Jupiter Walking Tour
Description
This walking tour will adventure through 3 different historical landmarks within the Jupiter area.
This historical marker was dedicated in 2006 and is located next to a historic train depot that was moved to Sawfish Bay Park. The maker shares the history of the waterfront location that is now home to Sawfish Bay Park. The area was first inhabited by humans during the Archaic Period 5,000 years ago, this site provided access to an intricate transportation system within the Everglades region. Marine life sustained these early peoples until contact with European diseases devastated the local population in the 1700s. The earliest historic written record of human activity on the site was the Cabot Home, first settled by Frederick M. Cabot II in 1892. By 1894 this site became the center of commerce when a railroad spur, which is still evident, connected the river community of Jupiter to the northeastern United States.
Completed between 1853 and 1860, this historic lighthouse was designed by the soon-to-be-famous Civil War officer George G. Meade. Meade's design was later modified by Lieutenant William Raynolds who completed the construction of the lighthouse. The lighthouse saw little action in the Civil War but became one of the centers of activity for the Navy's program of using radio waves to detect German submarines during World War II. Visitors to this site can learn about the history of the lighthouse and the region back to the period before Columbus with a tour of the lighthouse museum that opened in 1973.
This historic public space has long been an important part of the West Palm Beach community, being home to libraries, reading rooms, and a public park. A historic marker at this location offers a brief history of the space and its role within the larger history of the city of West Palm Beach.