CELEBRATIONS
STEP BACK IN TIME
James Odell Jr. and Talissa Wilson, Civil War reenactors, regale event-goers with stories about early Fort Pierce during the Treasure Coast History Festival.
Inaugural history festival uncovers
a treasure trove of stories
With Fort Pierce’s old-time aura, it is easy to imagine
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early settlers and Seminole Indians brushing
up dust on the same streets. Everyone knew each
other and strangers were easy to spot, yet still
made to feel welcomed at the Buckhorn Saloon or Peter P.
Cobb’s general store.
Homesteads were beyond hollering distance, but close
enough to keep a watch over each other to make sure that
everyone was getting by. Neighbors tended to the elderly and
sick and watched to see the children stayed out of mischief.
That is how many of the creative types who are experiencing
a revival gravitated to each other and survived in a time
when there was no such thing as quick money. In the city’s
early days, Crayola inventor Edwin Binney became a major
benefactor, dredging the Fort Pierce Inlet, creating the Port
of Fort Pierce and saving the local bank during the Depression.
ED DRONDOSKI
Fort Pierce was a haven of creativity for artists like A.E.
Backus and the Highwayman painters. Author Zora Neale
Hurston spent her final years here.
As a city that honors its past, Fort Pierce was chosen as
the site for the inaugural Treasure Coast History Festival, produced
by Indian River Magazine Inc., publisher of Fort Pierce
Magazine, with co-sponsors Main Street Fort Pierce and the
Sunrise Theatre.
PAST COMES ALIVE
Readers have deeply connected with the history stories
featured on the pages of Indian River Magazine and Fort Pierce
Magazine. With that in mind, publisher Gregory Enns approached
Main Street Fort Pierce and the Sunrise Theatre
about a Treasure Coast History Festival featuring local pioneer
families and authors who share a past with the city. The
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BY CHRISTINA TASCON