“Eden,” the name says it all. Wouldn’t it be cool to say you lived in Eden?
Today there is a historic sign, but there is no longer a town. In 1879 “Eden” was named by Captain Thomas E. Richards who decided this spot along the high ridge of the Indian River would be a good place to grow pineapples. According to historian, Sandra Henderson Thurlow, “Richards felt he had arrived in a tropical paradise, and named his new home Eden.”
In Sandra’s book, “Historic Jensen and Eden on Florida’s Indian River,” she talks about how today’s Jensen Beach evolved from both the historic communities of Eden and Jensen, but over time, while Jensen had room to grow, Eden faded, as it was hemmed in by the wet, fragile ecosystem of the savannas. This marshy savannas system once stretched along the lagoon for over a hundred miles, but today, the only remnant lies right behind the lost town of Eden, and to the north and south of close-by extending lands.
These rare lands known today as Savannas Preserve State Park, “encompass more than 5,400 acres and stretch more the ten miles from Jensen Beach to Ft Pierce containing the largest, most ecologically intact stretch of freshwater marsh in southeast Florida.” Remarkable!
If you haven’t ever seen it, I can promise, “Eden awaits you…”
This past weekend, my husband Ed and I put on our wet weather gear, and walked from Jensen Beach Blvd to “west of Eden. ” It is amazing to have this treasure right in our own backyards, a study in plant and animal life that “used to be.” ~A study in what we can bring back, if we want to…
Website, Savannas Preserve State Park: https://www.floridastateparks.org/park/Savannas
Savannas from the air in 2013, JTL 
Eden, St Lucie Co.: https://sites.google.com/a/flgenweb.net/stlucie/history/old-communities/e
Eden Ghost Town: http://www.ghosttowns.com/states/fl/eden.html
Jensen WIKI: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jensen_Beach,_Florida
Jensen Chamber of Commerce: http://www.jensenbeachflorida.info
We have never walked that area. Thanks for the trip Jacqui and Ed! Great pics and so thankful that we have this great green space.
Janet always great to hear from you! A veritable untamed McKee Jungle Garden! 🙂
Pics are so cool!!! Especially the snake trail!!
On Mon, Jun 12, 2017 at 12:05 PM, Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch wrote:
> Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch posted: “”Eden,” the name says it all. Wouldn’t it > be cool to say, you lived in Eden? Today there is a historic sign, but > there is no longer a town. In 1879 “Eden” was named by Thomas E. Richards, > pioneer, who decided this spot along the Indian River would be a” >
I really like that snake track too.🐍
The “absorbtion” of Eden by Jensen reminds me of Eau Gallie. My younger sister was born in Eau Gallie in 1959, but the town of Eau Gallie also no longer exists. (And how splendidly that name rolls off the tongue, “Oh Gallie!”)
That is the most beautiful of names! I have read a bit and must review. So much great IRL history up your way!
Thanks, Jacqui, for another great post. Wonderful photos.
Thank you Tara. So enjoy being in touch.😊
Dan and I moved up to La Buona Vita and cross over on Walton every day. We are so fortunate to be buffered by this beautiful savanna wetland. Thanks for the aerial pics, Jacqui!
Dear Chuck, thank you for writing. Walton is a great historic area in and of itself. So special. I want to learn more about La Buona Vita. I will look up. Glad you’re here!
Facebook comments:36 Lori Rodenbaugh Kaiser, Tara Powers and 34 others
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Billy Platt
Billy Platt Bill Platt
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Thomas Gidus
Thomas Gidus I want to visit this place.
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Ellen Feeley Gittin
Ellen Feeley Gittin Check your PMs. You flew right over my house earlier today and didn’t even stop in to say hello! LOL
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Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch 😁
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Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
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Donald Parker
Donald Parker i use to own the house where the town eden post office was
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Irene Nethery Gomes
Irene Nethery Gomes My Umcle use to rent the post office in the 70’s.
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Donald Parker
Donald Parker we rented out it but it got destroyed by jean and francis
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Irene Nethery Gomes
Irene Nethery Gomes Yes Donald Parker the termites got it after Jean and Francis. I thought about taking it as the owners wanted it moved but I had no place to move and to expensive for me too move and restore although I thought anout it. I sent a number of email to St Lucie County about preserving it. They said they were going to move and restore it but never did. It was unfortunate to loose the historic value. 🙁
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Donald Parker
Donald Parker that was me
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Donald Parker
Donald Parker sl lucie lost intrest
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Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch Irene Nethery Gomes so interesting!
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Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch Donald ParkerYou’re kidding! Awesome. Do you have photos?
