore the house to its turn of the last century look.

HISTORY IN A BOX: Susan Dewey, granddaughter of Jupiter pioneer James Drayton Thompson (1892-1972), discovered a wonderful collection of diaries and pictures spanning circa 1912-1936. The diaries contain the daily happenings of a young man's life in early Jupiter. Most photos have meticulous documentation on the back, and the handwritten original notes have been copied and placed with each photo.

1893

FRED MORTIMER CABOT II: Born in Georgia in 1857, Fred purchased land in Jupiter. Discover how Fred contributed to Jupiter's ever growing history.

1898

JUPITER'S SCHOOL BOAT: How did kids get to school around the turn of the last century? The same way most people got around -- by boat. The tale of the Jupiter school boat starts with the story of Dr. Charles Jackson, a homesteader on the Loxahatchee River.

1916

EARLY AVIATION IN JUPITER: In the winter of the years 1916-17, a group of British aviators used the Jupiter River and the Loxahatchee basin as an advanced training area for small sea planes. The group consisted of nine people and three planes with a pilot, copilot, and a mechanic assigned to each machine.

1917

Plumosus: It was a Town, it is a plant, it is an Florica Power and Light substation. See why this was an important part of Jupiters history.

1925

JUPITER IN THE ROARING 20'S: The Town of Jupiter acquires a reputation for "molesting motorists." Local folklore says Al Capone had a hideaway here. The Mayor writes a letter accusing the vice-mayor and a policeman of making off with liquor seized from a bootlegger.
WHAT'S IN A PARTY: February, 1925 a small group of citizens came together and formed the Town of Jupiter. On February 12, 2000, several thousand showed up to party and celebrate 75 years of history.

1927

THE "ANTI-JUPITER": Plumosus City, formed to protest Jupiter's taxes and in moral outrage against that town's speed trap scandal, included land along Center Street and north of that road to the Loxahatchee River and most of Pennock Point.
Photograph of classmates for the entire Old Jupiter School for 1927.

1928

HURRICANE OF 1928: For Jupiter, it was the big one. Local pioneer Bessie Dubois, who lived through it, called the hurricane that hit on Sept. 16, 1928, "the hurricane of the century." This particular storm was not unnoticed before it struck Florida. Ships at sea recorded its movement and strength, beginning on Monday, Sept. 10, when the developing low pressure area was still halfway between Africa and the U.S. — slowly but inexorably making its way westward. Friday morning, the hurricane veered slightly to the north, on a direct line with South Florida, and maintained a steady forward movement at 14½ miles per hour. In those days, there were no television weather reports, TV bulletins or hurricane sections of the newspaper.

1934

TRAIN IN THE WATER: WRECK OF OLD 427 - One day during the 1930's, the FEC bridge had not been closed when a southbound train came upon it. One eye-witness was Carlin White. He said the train was heard skidding along the tracks with its brakes set for sometime before the wreck. The engineer almost got the train stopped, but not quite. The engine ran into the upturned bridge span, knocked it off, and nosed down into the water behind it.

1938

LILLIAN WHITE: profiles herself in this re-print from The Loxahatchee Lament. A converted Yankee, she married into one of Jupiter's first families. Mrs. White was a prime force behind the original publication of the Lament.

1954

JUPITER'S 1954 TELEPHONE BOOK: The Town of Jupiter is a large and growing community in 2005. Less than 51 years ago, the local phone book fit on a single page.

1960

POSTCARDS AND PHOTOGRAPHS: We are beginning to receive photos and postcards from a number of residents, former residents or family members. At some point in time we'd like to have a story tied to each of these. Rather than hold these in archive until a story can be developed they will be displayed for all to view.

1970

W.CARLIN WHITE: This 1973 profile of former Mayor Carlin White is reprinted from The Loxahatchee Lament. Read about the man whose family ties date to Jupiter's earliest pioneers.

THE LOXAHATCHEE LAMENT is a collection of some of the recollections of Jupiter's Pioneers dating back to the early 1800's. The collection originally appeared as articles in The Jupiter Courier as a series to save the Loxahatchee River. The content, written during the early 1970's, soon broadened to include reminiscences of those living in the Jupiter area. It is a treasure trove of our past told by those who lived it. The Town of Jupiter has reprinted this book and has copies for sale to the public. Cost of this 350+ page, hard bound volume is $15. For your copy, stop by the reception desk at Jupiter Town Hall, 210 Military Trail, Jupiter, Florida 33458. For more information contact the Town's Records Manager at (561) 746-5134.

2005

R. E. "Pete" Damon was a commissioner in 1931 through 1932 and was elected again in 1935 and served until 1953. The Damon Memorial Bridge on Alternate A1A is dedicated to him. Mr. Damon was best known as the bridge tender.