100 historical years and counting
Indian River Magazine is proud to present this special issue marking Vero Beach’s centennial celebration, which begins this month and continues through October 2019.
Indian River Magazine is proud to present this special issue marking Vero Beach’s centennial celebration, which begins this month and continues through October 2019.
It began as a casual conversation nearly 16 months ago between City Clerk Tammy Burick and Councilman Tony Young. The two had worked together on Vero Beach’s 75th and 90th anniversary celebrations and thought the city’s centennial celebration should be bigger and better.
Long before the first people of European origin settled in what is present-day Vero Beach, an ancient people known as the Ais roamed the coast. And, according to the research of two scholars, it was on a large shell midden near what is Pelican Island National Wildlife Sanctuary in Indian River County that the Ais located their capital, known as the paramount town of Jece.
Vero’s beginnings are rooted deep in ancient history. The first indications that people visited the area thousands of years ago were discovered when human bones were uncovered in 1915 and 1916. And from 2014 to 2017, four archaeological excavations further explored this presence and the importance of the Old Vero Site. When did these people first arrive? This question, like Vero Beach, is 100 years old.
Waldo, we hardly knew ye One of Florida’s biggest dreamers and doers, Waldo Sexton brokered some of Vero Beach’s most important land deals while building quirky restaurants, a hotel and…
After much debate and quite a bit of rancor among citizens and politicians alike, Indian River County was born in 1925 through state legislation that carved both Indian River to the north and Martin to the south out of St. Lucie County, leaving three separate counties in the place of one.