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Donald Parker
Donald Parker No I don’t the house was moved from the dock years ago the steam wheelers would deliver mail to it I am told it was a diner for a while when it was moved onto the front lawn of the house I owned I don’t know that for sure though
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Irene Nethery Gomes
Irene Nethery Gomes Yes I know the history. I have the book.
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Irene Nethery Gomes
Irene Nethery Gomes Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch- YES I’m sure I have photos somewhere. I have so many boxes of photos. I will have to look for it
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Jim Wilson
Jim Wilson I thought the post office was dismantled and put in a pole barn on the property.
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Donald Parker
Donald Parker It was dismantled and I believe the Miami Dade Pine went to Eden lawn Plantation that’s what I said
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Jim Wilson
Jim Wilson Thanks, I missed that part of the post.
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Donald Parker
Donald Parker Not your fault Irene misunderstood what I said and I didn’t correct it
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Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
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Irene Nethery Gomes
Irene Nethery Gomes Unfortunately from what I understand Eden Lawn Plantation has now turned into a rehab.
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Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch What a bummer. That place was incredible.
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Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
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Irene Nethery Gomes
Irene Nethery Gomes My Grandfather Frederick Fulford Sr. Use to be good friends with Mr. & Mrs. LeTourneau. That owned the big house in the back next to the post office. I was under the impression they might have owned the post office. Not only did my Uncle rent it for a while a boyfriend rented it for a while also. I use to cook them.a meal now again there. A very small cute cottage with a bay window.
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Donald Parker
Donald Parker i bought the house in 04 the big house was long gone
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Donald Parker
Donald Parker i think it burned down
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Irene Nethery Gomes
Irene Nethery Gomes Yes the big house burned down. You must have the person I spoke to about the house that you wanted moved for the view. I mentioned I own the Driftwood Motel in Jensen.
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Irene Nethery Gomes
Irene Nethery Gomes Mrs. LeTourneau gave me a few beautiful depression glass plates as a wedding gift in 1969.
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Donald Parker
Donald Parker a lot of the miami dade pine got recycled
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Irene Nethery Gomes
Irene Nethery Gomes I’m sure it was! The man who owns Eden Lawn talked about moving it on his property and restoring it but I guess he decided it was too far gone. The Post office wasn’t in that bad a shape when I first started correspondence with St. Lucie County but t…See More
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Donald Parker
Donald Parker i think i gave it to the guy from edenlawn
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Irene Nethery Gomes
Irene Nethery Gomes Oh it is there?.My husband thought it was taken apart and thrown away.
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Irene Nethery Gomes
Irene Nethery Gomes I can’t remember the guy name that owns Eden Lawn do you?
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Donald Parker
Donald Parker no
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Irene Nethery Gomes
Irene Nethery Gomes Ok thanks I think I’ll stop by and ask him although I’m very disappointed to hear Eden Lawn became a rehab
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Donald Parker
Donald Parker i had to deal with that in north river shores ,my next door neighbor rented to them
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Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch Fascinating
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Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch Donald Parker 🙁
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Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch
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David Keen
David Keen It was in the late 1800’s when pineapples would bring together the lives of two sisters and two brothers from opposite ends of the state. My grandfather and grand uncle lived in Captain Richards boarding house in Eden where they worked in the pineapple fields. The Storman sisters journeyed by ox cart following the military trail with their family from Miami to work in the boarding house and that’s where they met the two Keen brothers who came down from St Augustine. They were married in 1885 and lived in Eden for a while before moving to Ft Pierce. Uncle Jack planted some of the first citrus on Keen road and grandfather Keen became a home builder. Today many of their desendants live in the area.
In 1957 my husband, William Kim Bessemer’s baby shower was held at Edenlawn. His parents Maxine and Bill Bessemer published an article in the Jensen Beach newspaper about their new baby boy and the shower. I have a clipping somewhere about the Edenlawn shower that I saved when my inlaws passed away. I think it mentioned some of the guests and details of the shower which I think was at the restaurant there in the 1950s. My husband is a Fl native and we still live only a few miles north of Edenlawn in the Savannas (St Lucie Gardens which you should visit) on 10 acres for the last 43 years.
Florence Bessemer
Florence. I’m so interested in your family history. Amazing! Yes I’d like to see!
That newspaper clipping I’ll have to look for in old scrapbooks and photos but when I find it I’ll let you know if email a copy of it. Years ago everyone here put every social news in the Jensen Beach Mirror which was the local paper. My mother in law put in my picture and our engagement also in 1980. It was the thing people did then