| If you have any Historical Information or photographs that you would like to share on the web site, about Jupiter, please send me an e-mail with your short story and photograph. |
|
We are in the process of upgrading our website. If you have any ideas that you would like to see, please e-mail me with your recommendation. |
Kids
History Site
The Story of Jupiter and its Neighbors -
Jupiter History Web is a volunteer project in cooperation with the Town of Jupiter Information Systems Department. Web server space for this site is provided by the Town of Jupiter. The project goals include building a store of historical information for the Town archives and placing it on the web for all to share, but our mission extends beyond the Town limits. Feedback is invited by Email to juphist@jupiter.fl.us. Wasn't it a Party? In 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.Jupiter Pioneer History Lynn Drake, a member of our Web Committee, is in the process of writing a genealogical history of the pioneers of Jupiter, both white and African American. She is also compiling a history of the old Jupiter Pioneer Cemetary, now Riverside Memorial Park, with everyone who is known to be buried there to present day. From time to time, we are including interesting stories of pioneer families with their genealogies on our website. We are listing an index of some of the pioneers in this database. If you are a descendant and have something you'd like to share; stories, old photo's, journals or diaries, or just want to learn more about your ancestors, please contact Lynn at: Lynn L. Drake P.O. Box 4028 Tequesta, FL 33458 JupiterHistory@aol.com 561-575-7925 
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 $20. 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.
Fred Mortimer Cabot II...born in Georgia in 1857, Fred purchased land in Jupiter. Discover how Fred contributed to Jupiter's ever growing history. |
 |
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.
The
Jupiter Wireless Station played an important
 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.
 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.
 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. 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. 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.
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. 40 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 Aug. 31, 1994. |
|
 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.
 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. 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. 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.Jupiter's 1954 Phone Book The Town of Jupiter is a large and growing community in 2001. Less than 50 years ago, the local phone book fit on a single page.  The Hurricane of '28 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.  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 astronomy event. Actually, it came down to simple phonetics and a propensity by our ancestors to Anglicize words.
 W. Carlin White This 1973 profile of former mayor Carlin White is re-printed from The Loxahatchee Lament. Read about the man whose family ties date to Jupiter's earliest pioneers.
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. The Infamous Stuffed Bird In this excerpt from History of the Carlin House, Carlin White tells the background story of the Carolina Parakeet, a 110 year-old stuffed bird that caused a local scandal in recent years. 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.
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. And, 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. The European exploration of Florida, including the vicinity of the Jupiter Inlet, began with Juan Ponce de Leon, in 1513. On March 3, of that year, after being removed as Governor of Puerto Rico, he sailed from Puerto Rico with three ships on his mission of exploration seeking gold and, according to some, the rumored Fountain of Youth, after receiving a grant from the King of Spain. Based on maps drawn several years later, likely based on charts by Juan Ponce, including the Feduccini map of 1515, some surmise that one of his landings was at the Jupiter Inlet. There, according to Antonio de Herrara y Tordesillas who was appointed "historigrapher of the Indies" by Spanish King Philip II in 1592, Ponce placed a stone cross. |
The Jupiter History Web is Copyright © 2005 by the Jupiter History Web Project except as noted. Identified pictures and stories remain the property of the copyright holders and authors identified herein. Every effort is made to be accurate and complete but no guarantee of accuracy is claimed. Many times sources present conflicting information. We welcome corrections and clarifications on all material presented and invite your input into the process.
The "Anti-Jupiter"